Better in... April
Everything that made me better in April 2025
I swear God heard me complaining about how slow January and February were and said “bet.” I truly do not know where this month went because I truly had the hardest time remembering what I even did that past 29 days. I usually will go through the photos on my phone to jog my memory before writing these monthly recaps but this time I barely had any pictures to reference. Perhaps this means I am living life offline way more (cool!) or perhaps I am turning into a boring hermit (less cool). Only time will tell. Luckily for you, dear reader, I was able to come up with some pretty epic April highlights that you will read about below. However since I don’t have many pictures to share, please enjoy this meme of Lana del Rey I have been referencing a lot recently.
Goal Tracking
Now that we are in Q2 I have included a few new goals (some spilling over from the stuff I wasn’t able to accomplish in Q1) as well as resurfacing some of the annual goals I have not really focused on at the start of the year.
Read 50 Books - This month I read…
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum - A fun read that felt like it was written with the chaos of The White Lotus in mind. This book won’t change your life but it will provide you with a fun time. If you need a beach read, definitely give this a go.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - Absolutely loved this book. The story took a lot of unexpected turns and I really fell in love with the main characters. I don’t want to give any specific plot points away, but let’s just say that this is a fresh take on the young woman trying to survive in this cruel world premise. Apparently Apple TV bought the rights to this story and I absolutely cannot wait for this show to premiere.
All Fours by Miranda July - Tomatoes, tomatoes, I’m throwing tomatoes. This book seemed so promising in at the start but my god did I hate it. I know not every character is supposed to be likable but I absolutely detested the narrator. This book also made me feel like I might be prude, which judging by some of the reviews I read, was not an uncommon experience.
Get More In Touch with Slavic/Ukrainian/Russian Culture - I have been watching a lot more Russian speaking online creators in the past month and it has made me realize that a) there’s a lot of great high quality Russian content for me to enjoy out there and b) even though I am fluent in Russian, my language skills are not as good as they used to be since I am not as familiar with slang anymore and have diminishing vocabulary. I am hoping to combat this by reading more things in Russian and even committing to watching a tv show in Russian.
Take Advantage of Living in Austin - Now that we are in the warmer months (actually we skipped warm and went straight to hot) I think it’s time for me to do more outdoorsy stuff in Austin, specifically when it comes to all the amazing places one can go swimming in Austin. I previously mentioned going to Barton Springs at night, and I plan on doing that a bunch this year, but I am really excited to explore some of the other natural pools and springs around town.
Q2 Goals
Read SIX Physical Books - Because I completely failed at this in the last quarter I am raising the stakes for myself and trying to get back to reading before bed. I have like four half finished physical books that I need to burn through so getting this goal done shouldn’t be an issue… right?
Volunteer - I recently skipped out on a volunteer day at work because I had way too much going on and couldn’t afford to leave my desk for a few hours. I felt kind of guilty for not being able to participate so I am making it a goal to find a volunteer opportunity at a local organization and actually donate my time to a worthy cause.
Complete a Wooble - I think I may be the first ever person to struggle with their Wooble but I am determined to finish it and maybe pick up crocheting in the process. I am always on the hunt for something to do with my hands while I am watching tv or listening to an audiobook, so I would really love to learn to do something creative like crochet or needlepoint. Alex was kind enough to get me a Wooble to get me started on my crocheting journey so I am determined to finish it (and make it look half decent).
Create and Share a Recipe - Though I have absolutely no intention of becoming a food blogger, I do want to push myself in the kitchen and get creative with some recipe testing. My hope is that I can use some inspiration from my garden to come up with a delicious summer recipe that I can share with all of you in an upcoming newsletter.
Things that Made Me Happy in April
Kasra at Home - One of my favorite restaurants in the whole wide world is a Persian place called Kasra in Houston that I have been going to since 2000. I have searched the world to find a restaurant comparable to Kasra but haven’t found one that comes close. The main reason I think Kasra is so top tier is their hummus and then kashke bademjan (eggplant dip). When I moved to Austin I tried learning how to make both myself and have failed miserably for years. Though I have yet to find a comparable hummus, I am happy to report that I have FINALLY found a kashke bademjan recipe that comes close to what I crave (weekly) from Kasra. I served this at a recent dinner party with some Za’atar focaccia and it was a big hit. I use this recipe and finish it off with some fried onions and sumac on top. I also don’t use walnuts because I don’t want to die. This dip is way better than baba ganoush and is going to be heavily featured in my dinner party rotation moving forward. If you can’t get your ass to Houston you must try this.
