April 2026 Recap

It was a BIG month with trips, college dorm move-out, a condo purchase, going hard on my fitness goals, lots of great food, books & more!

Photo credit: My husband. He took this photo in La Jolla from his workplace.

• I don’t do monthly recaps every month but April was a big, eventful, and share-worthy month I thought so here we go. I also like documenting these things for myself so I can look back on things.

• I embedded links to many of my older posts that you may have missed so click over and check those out if anything sparks your interest.

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Mom’s Weekend

Not to be confused with Parent’s Weekend which was for all students’ parents who attend the university back in October, this spring weekend was for moms only at my daughter’s sorority.

I’m honestly not sure why her sorority decided to do it so late in the school year but as I’m sure any mom will tell you, you don’t pass up a chance to see your child if they invite you to something! So I went happily to Salt Lake City.

We painted pottery together, we got matching permanent jewelry (bracelets), we ate great food, and we were just together. I saw my daughter in her element after nearly a schoolyear away at college, wrapping up her freshman year (with a 4.0 as a pre-nursing student with a Spanish minor, humble brag, so proud of her!) and my heart was full.

Mom's Weekend was so special!

Best Clothes I’ve Bought In a Long Time

I have found myself living in two pairs of AYR Jeans and I’m not even a jeans p erson. I had wanted a pair for a long time but hemmed and hawed because they’re a splurge. But I am so glad that I bought them.

I’m wearing them in every single photo above. I realize I’m sitting but I love them.

Lighter wash (standing above) and raw edge darker wash. LOVE both.

Honorable mention is their most popular, cult-fave Secret Sauce jean in Good Mood. I returned them because I wanted a more cropped jean for San Diego in warmer months but will re-buy in the fall.

Sizing: Unless you are very tall, you don’t need the tall. I am almost 5’11” and regular is fine on me. They also have short lengths. They don’t stretch out - there’s a tiny bit of stretch but not that much which I like. And I also do not size up. I did, but they were too big, and had to buy my regular size.

I’m also wearing various colors of this washable silk cami with just a tiny bit of stretch at an incredible price point. I have it in black, navy, dark purple, and cream. And wear them all the time under sweaters and cardigans.

Dorm Move Out

Then two weeks later I was back in Utah, heart not so full. Trunk was though! It’s amazing how much stuff can be accumulated in a year. Lots of donations, and some things were just tossed, but we packed up her very full car and drove it from Salt Lake to San Diego.

We didn’t plan on driving straight through but we made the nearly 12-hour drive in one day. After doing the final pack, bed stripping, hauling things to her car. In some ways driving straight through was better than overnighting in Vegas. In other ways, it was just a very very long day through the cold, windy windy conditions, desert rain, and rain in SoCal. It never rains here, just on a moving day.

Dorm room pack up and then her actual room looked like a boutique that had been ransacked. But all better now.

This is when we moved her in ⬇️

Mexican Condo

I have investment and rental property in Puerto Vallarta. And I was not looking for any more!

Spoiler alert: Rental property of any kind is not for the faint of heart, it’s not the get-rich-quick situation one may envision. Rentals barely cover operating costs and association fees, let alone the actual purchase price and closing costs. Long haul, long game strategy is key. For more detailed info, read this.

But nevertheless, a friend was selling her furnished condo and it just fell into my lap. I haven’t actually seen it in person and closed via power of attorney.

Hot tip: Never buy property in another country that's not furnished. It's not so easy to do it, trust me here.

Fun Fact: I lived in Mexico during the pandemic.

The condo closed on 4-28-26. Six months TO THE DATE that I almost died.

Moving right along.

Fitness First

Because of everything that I’ve been through on my road to recovery the last 6 months, above all else, I am prioritizing getting into the best shape of my life. Also, a milestone birthday in June is a huge motivator.

Going to the gym 2-3 times a week for 60-90 minutes and lifting HEAVY, combined with daily walking of a minimum of 18k steps, but over 20k is my daily goal. And 1-2 times I do yoga. So basically I walk every day + something else (lifting or yoga).

While I walk I voice dictate emails, check work stats, and do things that I can easily voice dictate. I get hundreds of emails a day, and dozens and dozens require replies and that’s what I do while I walk. Killing two birds with one stone.

I eat 100+ grams of protein daily. That’s the minimum and my goal is 110-135. I wrote a Protein Cookbook in case you’re wondering how to do it. Simple - you eat at least 30 grams of protein at every meal.

Sometimes after the gym I sit at the gym pool for a little bit. My cat helps me work, best little companion. Her name is Angel. I have 3 cats but she's my BFF.

I love being upside down, I should have been in the circus!

Food

Food on a daily basis for me has been very basic the past few months. Lately chicken, chicken, and more chicken. Along with veggies of any kind. It’s not complicated, and it’s actually pretty boring. Routine, repetition; repeat.

It works though. You can’t recomp your body eating chocolate cake.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Grilled Lemon Chicken, Grilled Aloha Chicken, Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken, you get the idea.

You can bake them too but I do have a Grilling Recipes cookbook!

Do you see a pattern here?

But I do love a good meal out and a glass of bubbly! It's not always chicken + veg.

Gran Marnier Souffle and it was 9.5/10!

Need San Diego restaurant reviews? I have a massive San Diego Guide that took me years to create!

Books

I read about 5 books this month. Here are two that I think are worth mentioning. Both were selected by my book club and both of them will make EXCELLENT book club discussions! We haven’t met yet to discuss, but I’m excited.

First, Yesteryear. This follows a traditional wife who becomes an influencer but there’s back and forth between the life she created and another life. I gave this book 4/5 stars and took a star off because the main character is very unlikeable and I didn’t enjoy how she spoke about her children, husband, or followers. But this attitude was fundamental to the storyline. The book is a huge bestseller (just came out in April) and is already commissioned to be made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway.

Second, The Measure. 4/5 stars. The book centers around people who all find out, or choose to find out, if they’ll have a long or short life. And how knowing one’s lifespan and years on earth impacts things like career choices and advancement or lack thereof, to marry or not, to have children or not. Another thought provoking book that is great for a book club discussion. I took off a star because I could have gotten the point and gist of everything with 25-30% less book. It felt like beating a dead horse at points but it wasn’t a dealbreaker or anything, just a touch longer than I thought it needed to be.

Tell me about your month!