Windows down, spirits up

There's literally nothing better than rolling the windows down in the car on one of the first warm days of the year, and breathe fresh, non-arctic air. I'm so excited for everything that this warm weather brings. It's almost farmer's market, festival and patio season, salad finally doesn't taste like a punishment, and I can confidently pack away all of my winter garb. Although - quick shoutout to my puffy vest and beanies for getting me through this long, long winter - I couldn't live in this tundra without you.

Welcome to 2018, springtime! We missed you dearly in Ohio, and hope you don't pull this "snow" crap on us again until Christmas.

Speaking of fresh air, I was so happy to spend last weekend with two of my favorite humans on the planet, giving back to my alma mater of Kent State University. It was my first time volunteering for their annual Alumni Day of Service, and I had a blast! We planted approximately 300 trees alongside other Kent students and alum, and I'm pretty sure we broke a world record in trees planted over the course of a few hours. I didn't realize that when they plan this event, they open it up to alumni who also live hundreds and thousands of miles away, giving them the opportunity gather together and beautify their local communities in spirit of the event. I can't wait to do this again next year, and will certainly be recruiting more of my fellow Kent grads to join in and give back on behalf of the university that provided us with so many incredible memories.

Because we finished far earlier than we thought we would, and because it was freaking GAW-gous outside, we decided to spend our afternoon strolling around downtown Kent (which, if you haven't seen it recently, is unbelievable.) They have tons of cute little boutiques, the world's perfect coffee shop, and plenty of restaurant options for any budget (including the Kent State legend itself, Ray's Place). I'm the kind of person who could window shop forever, so I was in Heaven.

While we were browsing in one of the downtown shops, Sami sneakily purchased these super-amazing Moonglow necklaces for us to commemorate our fun day together. I'd never heard of these before, but I'm slightly obsessed with the concept - you pick out a date (usually people use their birthdays, but it can also be other significant dates in your life), and you discover the moon phase from that specific night. Each moon phase has it's own meaning and personality description - you can look up yours and learn more here. Bonus: they glow in the dark like the big guy itself! Along with being a beautiful piece of jewelry, I loved the fact that all three of us had a different moon phase and meaning.

It's difficult not to notice the energy and spirit that comes with the spring season - the darkest days of the year are all behind us, the cold weather has packed its bags, and people just seem...recharged. I can't wait to see the flowers in our garden, work from my front porch in the afternoon and drive around town with the windows down and the country music cranked up. Sorry not sorry, neighborhood. ;)

#volunteering #happiness #optimism