The older I get, the extra I really feel like life continuously speeds alongside on quick ahead. Didn’t 2025 simply begin? How is it already June?? The place did the entire days and weeks and months go???
I might actually use a pause button in life… Or at the least a strategy to sluggish issues down. A lot has occurred, particularly up to now few months, and I’d like to cease and catch my breath earlier than summer time flies by within the blink of an eye fixed!
However till somebody sensible figures out how to try this, maybe the following smartest thing is taking a couple of moments to easily sit and chat. Buying and selling tales, sharing highlights, speaking about what’s been occurring behind the scenes… And possibly, simply possibly, keep away from the huge mountain of baking dishes presently piled up in my sink.
So pour your self a cup of espresso or tea — and even water, if that’s what you’re craving! — and fake like we’re sitting throughout from one another on the native espresso store and catching up. If we have been, these are the 4 items of enjoyable information that I’d share…
LOCKS OF LOVE
Two years in the past, whereas driving house from the salon, I believed it was the final time. 5 appeared like a spherical quantity and good place to cease. However then… My hair grew quicker, longer, and more healthy than I anticipated, which led to Locks of Love haircut #6 this spring!
I initially needed to attend till I might see my standard stylist. Upon realizing that wouldn’t occur till August on the earliest, I referred to as one other store. They supplied to squeeze me in that very same afternoon, so I hopped in my automobile and headed over earlier than I had time to hen out.
An hour later, I walked out with a really lengthy ponytail in a zip-topped bag and a smile. I felt lighter — actually and figuratively!
Though fully unintentional, I appear to be on a Locks of Love biannual donation plan. 2019, 2021, 2023, and now… 2025. (Plus my very first one in center faculty and the second in highschool!)
I believe this actually is the final time I donate my hair, however seeing as I stated that two years in the past… I do know higher than to make any guarantees!
Fast Tip: If anybody you understand is planning on doing a haircut for Locks of Love, I’ve realized to count on that my hair will find yourself 2 to three inches shorter than I initially deliberate. A part of that’s from cleansing up and night out the ends after the preliminary lower, and half is as a result of my hair naturally “shrinks” because it dries. (It’s not fully stick-straight and flat!) Reducing off 10+ inches of hair may be an emotional expertise, if my full vary of pleasure and pleasure to elephant tears and despair after a few of these haircuts are any indication, so reminding myself that it’ll seemingly find yourself shorter earlier than leaving for the salon has turn out to be useful!
Additionally… Carry a ruler, hair ties, and a plastic bag. It all the time helps to be ready!
DISNEYLAND
My mother and I rediscovered our love for the Happiest Place on Earth a short while in the past, so we booked one other journey this spring. It ended up feeling extra just like the unofficial kick off to summer time… Temperatures reached almost 90°F throughout our mini trip!
We break up our days between Disneyland and California Journey, and we checked off nearly all of our favourite rides (plus much more!). Thunder Mountain, Area Mountain, the Incredicoaster, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Foolish Symphony Swings, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, the Mad Tea Celebration…
And sure, I all the time take management and switch the teacup’s wheel as quick as I can. Mother sits again and enjoys the trip whereas I (fortunately!) do the entire work — or she at the least tries to not get too dizzy from our speedy spinning!
We primarily missed the Matterhorn and Tiki Room (each closed for refurbishment!), together with Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Soarin’… With the fairly heat climate contributing to the lengthy queues for the water-based and indoor rides, we didn’t precisely really feel like ready in line for 90 minutes!
As a twist, we additionally hopped on a couple of sights we hadn’t ridden in years. On the high of my checklist? Dumbo and Autopia — neither of which I had been on since I used to be about 5 years outdated! We laughed our total approach by way of my horrible driving on Autopia, and I beloved the chicken’s eye view of Fantastyland from the flying elephants. The forged members even picked us to assist carry the particular crimson card to the entrance of that line for a extra correct wait time studying!
