March — some saltwater

March Madness was the mantra by far.

Lots of things happened in March like...

booking flights to TOKYO
catching up with Hayley and trouncing around Ballard
visiting the Columbia Tower with Kass
being mistaken as a flight attendant because I was wearing an ascot
traveling on one of the weirdest flights I've been on in a while (avoid American at all costs)
visiting Los Angeles for a weekend; the highlights include meeting Gina's college friends, eating at SQIRL, coordinating outfits for another triplet photo shoot, and spending quality time with the family
going to see The Aces and COIN in concert
Lauren moving to Seattle
seeing Hamilton (15/10 amazing)
celebrating (aka going out for) St. Patrick's Day for once in my life haha
resurrecting the ever popular flora of the day
admiring the cherry blossoms at the crack of dawn
hosting a chip and dip party at our house; the only valid indicator for a successful party is if there is leftover food (we've been exclusively eating different tortilla and pita chips amongst a variety of dips)
visiting San Francisco (again) but this time to spend time with the family for Gina's spring break; post is en route to the blog, but we went to Point Reyes National Seashore and spent a day exploring the city
making spring rolls for dinner with pals
treating Pari to dinner as a belated birthday present at Red Star Taco Bar
dining out for the first of many roomdates (+ Lauren) at Manolin
winning an instagram contest lol
reading two books: The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs and Am I There Yet by Mari Andrews
having fun enjoying spontaneous afternoons like wandering Pike Place Market, eating all the fruit samples, and hammocking and reading in the hammock grove of Green Lake with Soleil or wandering the Seattle Art Museum
watching SO MANY pretty sunsets
and ending the month with a solo sunset viewing at Gas Works Park and consequently running into two different friends while there

March Madness is a thing - and I'm not talking about basketball. Although, that was pretty weird as well with the first round being riddled with major upsets. Anyway, back on topic. Everything was kind of go-go-go, a product of my poor planning abilities. Emotions fluctuated. I still felt stuck, in a fog. My room was a mess for weeks with clothes strewn everywhere and constantly moved from my bed to my dresser in a nightly ritual of me avoiding the root of the problem and just hanging them up. I always felt behind and never moving forward. Constantly trying to catch up, constantly on the go. Constantly in a state of sleep deprivation and reinforcing bad habits that I know are bad yet consciously engage with. Constantly procrastinating.

Hence a weird maddening cycle of, well, madness.

Remember when I said I had it figured out last month? Very false. Quite arrogant, and ignorant. Dumb dumb dumb. WHY WOULD I EVEN MAKE THAT BOLD STATEMENT. No one has it "figured out" they're simply in a routine and stuck in the perpetual cycle. Rather than being consumed by the stress of money, time, and my future amongst other things (like what I'm eating for dinner because I still haven't gone grocery shopping), I think the only way to combat these overwhelming feelings is to embrace them and dedicate the time to each one to overcome it.

I'm eager to take a step back and refocus in April. Here's to hoping to gain clarity, slow down the pace for myself and tackle the things that actually need to get done like my tax return and a haircut. "Spring into ACTION" was something we said all month and I think I'll take that with me through April.

Definitely gotta check out these rad things from March...

C R E A T I V E S | Jazz up your instagram feed by following the Seattle Walk Report. These every other day comics are sure to put a smile on your face and have you remarking "how Seattle". The anonymous cartoonist strolls through the neighborhoods of Seattle taking note of prime people watching opportunities or tallying how many stray glove casualties they encountered. It's the kind of entertainment we all need in our lives.

A R T S | I feel like a lot of people want to get into art, but are intimidated by museums and works in general, solely based off of the fact they don't think they know how to interpret it. That's a load of crap especially if you have an inkling of interest. After you've removed yourself from the idea of going to an art museum in order to boost your instagram content, go to a museum or gallery to get lost in the ideas of the artists. If you're in Seattle from now until May 13th, I highly recommend you check out the Figuring History exhibition at the SAM which features the works of Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, and Mickalene Thomas - all artists of color reimagining who is depicted in history. The exhibition is well worth the extra money. Also on display is one of my FAVORITE pieces of work, Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled (1982) which portrays a gesturally painted skull against a stark blue background and sold for $110.5 million at auction in 2017. The piece is now on a world tour before it settles into its new home in Japan, see it in Seattle until August 13th.

B E A U T Y | I'm not one for beauty products, but I am beginning to think about what I put on my skin. A vast majority of popular products on the market contain toxic sulfates and parabens which studies suggest are endocrine disruptors and may contribute to cancer. After searching for natural beauty products and reading reviews, I settled on Cocokind Organic Skincare for their ingredients and a story I resonate with. Right now I'm using the Organic Matcha Face Moisturizer and loving it.

S T Y L E | Tassel earrings are on trend right now and the easiest way to dress up an outfit or add some flare. They're cute, colorful, and just fun! Plus, the earrings are a good staple to add to your jewelry collection. If you are a DIY kind of person, make your own using this guide from The Stripe. If you're in the splurge mood, just go to Nordstrom and look at everything from Rebecca Minkoff ot Oscar de la Renta. I bought mine from Target (always a safe bet for anything).

S E A T T L E S P O T | Ocho in Ballard should move to the top of your Seattle restaurants list. Hayley introduced me to the corner tapas bar when we caught up with each other. I proceeded to go three more times throughout the month of March. Talk about obsessed. Ever since Barcelona, I've been hunting for the best tapas in Seattle, and this is my favorite thus far. Located on Market Street, it's the perfect starting point for an evening out in Ballard. Better yet, spend the whole night there munching on patatas bravas and setas de ferez while sipping on sangria.

Here's to the April showers!