It’s that season when time just evaporates before your eyes! When it came time to write this post, I couldn’t believe it was time again to reflect on yet another month. This practice really has helped me focus more on the smaller—and often overlooked—moments of life.

Here’s a peek into what we got up to in April 2023 and what it all felt like for me…

If you haven’t yet, you can read my other month-in-review articles right here.

The month of April started with a bang—literally. We woke up on April 1 to 8” of snow and downed tree limbs in our front and back yards. Winter likes to stay a while here in Minnesota and this storm was proof of it. After we assessed the damage outside, I went for a long (indoor) bike ride to try to shake it off. That same evening, Joe and I went out to dinner with a few of our friends from the neighborhood.

On April 4, I went thrifting for the first time in a really long time. I found some wonderful things for the house and a few clothing items for myself. See how I styled some of my finds in this video!

On Easter weekend, we welcomed the start of a week of glorious weather (finally!). My parents came to town to spend the holiday weekend with us. We had an egg hunt outside with the kids and went to Top Golf, which was really fun.

April 10 through April 14 gave us high temperatures in the seventies and eighties. I soaked up every minute of it I could, taking Zoom meetings outside and running every day. That week, I pressure washed the patios (this is the pressure washer I use!) and cleaned up so many leaves in the yard. We also had areas of crumbling brick on our patios fixed—a task that had been on the list for some time.

On the 11th, I began taking my Pilates practice from the mat to the reformer after Club Pilates opened a location near my kids’ school. Getting back to working out around other people has felt amazing. 

On the 14th, I went to my friend Lisa’s house for cookbook club. We cooked from the book First Generation by Frankie Gaw. I made a delicious batch of these black sesame caramel and chocolate chip cookies.

April was a busy time with work. All throughout the month, I did a ton of designing for a project we have in the works. I worked on troubleshooting some backend issues on the site. I met with our team to recap Q1 and plan for Q2. 

Yet my work isn’t always about crossing tangible items off a list. I’ve also been meeting with an advisor who has helped me do shadow work. This has led me to ask some really tough questions about my identity, this job, and the beliefs I have about how the two intersect. Frankly, I feel like I’ve done a lot of growing up through this process. It’s hard to face the things you’re ashamed of and accept them at face value. Though finding and shining a light on these tender spots brought a lot of emotion to the surface, once the storm of feelings cleared, I was reminded why facing the hard stuff is always, always worth it in the end. 

Outside of work, I found myself doing a lot of drawing—for fun, for myself, and for Bennett, who wrote a book and asked me to create illustrations for it. I got my bangs cut a little shorter. I bought myself sunflowers. Wraps became a lunchtime favorite of mine. I got tons of use out of the very best blush—read my review of it right here!

On April 22, Joe and I had a lovely Italian dinner with my closest friend and her husband. On the 23rd, I went to a charming, intimate dinner hosted by Jason Berke, with food by the incredible Brooke Faudree.

This week, I’m working on organizing the basement even more. Our next basement design project commences at the very beginning of May. I can’t wait to share more with you all.

I am also kicking off two projects that will be in the works for the next eighteen months. They are big and exciting and I cannot wait to share more with you. They’ll be a real feast for the eyeballs! Details will be coming soon. 

As for the final weekend of the month, I’m keeping my schedule mostly open. We’ll be going out for martinis at a local lounge in St. Paul (Mancini’s!) and my hope is to use the rest of the time to rest and recuperate. After all, summer is coming! 

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.