Happy Friday, friends! And happy Spring! Today was in the 60s, which makes me super happy. I’ve mostly been cleaning the house today, which was MUCH needed!

Here’s what I’ve been loving lately:

 

1. Sometimes you have to admit when you are wrong. I’ve been mocking Oreo Thins for at least a year because c’mon, who wants LESS Oreo? But Target was out of my beloved dark chocolate Oreos this week, so I gave in and got the pistachio Oreo Thins, and they are delicious. I’m sure my love of pistachio-flavored things plays a big role in that, but man, I was not expecting them to be so good. Plus, they’re really aesthetically pleasing in the package:

 

 

 

2. I’ve followed Nicole Antoinette on the internets since like 2008? Her podcast is the only one I’ve ever paid for the Patreon for. She’s just started a 700-mile section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail and is posting daily updates. (Daily when she has phone service, that is. Sometimes you get several days of updates at once when she’s been without service. Her captions are fantastic, highly recommend following along.

 

 

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Day 2: Thump thump goes the feral heart ⠀⠀ Tucked in my warm sleeping bag I watch dawn break across the sky, illuminating the drops of dew that have collected along the outside of my tent. I stretch, feeling twinges of soreness in my shins, happy to have slept on and off for about two hours. Sleeping in the backcountry has been a challenge for me since I started hiking, and the fact that I was able to sleep at all on the first night out of town seems like a good omen. Maybe I’ll finally sleep on this hike? I’m feeling positive as I start packing up, and by 8am we’re on trail, traversing the ridges toward Hauser Creek. The sun is warm and my friends and I string out along the trail, hiking alone and then together, alone and together, moving like an accordion through the peaceful morning breeze. We stop at Hauser Creek for lunch, delighted by how much water we’ve found in this notoriously dry section, and I drink as much as I can before starting the steep climb out of the valley. The climb is completely exposed, the heat of the day has settled in all around me, and within a mile my lack of fitness has me with my back against a cool rock, gasping for breath, sweat dripping down my neck and chest in tiny rivers. This is the least fit I have been in almost 8 years. I knew hiking in this state would be hard, so at least I don’t feel surprised, but that doesn’t make the next four miles to Lake Morena any easier. I collapse on the ground when we get there, pinky toes swollen and blistered, lower back raw with chafe, legs aching, and as I sip a can of pineapple juice I remind myself of what I know to be true: that shedding the comfort and softness of the past five months will take time. There’s a feral little creature inside me somewhere – I know her well after the 2,800 miles I have hiked the past three years – and I can feel her now, coming to life in every beat of my heart. There’s an unfurling ahead of me, of this I’m sure, and as I get back on trail, unsteady on my sore feet, I envision the gap I’m working to close between who I am and who I want to be. It can seem impossible, that gap, but you close that gap the way you do anything: one tiny step at a time.

A post shared by Nicole Antoinette (@nic.antoinette) on Mar 18, 2019 at 7:54pm PDT

 

3. I am super sad to learn that Chewy is ending their influencer program! They’ve been sending my cats tasty treats and food to review for years – we’ll really miss that blue and brown box showing up at the doorstep every month!

The last item we received to review for them was a 32-pack of Wellness Gravies Healthy Indulgence pouches. They actually arrived as four 8-packs, each of which had two different flavors.

 

 

I don’t usually buy pouches because it’s so hard to get all of the food out of them, but on the plus side the pouch does mean way less recycling than usual. My cats LOVED both flavors! Lots of gravy, but also plenty of big chunks of food. It looks like my cats aren’t alone – 80% of the reviews for them on Chewy.com are 5 stars, and the other 20% are 4 stars.

 

4. I really like this acoustic cover:

5. I had fun scrolling through Travel Channel’s list of the Creepiest Places in All 50 States. I’ve blogged about the ghost tour of the Crescent Hotel, which was their pick for Arkansas, and visited the St. Augustine Lighthouse without knowing it was supposed to be haunted! Have you been to your state’s creepiest place?

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! A couple of quick questions before the end of this post – I mentioned my raise last week, which means I can FINALLY replace my literally falling apart laptop (There’s duct tape involved). I’m leaning towards a 17″ HP that’s on sale for around $350, which is probably the max I want to spend, but I wanted to check with you guys for recommendations. I hate tiny screens, so definitely a 15.6 or 17″, the whole touch screen and 2-in-1 thing isn’t important, I just want something that’s not crappy but can deal with pretty heavy use. Suggestions?

And finally, the most fun question – I have a beauty product giveaway coming up next week (ooooh, suspense!) so I’m curious – would you rather win eyeshadow or lip color? I have a couple of different options for the giveaway, so I’d love your input. Decisions, decisions! 🤔

 

Linking up with Della Devoted and A Little Bit of Everything