Happy spring! Here in the DC area, this winter was extremely mild – we only got a couple of flurries and it has been unseasonably warm. Of course, today it’s rather chilly, but I have my eye on some 70-degree temperatures coming up at the end of the week. March, like always for me, has flown by. I feel like things usually start off on the slower side — both at work and socially — in January and February, and then we really get into gear this time of year. There have been lots of fun things happening in my life, and lots of fun things on the calendar to look forward to in the coming months.

Of particular note on the fun front, my sisters and I started the month down in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic. We were there for five days and four nights and stayed at an adults-only, all-inclusive resort. It was heaven. I will definitely be sharing a full recap here on the blog — we stayed at Sanctuary Cap Cana and cannot recommend it enough. Unlike many trips I take where I feel like I come home needing a vacation from my vacation, on this trip, I actually felt like I could relax and recharge. We flew home late Sunday night and I took the following Monday off work, which I think really helped, too. I had a day to get my life in order before sorting out my email inbox.

And then, this past weekend was also really fun — on Saturday, my cousin Kara Marie hosted a bridal shower for her future sister-in-law Katherine. Hosted in Historic Clifton, it was such a fun brunch and the mimosas were certainly flowing. After the formal event, a group of us decamped to Paradise Springs Winery to keep the party going and we had such a nice afternoon sitting out on their back deck enjoying the warmer weather and the sunshine. I am really grateful that I have such a loving, fun family who I truly enjoy spending time with. We laughed a lot!

A NEW iPHONE —

On Saturday, I woke up and noticed my iPhone camera was broken. I have absolutely no idea how it broke — I stayed in on Friday night and went to bed early, which definitely isn’t the environment one typically breaks their phone. It sounds dramatic, but I can’t live without a camera (and the past few days without one have only underscored that!).

Over New Years Eve, I noticed that my Face ID stopped working and when I went to reset it, it never would work. At the time, I took it to the Apple Store and they couldn’t find anything wrong with the phone. Because I had canceled Apple Care a few months prior, I would have had to pay $200 for them to fix the front camera on my phone to see if it could fix my Face ID — but there was no guarantee and no recourse for me if it didn’t work. As such, I decided to forgo Face ID and just put a passcode on my phone instead.

So when my camera broke, I knew I wanted to figure out if it was worth investing money into my current phone to get it fixed — or if it would make more fiscal sense to get a new phone. I determined I could either pay $200 to fix the camera on my current phone or pay $330 to buy out the remainder of my phone contract with Verizon and get a new phone. Ultimately, I decided to go the upgrade route so I could have a fully working phone — both with a camera and Face ID.

I currently have an iPhone 13 Pro and am upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro — so no major changes, but it arrives tomorrow and I am excited to get it! Sonix makes my favorite iPhone cases, and I grabbed this one for my new phone. I also like to have a glass protector on my phone, and this one is my favorite — it comes with a contraption to make installation foolproof.

THE TIME I LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF MY CAR —

Last Friday, I was putting air in my tires — my low tire pressure light tends to come on at least once in the winter — and while I was, I put my phone and my car keys in the cupholder of my front seat and closed the door. Usually, my car doesn’t lock itself automatically, but for some reason, it ended up locked. I panicked because I didn’t know how I was going to get inside and had no way to call for help on my own. I do have an extra set of keys, but they were a few miles away at my apartment.

So I thought for a moment, and realized that I had the Mazda app on my Apple Watch, which allows me to remotely send commands to my car. Thankfully, it worked and I was able unlock my car that way. I was so relieved!

MY UPCOMING TRAVEL PLANS —

I am making good on my promise to myself to travel less this year, but I do have a few fun trips on the calendar to look forward to! Namely, this weekend, I am heading down to Durham, North Carolina to spend the weekend with my Grandma! She is 93 years old and still lives independently — I hope I inherited her amazing genes. I am looking forward to visiting with her and my aunt, who also lives in town. We don’t have many concrete plans besides a delicious home cooked meal on Friday night and dinner reservations on Saturday night — I am just looking forward to spending quality time together.

Then, in April, I am heading down to Wilmington, North Carolina, for my cousin’s wedding — I love a family wedding and so excited to have the gang all together again. Then, in May, another one of my cousin’s is getting married around here. Double the fun — I can’t wait! Now, to find some wedding guest dresses…