300 Days of Sunshine

The year is half over and I'm making progress on my reading challenge!  My book club has introduced a variety of books this year that I wouldn't normally choose, so I've enjoyed exploring new genres and authors.  Audio books have been my lifesaver while running and traveling, and I love renting ebooks and audio books through the public library using the Overdrive app.  I'm making my list of Beach Reads for my vacation next month, and I'm also diving into a handful of pregnancy and parenting books as we get ready to welcome Baby Ross! Here are some of my favorite books of 2016 so far... A Little Life , by Hanya Yanagihara The Handmaid's Tale , by Margaret Atwood Circling the Sun , by Paula McLain Fates and Furies , by Lauren Groff As Close As Sisters , by Colleen Faulkner Little Bee , by Chris Cleave Where They Found Her , by Kimberly McCreight Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End , by Atul Gawande A Man Called Ove , by Fredrik Backm...

Happy summer!  This is such a beautiful time of year in Santa Fe!  It's officially outdoor music season, festival season, drinks-on-a-patio season, estate sale season, and working-on-my-tan season!  With the extremely warm afternoons we've been having lately, it's hard to believe that it wasn't officially summer until last week.  We've had an eventful few weeks in our household.  A few updates... 1) Gardening:   With warmer mornings and no risk of frost, I finally moved my little garden outside!  The tomatoes and rhubarb are looking questionable (the hottest week of the year was probably the wrong time to subject them to a new environment...), but I'm hopeful about my peppers and I planted a few more flowers from seeds. Shishito Peppers Peppers and cherry tomatoes My new rose bush Kua is a big help in the garden... 2)  Summer Fun in Santa Fe:   There are so many fun summer events in Santa Fe!  ...

In pregnancy, my decisions are no longer my own. Everything I do, eat, or drink affects my child. It's a time of selflessness and a time to put another person's life ahead of my own. That being said, pregnancy doesn't mean giving up who I am. It doesn't mean lounging around and eating ice cream for nine months.     It doesn't mean eating for two constantly.  On the contrary, a healthy pregnancy means incorporating exercise into my routine every day. Fortunately for me, this was already my life, and I value upholding a healthy lifestyle despite my changing body.   The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) updated its guidelines in 2002 and reaffirmed them in 2009:   " Pregnant women without contraindications should be encouraged to engage in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity 30 minutes or more, on most, if not all days of the week."   Exercise improves circulation, helps maintain a healthy pregnancy weight, improve...

We have had some seriously warm and sunny afternoons in Santa Fe lately, so I ventured up to the mountains this morning with the pooch for a break from the heat.  It was my first hike since the snow has melted and it was so wonderful to get back to the wilderness.  There are still a few patches of snow on the peaks, but the trail was clear.  It was a sunny morning with temps in the mid-60s in the woods.   We walked along my favorite section of the Windsor Trail.  The hike starts with a few uphill switchbacks, then transitions into a long, gradual downhill through Ponderosa Pines and Aspens.  I didn't spot any birds but I could hear them singing in the treetops.  It is so meditative to just let my mind water while listening to the sounds of the outdoors.  The pooch and I followed the trail up to the first creek crossing.  I remember when Kua was a puppy and so fearful of the water, and now she just jumps right in for a dip and a drink of col...