Have I Told You Lately - February

I decided to revert to my original end of the month post(s) - I enjoyed the format and wanted to share a little bit more than just what I'm reading each month. So here we are with my Have I Told You Lately format for the month of February - can we believe it's the last day of February??

Eating & Drinking - I suppose I'm not in the habit of taking so many food pictures as I once was, ha-ha! I do know our month started with dinner at Cactus Cantina in DC with family and friends; they have divine Tex-Mex right in the middle of DC, so very yummy and I'm so glad our family shared this gem with us! Ryan and I attended the XO Marriage Conference at our church and were gifted some of the best cookies - perfect for the event and incredibly tasty! 

We had some delicious home cooked meals throughout the month - I finally tried my hand at making a favorite that my Mom has fixed throughout the years, Hamburger Steak! It turned out delicious! We had sweet treats at a surprise party for Ryan's boss and when we went to Seven Springs - the pickle fries were great, the chili was delicious and my personal favorite was a Raspberry Zinger cupcake I had! Yum!

Reading - I am still managing to read like a champ and February allowed me to add three and a half more books to my list of books read in 2023! So, I'm still off to a good start with my goal of reading 35 books for this year! This month I read:

• What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall - Haunted by a killer from their youth, a group of friends begin to unravel when one member starts asking questions! This book was a quick and engrossing read with numerous twists and turns - I really enjoyed it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5!
• The Night Train to Berlin by Melanie Hudson - A train journey into the past. A love that echoes through time. This book was a Christmas gift from my MIL and is set between two timelines: present day and WWII, and y'all know I love a WWII setting! The book was great, but a little slow to get started. ⭐⭐⭐.5 of 5 (I can't use half a star...)
• The Circus Train by Amita Parikh - All the worlds a stage in this moving WWII story about a traveling circus and finding yourself during dark times. Another WWII book with a train element; it seems February had a theme! This book was also a little slow to get going but once it picked up, I devoured the final 150 pages in an afternoon! ⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5!
• Saving Aziz by Chad Robichaux - The captivating and inspiring true story of Marine and MMA fighter Chad Robichaux and his fight to rescue the Afghan interpreter who served alongside him. Guys, I am only about halfway through this one, so I'll report back a little more about this in March - but goodness, the US government is sneaky. *sigh* 

Watching - The two shows that were on a pretty regular rotation at our house this month (both being watched by me, ha-ha) are Home Town (the seventh season) and The Last of Us. Let's talk about two shows that could not be more different, oh man! Home Town is a feel good home renovation show set in Laurel, Mississippi - colorful, vibrant and down home warmth emanate from the screen when you're watching!

And then there's The Last of Us - a show set in a post-apocalyptic world that is being overrun by human infected with the cordyceps virus... which turns them into mindless minions of the cordyceps fungus that has taken over their mind. It's absolutely not colorful, vibrant or warm - but it is really quite good!

The hubby and I are so close to finishing the second season of Jack Ryan - but we have been watching that second season in fits and starts! 

Loving - I am loving my peek-a-boo tattoo y'all! I can absolutely tell you that I'd always been fascinated by tattoos but just figured that I was too much of a pansy to go get one! I suggested shortly after our wedding that Ryan and I get one another's initials tatted on our ring finger - as a substitute when we are doing things where we need to leave our rings...

We got our tattoos over the weekend and mine is now healed enough to put my rings back on - and I love how it manages to be almost hidden, but I can move my rings if I want and there it is! I just can't believe how it really wasn't quite so bad (and yes - I had numbing cream) and how pleased I am to have my first tattoo!

Wanting - Spring... oh man how I want Spring to go ahead and get here! We have had next to no Winter this season and I must confess, that somehow makes me want Spring to get here even sooner! If we'd had a Winter filled with snow, perhaps it would be more enjoyable but there have been spats of ice here and there... and that coupled with the milder temperatures - well, Spring can just go ahead and arrive and that would be fine with me!

Quoting - However you choose to live your life - just know one thing for certain: someone is going to be disappointed. So the choice before you is "who"? And there's the whole truth of it: It really shouldn't be you. - Anonymous 

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I hope y'all have a wonderful end of the month and your March starts off wonderfully!