February 2018 Monthly Recap

At the risk of sounding cliche, February totally flew by! Today I’m sharing my February 2018 monthly recap. You can catch January 2018’s recap here! 

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS
I’ll admit, February wasn’t the best month for me. I felt like I was super stressed out, things were hanging in the air, and I was in a bit of a funk. With that said, I spent a lot of the month reflecting. Reflecting on who I surround myself with, what I can improve on, and how to be the best I can be, both personally and professionally. Sometimes it’s nice to reflect and figure out what’s working and what’s not. I nixed what wasn’t working and the rest of the month was on the up & up!

For Valentine’s Day this year we decided to lay low! Neither one of us are big on the holiday, so we decided to stay away from our favorite restaurants that would inevitably be crowded and cook together at home. We did a surf & turf dinner complete with our favorite bottle of wine and it was perfect! For it being February the weather was actually pretty nice, so we took advantage of it as much as we could! One Saturday we headed to Proximity (where we got married) to grab drinks/apps and sit outside.  I’m already counting down the days until warm weather is here to STAY! This month we also had a couple’s game night with four other couple friends, which was fun. I had never played “What Do You Meme?” and I don’t think we stopped laughing the entire time!STRIPED TOP | DENIM | LEOPARD SLIDES | TOTE | SUNGLASSES | NECKLACE

Lent also began in February. For the last three years Nick and I have given up something together. Last year we gave up soft drinks and this year we gave up all fast food. We’re both on the go a lot for work and it’s so easy to fall into the habit of grabbing fast food while we’re out or if one of us is coming home late….so we gave it up! We had one last Chick-Fil-A trip before we gave it up and honestly I haven’t missed fast food as much as I thought I would. Sure, I’ve had a craving for fries once or twice but we’ve both held strong. I also feel a lot better without greasy fast food in my system.

STRIPED TOP | SUNGLASSES | DENIM

HOME
Last month I mentioned we ordered wedding prints & frames for our bedroom. We finally got around to hanging them and they look SO good! Once we have redecorated our room I’ll be share to share them! We also decided to turn our guest room into a joint office. Currently I have my desk in there but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for organization, so we’re hoping to make some big changes to that room so it’s a little more usable and less wasted space!

BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH
I think I read four or five books this month. Some were delightful while others were just kind of “ehh.” But that happens. I feel like I go through phases where I will read a handful of really great books and other months they’re just ok. I read a few advanced reader copies that come out later this month, so I’ll have a book review up in a few weeks! You can see some of the books I read over the last month in my February 2018 Reading List & Reviews.

WHAT I PURCHASED
I feel like I bought WAY too much this month… but there were SO many good sales and deals that I couldn’t resist. I always like to buy my spring stuff a little ahead of time so that when it warms up I’ll have most everything I need!

White ankle flare jeans. I ordered the “short.”
AirPods (finally!!!) –> P.S. I’ll have a review up of them in a few weeks!
This striped swimsuit set (top/bottom–I suggest going up a size!)
The “it” bag of the season (and it’s SO cute!)
This gingham swimsuit (top/bottom) and this solid green swimsuit (top/bottom).
These denim shorts.

FITNESS
I mentioned last month that I was doing BBG and I’m happy to report I’m still keeping up with it. This past week was hard because I wasn’t feeling well and had a doctor’s appointment that left me feeling “blah” but I’m on week 8 this week. I’m hoping to have a review up sometime in the next week or so. I’ve compiled all the questions, but need to take photos (our gym isn’t big and the lighting situation is kinda tough ha!) So far I am loving this workout & I am starting to see some great results.

FAVORITE BLOG POSTS ON LIFE WITH EMILY
I shared a lot of remaining wedding stuff this past month, but also sprinkled in a few lifestyle posts! If you all have anything you want me to cover or share on my blog, let me know either via email (emily@lifewithemilyblog.com) or in the comments below.

FEBRUARY 2018 READING LIST & REVIEWS
OUR WEDDING DAY | PORTRAITS & RECEPTION
SEVEN THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN SEVEN YEARS OF BLOGGING
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN WEDDING WELCOME BAGS

FAVORITE POSTS I READ THIS MONTH
HOW I’M STAYING OPTIMISTIC & RECOVERING | One of my best friends, Jenn, suffered a devastating loss at the beginning of the year. I’ve been by her side (from afar) and I loved her honest post on how she’s remaining optimistic and recovering during such a difficult time. No matter what situation you’re in, these things can easily be applied! I can always stand to be a bit more optimistic! P.S. love you Jenn! 🙂
GET UNDONE WAVES IN 7 MINUTES OR LESS | Ummmm first of all Jess is one of the cutest humans. Second, I feel like I am AWFUL with my hair so I loved watching her video about getting those perfectly imperfect waves!
WHY YOU NEED AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR & A FREE TEMPLATE | If you’re a blogger, run over to Dana’s blog and download this editorial calendar ASAP! It’s so detailed and comes in handy for planning purposes!
SEVEN IDEAS TO ADD TO YOUR MORNING ROUTINE | Admittedly, I’m not a morning person at all. I loved reading Blair’s post about her morning routine. May have to add a few of these things to mine!

CURRENT FAVORITE ON REPEAT

• BEAUTY: This texture spray. I have fine, thin hair and at times my hair doesn’t want to cooperate AT ALL. This spray adds some texture and “grip” to my hair so I can curl it & style it a bit more.
• CLOTHING: This striped shirt. It’s a favorite of mine every year and I appreciate that they keep bringing it back…and adding more colors and prints!
• TV SHOWS: We are all caught up on This Is Us (cue allll the tears!) and have started Justified on Amazon Prime. Nick tried to get me to watch this show a few times and I finally gave in. I LOVE it!
• PODCAST: Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom. Y’all know I love a good criminal podcast and so far I’m loving this one. I’ve skipped around a bit (but I like that I can do that!) and all of the cases have been super interesting.

Thanks so much for reading! Hoping you all have a wonderful March! XO