First Friday Favorites February Currently

HAPPY First FRIDAY Favorites!!

The first Friday of February means it's time for the second First Friday Favorites link up. Each month will always include a favorite read, favorite find, and favorite quote, then whatever my little heart finds happy. Join in with any favorites in your world right now (you can follow the prompts, or simply share a favorite blog post- whatever your heart desires). I am also linking up with Jennifer, who now hosts the Currently roundup. Let's kick it off with a January recap:

January Recap

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A post shared by Melanie Snavely (@lifessweetjourney)

January came with my first trip of the year, and it was beyond wonderful. I flew (Frontier for the first time and let's just say it is NOT a favorite) to Utah with my friend to meet her mom for a girls weekend in Park City. We did one day of skiing and then lucked out on being there for the Sundance Film Festival. After the rough ending to 2022, it was exactly what my soul needed! 

I came back feeling refreshed, but also so ready to get back to the snow! Thankfully I head back to Park City in less than a week. I had never skied Park City before, and it may be quickly becoming one of my new favorite ski destinations. 

Currently Feeling

Excited, motivated, and renewed. I am stoked to be heading back for a few more days of skiing. Friend trip round 2, but this time Babe gets to come! The trips are helping keep me motivated with work because I have to get everything done so that I can shut off while we are gone, so this typical procrastinator really has to be on the ball. It all just have me feeling super encouraged!

Currently Posting

Winter videos on both YouTube and IG. I finally got a video up from this time last year, when we went snowmobiling in Yellowstone. I am also finally getting back into the reels game over on IG. I was just feeling burnt out with short form content and not motivated at all to share on Instagram. Apparently all I needed was an adventure to help reset my soul! I shared this reel about our day exploring the Sundance Film Festival, and while I never would have thought to go to Park City just for that, it was definitely an experience I am glad I got to have.

Currently Seeing

We are trying to work our way through all the movies we have saved on our streaming services. I keep telling myself that I can't add new ones until we make it through the ones we have, yet I just keep adding. The other night we watched Shotgun Wedding, and meh- dumb, but cute, but dumb. We were so let down by it we immediately watched another movie. The Menu redeemed us! Super crazy concept, but we really enjoyed it!

Currently Loving

We will use currently loving to move us into my First Friday Favorites.

First Friday Favorites

{Favorite Read this Month}

Last month I did a separate favorite read and a favorite listen, but this one wins for both. Out of my physical reads, and my audiobooks, Lessons in Chemistry takes the overall win. I kept hearing great things about it, but it didn't seem like my typical genre, and to be honest the cover is what made me keep putting it over. The cover makes it look like it is going to be a light, cutesie read (not usually what I am drawn to), but Lessons in Chemistry is anything but. It's really tough in some parts, but also moving and hopeful. The main character is very analytical, so at first it can be a little hard to connect with her, but I ended up falling in love with the whole story, especially Six-Thirty (you'll have to read it to know)...

Lessons in Chemistry Synopsis

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.  

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

I loved this book so much it just may be a contender for my favorite read of the year! I also really enjoyed the narration, so whether you choose the physical read or the audio you can't go wrong. 

{Favorite Amazon Find}

The 100 Day Goal Planner from Bright Day Calendars. I am really wanting to take my YouTube side hustle to the next level and am using this calendar to help me get there. I spend last week establishing my main goals and the steps I will take to accomplish them. I am giving myself until midFebruary (when we get back from Park City) and then the 100 day goal-crushing countdown begins! I love the prompts, and the checkin every 10 days. Super helpful for keeping me mindful and moving forward!

{Favorite New Ski Destination}

In case it wasn't already apparent, I am LOVING Park City and excited to see if that holds true for round two. What I have loved about Park City so far is the convenience to the airport, the cute main street area, the snow there was incredible and made for amazing skiing, and the mountain is huge so there are tons of options for runs!

{Favorite Quote}

via IG

I really loved this quote because I feel like it really aligns with where I am at lately. Settling back into stationary life after living on the road for the last four years has been a struggle for me. Understanding the version of myself I am now has been an interesting road, and it makes me so grateful to be married to a man who understands that and helps me navigate it all.

And that's it for this month. I started this link up just as a way to mostly brain dump, remember the year, and keep myself accountable on the blog. I expected them to be short, sweet little blurbs, but here we are. Another post that just seemed to get longer and longer. So if you made it this far, way to go!! Now what favorite things are going on in your world? Link up and share them below!

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