March Review + April Goals

March
- Went the month (minus two days) without soda. This was a success in my book! I'll be doing this again in June, September and December.   - Went to the Abundance Conference in Asheville with my dear friend Chelsea, and y'all, this conference was one of the best ones I've been too! So much truth was spoken through some amazing speakers at this two day event. One of my favorite parts besides getting to hear Lysa TerKeurst speak was getting to hear and sing along to some of my favorite worship songs lead by Natalie Grant and Christy Nockels. And if you haven't heard of Annie Downs or Lisa Harper you have GOT to look them up! These two are hilarious and know how to lighten the mood while having a deep conversation on tough topics. Insert #girlcrush!   - Planned a surprise birthday dinner for Will with the Mackvick's. The day I got back from the Abundance Conference, I had less then four hours to unpack, bake a cake and get ready. Will thought we were going to meet up with his dad and brother for dinner since they were in town but when we pulled into the parking lot, his whole family was there! It was fun seeing him completely surprised! - Celebrated Will's 27th birthday with private golf lessons and a visit to Sugar Creek Brewery!   - Got my third and final steroid neck injection. For those who may be new around here, I have degenerative disk disease in my C5-C6, C6-C7 regions and have tried anything and everything over the past eight years to find something to relive the pain. The neck issues have recently been worsening and have led to TMJ which just sucks. Unfortunately, the steroid injections haven't been working so we are going to reach out to a Neurosurgeon at Duke Hospital to get a second opinion on possible next steps which will likely be surgery or continued physical therapy. In the meantime, prayers would be appreciated!   - Finished reading Make It Happen by Lara Casey and wrote a blog post recapping my favorite parts that I'll be sharing next Tuesday!   April
- Go to the Alabama Shakes concert. I haven't listened to them that much but Will is a big fan of them. Even though I don't know a lot of the songs they play/sing, you won't find me saying no to quality time with my husband or being able to spend time outdoors!   - Visiting Chicago! Neither of us have been and are excited to explore a new city. Leave a comment below if you have any recommendations!   - Review bank accounts and set financial goals. We had planned to do this last month but didn't get around to it but are making it a priority this month.   - Print out photos from our honeymoon.   - Back up files and photos on my computer. I try to do this at least once a year but I can't tell you the last time I did this and it's way overdue. I wouldn't want to find myself in a situation where my computer dies and I lose everything saved to my Mac. Can't be too prepared these days!   - Update my passport. I've still yet to do this since Will and I got married and think I need to just go ahead and get the process over with. NO MORE EXCUSES!  

A Birthday Celebration

First of all, HAPPY Monday! Secondly, doesn't the above wisteria display at Anthropologie scream springtime? It's whimsical and amazing and defiantly my favorite display to date.

In other news, how was everyone's weekend? If you follow me on Instagram (@mmackvick) you probably saw that I spent mine celebrating my husband Will's birthday! I had been brainstorming activities for him to do for a few weeks and wanted whatever I went with to be extra special because this was the first birthday I got to celebrate him as my husband!

Golf is a past-time we both enjoy (I drive the cart while Will plays) and I knew Will had been wanting to improve his game for some time, so I thought a private lesson would be equal parts unique, beneficial and fun. With some research, I found Marc Lapointe Golf at Fort Mill Golf Club and immediately booked a two hour private lesson with Drew Kiger. Hands down the best decision I made!

 

Will had never taken any sort of golf lesson so neither of us knew what to expect, but as soon as we arrived at the golf course and met up with Drew we knew the day was going to be a lot of fun. One aspect I have to point out since Will said it was helpful was the full analysis they do on your current "state of game" at the beginning of each private session. Basically Drew had Will practice as he normally would while he recorded him using a software called V1 Pro video analysis. This allowed Will to see his posture, how he swings, his grip, etc. and helped Drew tailor the lesson towards the areas Will needed to work on the most. Drew even sent Will a summary video after the lesson so now he can watch it at home and practice on his on time. Pretty neat if you ask me!

 

After Will's lesson, I took him to lunch at a fun spot right down the road from where we live, followed by a visit to a local brewery, one that neither of us had been to and were excited to try! I don't drink beer so I was happy to find they had a good selection of wines to also choose from. The atmosphere was lively and we happily sat outside at one of the picnic tables, watched people play corn hole and enjoyed each others company. Just what we needed after a busy and productive morning.

By this point in the day, we were ready to head home and relax. We made a quick stop by the grocery store before arriving at home, took a nap and then made steaks, vegetables and sweet potatoes for dinner. It was DELICIOUS! Sunday morning rolled around (Will's actually birthday) and I was excited to continue the celebration, so I went and picked up bagels from Will's favorite spot first thing that morning. When I got back home, Will was still asleep so I decided to use my time wisely and bake him a mini red velvet cake to surprise him with when he woke up! There is nothing better then pulling of a fun surprise am I right?! Especially when it leaves the speechless! And who says no to dessert for breakfast? Not us!