A lovely Mother’s Day outing to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley (here), a newfound love and obsession with reading, a few spontaneous solo outings, and lots of self care and home organization, the Life of Katie has been a bit unplugged to kick off the month of May. I cannot tell y’all how many unread messages and DMs I have had over the last few weeks – thanks for understanding, y’all!! I firmly believe that I have been in a self care era to kick off the month of May.
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What I’m Eyeing
J Crew Factory’s New Arrivals – If you know me, then you know I am a HUGE sucker for J Crew Factory! I have found myself admiring launch after launch of the preppy brand’s new arrivals and their newest arrivals didn’t disappoint!
Midi dresses at Belk – These days, I find myself continuously reaching for my midi dresses within my own closet. Belk’s midi dresses this season have NOT disappointed. Needless to say, my eyes cannot look away from the gorgeous drops of midi dresses that Belk has! While I am striving to embrace the midi dresses I have within my own closet, I cannot help but admire the new drops at Belk *pretty* frequently!!
The Life of Katie!
- A Newfound love of reading – For my 26th Birthday, my Papa graciously gifted me a Kindle and it has been one of THE BEST gifts I’ve ever received. I have found myself falling *in love* with reading and enjoying so many good reads. And, stay tuned: I plan to share what I’ve read with YOU in future blog posts!
- Mother’s Day in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley – My Mom is a big gardener and loves visiting local native plant markets across the Northern Virginia region. SO, to make my Mom feel special, we took her out to a native plant market at Blandy Experimental Farm State Arboretum of Virginia in Boyce, Virginia. We ended up checking out the awesome market and purchased *just* a few plants while at it (I also grabbed some coffee at Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck based in Vienna, West Virginia!) before going on a gorgeous hike around the arboretum grounds. My Uncle James knows A LOT about the Blandy Experimental Arboretum of Virginia’s grounds and trails and took us on a lovely adventure to see it all. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post!
- Self Care – Recently, I have been feeling *very* burned out and just needed time to devote to simply refilling my cup. I went on a recent solo Saturday excursion to one of my favorite wineries: Three Fox Vineyards (see my full review here). I also spent a lovely afternoon at Washington, DC’s Renwick Gallery with a pit stop at my favorite Washington, DC cafe: Tatte! At the same time, I have enjoyed a lovely weekend with literally no plans and simply slept wayyyy too much and couch surfed. Needless to say, I am grateful, thankful, and blessed for the time to just recharge and relax.
Above all else, I am SOOOOOOO grateful for the time I’ve devoted to simply caring for me and refilling my cup while at the same time allowing for spontaneity via solo dates (as well as a once in a year McDonald’s McFlurry run!!). This Summer 2025 will be a busy one filled with travels, time with friends and family, and simply enjoying my favorite season before the weather gets cooler. Simply stating, I am so excited to take the time to enjoy the moments ahead.
XOXO – Katie <3
[…] more rested and rejuvenated going into 2025. As mentioned in my most recent Life of Katie post (here), I have been focusing A LOT on self care and have continued to do so while at the same time […]