March 2026 Update

Spring Break was SHORT. Skylar was trying to get as much flight time in as possible and she also signed up for a welding class so we only had a couple days. If we didn’t have time to travel out of the country I at least wanted to feel like I was in another world – enter Ancient Lore Village. This property is in very close proximity to Knoxville and is absolutely magical! We stayed in one of the treehouses and did the all inclusive option, which includes axe throwing, archery, and a catered feast. The property is lovely and they also have an activity center with board games, hiking trails, and other outdoor activities like cornhole and connect four. I really enjoyed our time here.

Since we had some time in Knoxville, we also visited the dome that I’ve driven past a million times. Had no idea it was connected to one of the last World’s Fairs back in 1982. Visiting mural alley behind Market Street was also a lot of fun!

Skylar is about halfway through her private pilot’s license training. She should start flying solo next month and then will have the summer to completely get things wrapped up – fingers crossed! I love seeing her little flight path across my screen and I’ve even been able to hear her on the radio one time.

   

This month we also invested in an at-home pizza oven and have been perfecting the art of DIY pizza. It’s very good and has pretty much ruined us on frozen or quick-service pizza. We hosted our friends for another game night and did a little DIY pizza buffet, which was a lot of fun.

Speaking of games, I also learned to play Mahjong. I’ve been wanting to learn for so long. Now that I’ve drank the koolaid, I can’t wait to play again. I’m also trying not to spend a million dollars on sets but they are so pretty.

My friend Sonia hosted us at the farmhouse for Spring Equinox again this year. It was such a perfect day. I had spent the morning playing pickleball at Mundy and it was packed. I had a blast getting to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while and met some new folks too! I took Ace and everybody was loving on him and checking on him while I played. Afterwards, a bunch of us popped over to ML Rose for lunch and then I stopped by Pearl on the way home. Sonia always puts so much thought into these events, giving us time and space to reflect, plus an opportunity to pivot our lives if we so choose. As I wrote down the things I wanted to nurture and/or discard, I kept thinking about how lovely and charmed my life is these days.

Now that warmer weather seems to be here to stay I’ve been working outside prepping my little garden spot and remulching the flower beds around the house. There is something that makes me so happy about seeing the green foliage and plants reemerge with such a bright green color. I’ve been doing a lot of back porch sitting and enjoying watching my bird feeder that I got for my birthday.

On the last weekend of the month, Skylar invited Jason and I to play in a pickleball fundraiser tournament at MTSU. It was held in an airplane hanger, which was so neat! And, well, we won the whole thing!

Books Read

• The Moorwitch – 3 stars

  • This was our book club read for March. I don’t typically gravitate to magical or fairy-themed books but this one was good. There was a looooong build-up with seemingly no sense of urgency, but then a lot of twists and turns in the end.

• Outlive – 3 stars

  • Lot of good, science-backed information that it almost felt overwhelming because I’m not even sure if it’s possible or worth it to do everything he mentions. Although, I do wish we had a clinic like his here in Middle TN. However, the last couple chapters really focused on mental health and developing healthy relationships as a first step to longevity and that’s something I can get on board with.

New Restaurants

• Great Indian Food – Mt. Juliet
  • Ok, not my first time but definitley a favorite for Indian
• Cruze Farms – Knoxville, TN
  • CUTE little farmhouse creamery. They also have a downtown location.
• DegThai – Nashville on Nolensville Rd
  • Limited menu but HUGE portions and incredible flavor.
• Condado Tacos – Donelson
  • Wanted to like this more than I actually did.
• Town Square Social – Lebanon
  • Food was okay. Drink was great. Rooftop vibes at sunset tho – 10/10!
• Habachi Jr. – Mt. Juliet
  • For quick service habachi, it was pretty good and plenty of food.