Following Chubby Trekka and Sophie Tang - Chubby Trekka is a British guy named Luke who is currently walking from the UK to Vietnam and documenting his journey. As someone who LOVES a walk, I am absolutely SAT for this adventure. He started his journey in September and is currently in Turkey where another travel blogger but the name of Sophie has joined him. Sophie is one of the most charismatic people I have ever seen and it has been an absolute pleasure following along on their adventure. As an added treat, it’s becoming very obvious that Luke and Sophie are falling in love and it really makes this whole trip even more meaningful to witness. Though Sophie was only supposed to join for the length of Turkey she recently agreed to join Luke for the remainder of his walk and I cannot wait to see them conquer new landscapes and challenges. I truly have no one to talk to this about so if you are interested in following along (and discussing with me) you can follow their adventure here and here.
Watching Recaps of Early 2000s TLC Shows - A TikTok creator by the name of Sydney has been recapping episodes of Four Weddings (as well as a number of other TLC shows) and I never skip a video. Not only is the delivery hilarious, but these recaps have really opened by eyes to how absolutely bonkers tv in the early 2000s truly was. Did these shows impact my brain chemistry in a bad way when I was growing up? Yeah, probably. Do I wish we still made crazy reality tv like this today? Absolutely. Not only were all the wedding themes crazy (cotton themed wedding anyone???) but literally 80% of the brides were clearly lying about their age and we somehow didn’t notice.
Gardening - If you want to feel like a bougie bitch (Ina Garten) then you need to grow your own herbs, babes. Being able to use what I grow in my garden to make food makes me invincible and once my tomatoes ripen I swear I am going to morph into Martha Stewart. For now, I will stick to adding home grown herbs to my breads and sauces and I’ll update you on all the other delicious things I get up to.
Fun Drink of the Month: Hop Water - Specifically the Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher. I have never in my life been a beer girl but something about a hoppy sparkling water is so refreshing and just different enough from a regular sparkling water that I think this is going to be the drink of the summer for me. We’ve tried a few different brands and have enjoyed them all but the Lagunitas is definitely top tier.
Dipping My Toe in the Influencer Pool - I’m being cheeky here but this past month I was contacted by one of my favorite new skincare brands, Prequel, and allowed to choose some products to try. Given that I was already a big fan of the brand it meant so much to know that my newsletter granted me this opportunity. I am super excited to give all these new products a go and give you my review once I’ve used each product up. Stay tuned!
Casual Birthday Celebration - I wasn’t really feeling my birthday this year so I wasn’t really trying to do much to celebrate. Luckily for me, my hubs told me not celebrating wasn’t an option so we did an extremely casual hang at one of our favorite breweries. Seeing all the people that came out really meant so much and I loved how keeping things casual just took all the pressure off the day. I felt very loved and appreciated and it was the best vibe going into this new year of life.
Açaí Bowls - Now that Austin is back to being absolutely BOILING there is nothing that sounds less appealing to me than a hot breakfast. Enter: smoothie bowls. I have tried my fair share of açaí bowls around town, but so far nothing beat the OG bowl from Blenders and Bowls. If there was a location closer to my house I would probably go daily. The texture of the bowl is thick without being icy. I always eat my bowl without honey so it isn’t too sweet and the fruit they use is always beautiful and ripe. They also use a hemp granola this is so delicious and crunchy that I am getting emotional writing about it. I can hear all the haters saying “but Ganna these bowls aren’t that healthy” and to that I say, fuck off. I am burning up and I am hungry. Let me enjoy my breakfast in peace.
Coachella Live Stream - At this point in my life I think actually going to Coachella would be a nightmare (specifically the logistics), but man am I glad that they livestream these performances because artists really go all out. That Lady Gaga performance? Jaw dropping. Lisa and Jennie? They have a new fan. It’s such a bummer that ACL comes no where close to Coachella in terms of production but I’ll settle for watching these livestreams from the comfort of my own couch.
March 2025 Empties
Only one empty this month!
Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief - This was a product I heavily relied on maybe 5 years ago when my skin was at its driest. I purchased it again this year because of the colder temps this winter and spending some time in Philly and Utah. This is a great product for layering between a hydrating toner or serum and a thicker moisturizer. It truly helped my skin this winter and I will probably purchase again once winter comes back around.
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