After all, we would have liked gasoline for our lengthy days… We ended up strolling over 9 miles day by day! Though we love Pizza Planet in Tomorrowland, we branched out and dined at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree in Disneyland and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta in California Journey as an alternative.
With our huge candy tooth, we additionally saved loads of room for treats! We sampled the seventieth celebration churro in Frontierland, the seventieth celebration sugar cookie and Pluto whoopie pie from the Grand Californian Resort, and the strawberry and large churro Mickey Mouse cookies discovered at Pooh Nook and the Sweet Palace and Sweet Kitchen on Fundamental Road. Life is all about steadiness, proper??
We each agreed… Our subsequent journey can’t come quickly sufficient!
BOOKS
I used to be an entire bookworm rising up. I devoured stacks and stacks of novels from the library, Barnes & Noble, used bookstores, and our personal cabinets at house. That modified throughout school, the place I traded fiction for textbooks, and I solely hardly ever learn novels in my very restricted free time. I continued studying nonfiction after graduating, however lastly, three years in the past throughout our Kauai household trip, I picked up a novel in what felt like endlessly. After which…
I couldn’t cease.
The floodgates reopened, and I’ve been commonly studying fiction ever since. I eat lots of the books through the Kindle app, primarily as a result of I like how helpful it’s. I can choose up my telephone and end a chapter or two every time I’ve some down time, like whereas standing in line or ready within the parking zone for a web based grocery order pick-up (and even strolling on my new treadmill!), and I don’t have to fret about muddle or keep in mind library guide due dates. It additionally syncs with my iPad, so I by no means lose my place and even want a bookmark!
Proper now, I like lighthearted tales with comfortable endings (life is traumatic sufficient as it’s!), and Shari Low and Maxine Morrey are two of my newfound favourite authors. I’ve totally loved each title I’ve learn by each of them!
BASEBALL GAMES
Throughout one in all their visits, my dad and mom and I purchased baseball tickets. When you’ve been round my weblog earlier than, then you definately most likely know… I like baseball simply as a lot as baking — if not much more!
Though we commonly get pleasure from watching the video games on TV at house, we haven’t attended a sport in individual collectively at this specific stadium in… Twenty years.
Time to vary that!
Proper after coming into the ballpark, I led them over to a small plaza with palm timber to point out them my brick. (My grandparents purchased it as my birthday current one 12 months once I was in center faculty. The reproduction nonetheless sits on my bookshelf!) Saying hello to that brick earlier than each sport I attend has changed into a convention… And so has snapping a photograph, usually with my ft in it.
We wandered across the concourse a bit afterward, stated hello to my favourite usher within the stadium (she’s the sweetest and all the time greets me with a hug!), and settled into our seats because the pregame festivities started. I like sitting in a really specific row on the third base facet. It has extra leg room, which turns out to be useful for the taller folks in our household, and it’s additionally barely elevated… Which implies that I can see over folks’s heads, regardless of my fairly brief stature! (And for day video games, it’s within the shade, in contrast to the primary base facet. Win-win-win!)
We noticed an unimaginable sport, the house crew received, and we had a blast… So we returned the very subsequent day for an additional sport — and the identical factor occurred once more!
We additionally loved some scrumptious meals whereas on the ballpark. My dad and mom ordered burgers the primary evening, full with steaming scorching thick and well-seasoned fries, which they generously shared with me (one in all my huge weaknesses!). The second day, they picked birria nachos and beloved these simply as a lot. Each got here from native eating places with stalls on the stadium!
As for me? All winter, I had spent all the off season craving my favourite ballpark snack… An enormous, tender, additional salty pretzel!
And sure, we already plan on squeezing in one other sport throughout my dad and mom’ subsequent journey — if not a couple of!
However now, again to baking… My oven timer is about to buzz — extra new recipes from me coming quickly!
Within the meantime, you could find the remainder of my recipes right here. When you’d wish to proceed procrastinating on washing dishes (like me!), you could find extra of my Espresso Break posts right here!
