April 2026 Recap
A life and a camera roll full of memories
April was such a busy month, but it was a full month. Every month, I post a little photo recap on my personal Instagram and over the past few months, I’ve realized I wasn’t taking a lot of photos. I’d be post four or five photos for the recap. For April, I posted all twenty Instagram will allow me to post (and some of them are here).
Every weekend was packed with family moments, both for my family and my boyfriend’s family. I’m absolutely exhausted between all of this and work, but my heart feels full and I haven’t had that all year.
The first weekend was Easter and we went to the southern side of Houston, almost near the coast. My boyfriend grew up there, so we spent the weekend visting his family. Even before I lost my grandfather this year, I really wanted to spend every possibility with my family, and now after being with my boyfriend for several years, that includes his family. It’s fun to slowly integrate into a family, bit by bit.
The second weekend, I went back to my hometown to hang out at my parents’ house one last time before they move. They bought that house when I was five and I’m now thirty-two. It’s bittersweet because there are so many reasons for them to move and start a new chapter in life. I’m happy they get to do that, but also knowing that he house that built me will belong to strangers in two months is weird.
I went up there one last time to just hang out and give myself some good good-bye memories. Before that trip this month, the last time I had been up to my parents’ house was for my grandfather’s funeral in February. While there might there might have been something poetic in that being the final time, I didn’t want it to be, so I went up this month. My mom and I went to the Ft. Worth Zoo to see the baby elephants before they move, and I went to Texas Roadhouse for the first time ever. Funny to think as a Texan I’d never been there before.
In between these weekends, I was still working and trying to start a first draft. I got 23,000 words done in Lost in the Canyon before I cracked the screen on my laptop. It’s fixed now after a week long stay at the Apple store and that killed my writing momentum, whoops. The day I dropped my laptop off at the Apple store, all of my family was in town to celebrate my Opa’s 90th birthday. How lucky am I that both of my grandfathers lived to 90? My nana will be 90 next year.
This past weekend, I thought would be quiet but we went to brunch both mornings (at the same place in Cedar Park), ran through Austin to check out some indie book stores for Independent Book Store day and just get out of the house. It was fun to run through central Austin when I live closer to the suburbs than downtown.
And even crazier? May basically looks the same - so many family events, so many road trips through Texas, and yet, I still have goals I want to accomplish in between them all.
Writing Recap
I started Lost in the Canyon on April 1st and my goal was 2,000 words a day. By the time I broke my laptop screen, I was averaging probably 1,700-1,800 words a day. However, it was a tough draft. I jumped into writing too soon before I really dug through to understand what the story was that I wanted to write. It was more vibes and aesthetics than it was plot and structure when I started. So I’m putting a pause on it to go back to my other series and to look for a job.
But I did get almost 23,000 words done tihs month.
Reading Recap
I read a few books in April, not as many as I wanted but I did read most of the books on my original TBR list.
The Storm by Rachel Hawkins
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
All the Little Houses by May Cobb
Main Character Energy by Jamie Veron
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
I started Yesteryear just a couple of days ago, so that’ll be mostly considered a May read
Other little notes
I watched the Artemis II launch and splashdown. The first two weeks, while I was working, I was watching Artemis II coverage. I even orders a little Rise plushie this week. I’ll forget I ordered him by the time he makes it to my house.
I finally watched a miniseries that has been on my list for a few years, Anne Boleyn on AMC+. It made some noise on the internet a few years ago for casting Jodie Smith-Turner as Anne Boleyn, but it was billed a pschologyical thriller look at Anne Boleyn’s last four months. Maybe I just know too much about Anne Boleyn and the rest of Henry’s six wives, but I felt this show was lacking the thriller aspect.
Watched a lot Dallas Stars games and severe weather and my boyfriend decided we were going to start Supernatural, too.
April was so busy, so full. Now it’s time to do it all over again in May.