What? A monthly update that isn't backtracking to catch up on more than one month at a time? Written within the first week of the new month? It's a miracle! (Well, it's a Friday off, which I'm thankful for!)

I'm so excited for spring to kick it into high gear in April, but really, March was lovely. Here are some highlights...

Our new church website launched! I'm part of the communications committee, and we had been working on this revamp since the fall. It was so cool to watch it come together with the ideas and hard work of so many dedicated people, especially our communications director, Sara. I love the fresh, clean look and the many photos of our wonderful community - plus the new logo!

Davidson basketball. My beloved Wildcats had some exciting moments in March, especially towards the beginning. We earned our first at-large NCAA bid, which was a huge achievement, and though the game itself wasn't so hot, it's always a joy to hang out with fellow Davidsonians - in person and via text - and bother everyone else in the bar with cheers and shrieks. (But post-second round, I haven't been into March Madness at all... not much of a Cinderella year, huh?)

Lunch with a dear friend. My Maid of Honor Jessie lives out west and came into town for a couple of days, during which we got to have lunch and watch the Davidson game on a big-screen TV and devour cookies and brownies a la mode when things didn't go so well on the court. I was so happy to have some quality time with her.

Bridal shower. One of my wonderful childhood friends is getting married this summer, and we celebrated her - on her March birthday, no less! - with delicious food, gifts, laughter, and the fun moment when her fiance surprised her with his homemade apple pie. Can't wait to celebrate Allie and Sam in a few months!

Meals with family. Sean and I have gotten to have multiple meals with both of our families this month, which is lovely, and one of the prime reasons we chose to move back home. It was especially fun one weekend to meet new additions to the family from Tennessee and to go through old photos at my grandmother's house, laughing over good memories (and bad hairstyles).

The farmer's market. There's a Tuesday farmer's market near my office, and my coworkers and I have started making a regular trip. Of course we usually wind up with sweet treats instead of organic vegetables, but who says that's a bad thing?

Books! I have absolutely loved my reading list for this MFA semester, and feel like several have really moved me in particular. Literarily (is that a word?), Roger Rosenblatt's Boy Detective: A New York Childhood is sharp and cool, so snappily written it makes me want to write his way instead of flowing on and on like I tend to do. Literarily but also life-wise, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry have been beautiful reads and have inspired me to try and live more simply and gratefully. Let's just say it's an ongoing process, but I was really drawn into both books and their characters, but also their rootedness in faith, community and simplicity.

Marilynne Robinson. Speaking of that esteemed author... in March she spoke at a conference at Emory, where they had a book signing afterwards, so now I have a little shine of Marilynne Robinson in my book where I hope it will somehow seep through into my own fingers to give me a little boost on writing and life through the years.

Before work... I've really been enjoying my morning routine, sitting in the dining room (we have a dining room! in my old place I barely had a place to sit), drinking jasmine green tea with skim milk, munching on granola and a banana with peanut butter, listening to NPR. Writing and reading sometimes, or just watching the birds outside.

After work... Since the time change, Sean and I have made a point to take a walk through our neighborhood most every evening, which has made for a new and beloved part of the daily routine. We catch up on the day, meet neighbors, walk quietly, enjoy the now-blooming trees... A great way to end the day.

P.S. Food, y'all. Some of the best eats this month... almond butter cookies, sauteed garlicky kale, white bean chicken chili, pimento cheese sandwiches, chocolate peppermint biscotti.