April celebrations

“Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.”

~Søren Kierkegaard

I chose CELEBRATE as my 2026 Word of the Year (WOTY). One way I’m putting that word into practice is to take note of the many things I have to celebrate…large and small…during the month and sharing the highlights with you on the final Tuesday of each month.

April celebrations

Since it worked so well last month, I decided to use my camera as my guide again this month, so here are some of the celebrations that I photographed in April in the order they appear in my photo library.

Easter nails

I got so much joy from these cute Easter nails. I’ve said this before, but getting my nails done is one aspect of my self-care routine. In addition to the beauty aspect, I also get to enjoy delightful conversation with my nail lady, Kylee.

Decorating cookies

I’m not a particularly artistic person, so when a friend invited me to attend a cookie decorating class, I expected to have fun, but not necessarily to make art. Thanks to the clear step-by-step instructions, the final product wasn’t half-bad…for a novice anyway…maybe just one-quarter bad!

Another jigsaw puzzle completed

I received several jigsaw puzzles for Christmas, and I’ve been slowly working my way through them. For me, there are few things as relaxing and engaging as a good jigsaw puzzle.

Another Orangetheory Fitness milestone

My Orangetheory Fitness coach surprised me with the news that I have now attended 900 classes! That’s a lot of classes…and I’m still loving it!

And more good news…my fitness is still improving, a fact supported by another personal record and my placement among my peers.

Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point

Combine time with family and the beauty of tulips…and you have a near perfect day.

Girls dinner with my sisters

Girls dinner is a guaranteed good time wherever we go and whatever we eat. This dinner was so fun, I failed to take any photos of the girls or the dinner, but I did get this snapshot of the variety of beers we prefer. Can you guess which one was mine?

Continued preparation for the Camino de Santiago

I continue to train for the Camino de Santiago and am pleased with my progress. I can’t believe it’s coming so fast…so fast that this time next month, I will be on my way to Spain. This month, I had the pleasure of taking a long walk with the sister that is accompanying me on the pilgrimage.

Celebrating my husband’s birthday with the family

I always celebrate my wonderful husband…even more so on special occasions like his birthday. This year we were lucky enough to have all of the children, grandchildren, some of their partners, and even the great granddaughter in one room at the same time. With a group this size, that doesn’t happen very often. When I look at this picture, I realize how very much I have to celebrate.

Since, the baby got swallowed by the crowd in the group photo…and because she is so dang cute…here’s another picture of just her.

Yoga with Adriene

Technically, this video didn’t come from my camera roll, but the yoga practice I did today fit so perfectly with my WOTY, Celebrate, I just had to include it.

Your turn

1. What are you celebrating this month?
2. What was the last class you took or new thing you tried?
3. Yoga: yay or nay?
4. What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.