Best of January & February: Two Months in Review

January didn't really have enough going on to warrant its own post, so I thought I'd wait another month to have more exciting life updates to share with you. :) The beginning of 2014 has been low-key so far, but it is nice to relax, especially with the busy month we have ahead of us in March! We will be out of town for three weekends (including this one!) and running a 10K race on another weekend, so there is a lot going on. Here's a recap of the past two months:

Most Popular on Instagram & Notable Events

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

As you can see, I'm starting off the New Year right with two of my favorite things: books and travel! Or at least that's how it appears from my Instagram feed. ;) I finally got the huge National Geographic map I've been coveting for Christmas, and then my wonderful fiance made a frame for me to hang it. (Yup, he made the frame! That will be its own post one day.) It was so much fun putting in the pins and remembering all the places we've traveled (and finding new places we want to go!).

The only travel I've actually done in the past two months was a weekend trip to San Diego for my mom's birthday and another southern California excursion to attend a conference outside Los Angeles. My sister and I also threw my dad a surprise 50th birthday party, which was pretty sweet. The cake was definitely Pinterest-worthy! Locally, the weather has been looking up during the past few weekends in San Jose, so Jonathan and I have been venturing outside the house on weekends to find relaxing places to read (as you can see). My family also visited during the first weekend of January to "celebrate" Christmas at our apartment because that was the first weekend we were all available to meet up.

Most Popular on the Blog

5. Autumn 2013 Book Challenge: Month 1 (posted November 1, 2013)
4. Saying goodbye to guilty (dis)pleasures. (posted August 30, 2013)
3. Advice Needed: Stylish Walking Shoes for Europe (posted March 13, 2013)
2. Semi-Charmed Winter 2012 Book Challenge (posted October 15, 2012)
1. The Best of 2013: Read (posted December 19, 2013)

Also Posted in January & February

Interestingly enough, none of my most popular posts of the past two months were actually written in the past two months. So, here's a list of posts you might have missed, starting with my personal favorite:

>> 5 Awesome Things Your Local Library Offers (Feb. 7)
>> Travel Tuesday: What's in your carry-on? (Feb. 25)
>> That time I fell off a ski lift in Switzerland. (Feb. 4)
>> Travel Tuesday: Where should I go on my honeymoon? (Feb. 11)
>> The Five Coolest Winter Olympic Sports (Feb. 21)
>> 5 Historical Fiction Novels Set in the United States (Feb. 14)
>> Travel Tuesday: At the Home of the King. (Feb. 18)
>> By the Numbers: 2013 (Jan. 30)
>> 2013 Reading Challenges in Review (Feb. 9)
>> Best of December: A Month in Review (Jan. 11)

On My Bookshelf

Requiem, Lauren Oliver // Allegiant, Veronica Roth // The Chaperone, Laura Moriarty
My Name is Memory, Ann Brashares // Bellman & Black, Diane Setterfield // Serena, Ron Rash

How has the new year been treating you? Anything exciting coming up in the next month?

Linking up for the 2014 Review Extravaganza.