Happy List for April

The habit continues, albeit compiled at the end of the month because April got away from me, slightly.

April 2025

1. Brain going numb during a workout.
2. High-waisted shorts.
3. Crispy audio.
4. Seeing a freestyle soda machine and flashing back to childhood, when their release made waves in the middle school post-swim-meet Moe's community (too specific?)
5. Pigtail braids.
6. Deciding last minute that you're going to go to something and making it just in time.
7. When you discover an old playlist you made and it's a hit.
8. The energy a "fresh" song gives you when you're tired.
9. The precise stiffness of an old collegiate sweatshirt. Somehow only these.
10. Sleeping with cold, cold AC.
11. Clementines.
12. Dark chocolate with sea salt.
13. Golden hour.
14. Ballet classes again.
15. Aloe on a sunburn.
16. Finding a new favorite beach.
17. That moment when you realize a weight feels too easy.
18. Loading up the car after a Costco run and knowing you're stocked for a while.
19. Weighted blanket.
20. One of those major once-a-year sleep-ins when your body really needs it.
21. Finally getting wall art.
22. The specific romanticization of Hozier.
23. The relief of dealing with a dread that's been hanging over you.
24. Book conversations!
25. Breakfast bagel from Kalapawai.
26. Hot tub, especially when sore.
27. Vibe when you're wearing the darkest possible aviators.
28. Analyzing Substack culture.
29. Obsessing with one song, playing it forty times in a row, and still not being sick of it.
30. Events on the calendar to look forward to.
31. Elle King / Wild Belle / leather jacket you can listen to energy.
32. Genuinely having a full-on winddown: tea, candles, robe, wet hair. You know the one.
33. Baking a cake.
34. Popping Veuve Clicquot when I reach a book milestone.
35. Occasions to use the "Grace baked something, please take it" group message.
36. Dance fashion.
37. Finishing a book that's been in the rotation for forever.
38. "Towel poncho in the grocery" vibe—skin hot, AC too cold, sand sticking.
39. Weekly The Vampire Diaries watch parties.
40. Chatting symbolism with literally anyone.
41. Cathartic nostalgia.
42. Blank legal pad.
43. Air mattress sleepover.
44. Surprise friend visits.
45. Introducing someone to a food spot you love.
46. Strawberry matchas from Mele Mele.
47. Reflecting on how special it is to think that the people who matter to you cross your mind so frequently and cross their minds just as often (sappy.)
48. Blasting The Chicks (or Silver Springs.)
49. Brief phase of actually liking a morning workout.
50. Nailing pirouettes.
51. Planning Black Island this year.
52. Sister group FaceTimes.
53. Starting an audiobook.
54. Bringing no less than eight paperbacks to the beach.
55. Strangers who are nicer than you expect.
56. The Burlesque aesthetic.
57. Adding a new hobby to a routine.
58. Lighting a gigantic candle.
59. When you lock down a new dinner recipe.
60. Opening the blinds to a sunny day.
61. The smell of sunscreen on a Saturday morning.
62. The view of the Koolau mountains.
63. When you pass through mountains or trees and there's a moment where the light dims and gets damper and you feel so distinctively shrouded.
64. Concert you're actually excited for.
65. Dressing for said concert you're actually excited for.
66. A dark, stormy remix.
67. When a review's practically effortless to write.
68. Marking choreography while walking.
69. A standing date with friends.
70. Deep stretch.
71. A long, hot beach day in which you're constantly cooling off in the water.
72. Crystal-clear blue water.
73. Five Guys burger.
74. Getting around the island more.
75. Pride when you deserve it.