April had its share of highs and lows. The family and I were fortunate enough to begin the month with a much-anticipated, much-needed vacation in Gran Canaria. Then we all got sick and kind of muddled through the second week and watched movies (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Mario, and Puss in Boots), and I read a lot. I finished Blood, Sweat, and Chrome. Then towards the end, things got better. Kav and I celebrated our wedding anniversary, we had a successful Taekwondo grading, and spring finally seemed to arrive in Glasgow.

Next month I’m going to try not to move the goalposts.

Week 14 (Apr 3 – 9)

The fam and I were lucky enough to visit the little resort town of Bahia Feliz on the island of Gran Canaria this past week. It was hot (38°C/100°F). My wife and kids had a blast. I got to do my favorite things. Yes, I swam in the ocean, enjoyed a beer at 11am, and read by the pool (Heat 2), but my most favorite thing was drinking coffee, listening to music, and painting on our little porch overlooking the beach.

I only brought one little watercolor set with me and small postcard-sized watercolor pages, but the lack of options seemed to make things easier, and I banged out a painting a day in an hour or two.

As customary on my travels, I also brought my running shoes and enjoyed seeing more of the island.

I could definitely get used to this. ❤️

Crime thrillers are not what I’ve typically read, but I’m trying to read anything and everything that sparks my interests, so I set aside self-improvement and creativity books entirely and got hooked on Heat 2 during my holiday travels.

I also watched Everything Everywhere All At Once finally and loved it.

Week 15 (Apr 10 – 16)

Last week was kind of a struggle. I was sick for most of it and shifted my schedule to work in the evening, mostly since the kids were off school all week for the second week of their spring break. Working every evening probably wasn’t the best idea.

We went to see the Super Mario Brothers movie in IMAX, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after glimpsing the initial reviews, which were pretty mixed. The kids loved it unconditionally, of course. It’s nice to watch films with kids because they just don’t care that everything isn’t perfect and could care less if Princess Peach’s internal motivations for helping Mario aren’t really explained. They just enjoy it for what it is.

I took the kids to the climbing gym, and they went wild on the auto belays, and we ate pancakes at the cafe for lunch. It was super fun.

Other than that, I read a lot and got some inspiration for goals and how I want to spend my days.

“Money plays an important role in life, but it can’t be the only filter for how you decide to spend your time. Nobody will ever pay you to go on a date with your spouse or take your kids to the park or grab coffee with your parents.” from 3-2-1: One of the most critical skills in life, and the value of knowing yourself – James Clear

We finally watched Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (nominated for an Oscar!) and it was superb.

Week 16 (Apr 17 – 23)

What happened this week? I think I fell into the trap letting the days feel the same and not noticing the good things.

I recently finished reading Blood, Sweat, and Chrome and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you already love Mad Max: Fury Road, reading this book will make you love it more and if you haven’t watched it yet, today is your lucky day.

Last week I also started thinking about goals and was inspired by this little reminder:

“When you were younger, you probably dreamed about having what you have now. You have since moved the goalposts.”

Week 17 (Apr 24 – 30)

I wrote about our recent Taekwondo grading, which was awesome! I can’t believe we’re progressing past the first grade now and my daughter is doing it as well.

I’m trying to take the tenants of Taekwondo to heart: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit.

My wife and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary, and we took a day off together to wander around Glasgow and not do anything scheduled. We made a pact to do more day dates like this, it was excellent.

I thought about how my day divides up by cups of coffee.

I also shared my favorite albums of the month, especially Black Thought + El Michels Affair and Easy Star All-Stars.

Nice to see the spring blossoms coming out. Finally there is light.

See you next month. ✌️