Spring Forward

March Madness has ended. Spring Break is over. It seems like a lot of the joys of spring come fairly early in the season, doesn't it? Thankfully we're finding plenty to look forward to in the coming months:

• Our friends Katie and Corey have a baby girl due in the next week or so, and we are all so excited to meet her!
• Terry's birthday, which we haven't planned yet but will hopefully involve a little day or weekend trip
• A visit to see my parents, brother, and sister-in-law
• More killer workouts through Tina's Best Body Boot Camp
• Warmer weather, though today was windy and chilly
• Good movies coming out, especially The Great Gatsby (ahhh I can't wait!)
• Spring cleaning, which will actually happen closer to summer, or during summer, because right now I'm spending all my free time grading and planning

My recent posts have been Turks & Caicos-related, so I thought tonight I'd take a quick break from the tropical magic.

Yesterday we took a hike up in the Brentwood area, fairly close to our home. The full route is actually 8 miles, but we cut it in half and still found it challenging. I liked the path because it offered options at times to take a super steep hill or a more mellow, level path. The trails converged several times, so we could pick our difficulty. 

Sometimes I forget that LA has such natural beauty.

And other miscellany:

Post-hike sandwiches

Mad Men is back! Last night's episode was incredible, as expected.

Made lemon cupcakes!

Hung out with this adorable little guy.

Made a delicious chicken Caesar salad--homemade Caesar dressing, shaved Parmesan, crock pot chicken, and homemade bread

Tonight's meal: seasoned talapia from Whole Foods (already prepped--purchased from the incredible seafood bar there), homemade guac, black beans, Manchego cheese, Greek yogurt, and corn tortillas

And that catches us up! Today was a little crazy getting back into the swing of things at work, so I'm looking forward to a morning workout and a less hectic day tomorrow.

In case you missed it, here are the posts I published last week while on vacation:

• Saving for Vacation
• Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
• Beach Abs Timed Circuit

Hope you find something you like!

What's your favorite aspect of spring?