March is my favorite month: the simple, quiet joys of Lent, the hope of spring and thawing snow, St. Patrick’s Day, the Solemnities of St. Joseph and the Annunciation, and—of course—March Madness. Even though I’m dead last in my family bracket pool at the moment, I’m enjoying the games and the upsets. I didn’t pick Georgia State to win, but how could you not root for them after seeing this amazing finish (and their coach’s reaction)? Anyway, I’m rooting for Notre Dame and Villanova to go far; hopefully there are no upsets coming their way! (Notre Dame certainly gave us a scare yesterday…)

This March has been especially busy, and I haven’t had a chance to write in a while. Here are some recent life highlights:

—Went on a ski trip to the Catskills last weekend. We skied in the rain and stayed up too late. It was a great time.
—Discovered a local Venezuelan place that makes gluten-free arepas. A+.
—Saw Les Miserables on Broadway. A++. I’d seen it once before in London and I have the 25th Anniversary DVD, but Les Mis never gets old. So good.
—Celebrated my aunt’s birthday in PA and got to visit with family.
—Finished reading My Sisters the Saints with my book club; it’s the third time I’ve read it, and I highly recommend.
—Notre Dame won the ACC basketball championship. What?! Still can’t believe this one.
—Watched the NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade for the first time ever.

And now I am happy it’s Friday. Have a great weekend!