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Happy Leap Day! I originally had planned to take today off and call it an extra day. However, that quickly seemed close to impossible as I've got my work cut out for me this week with finishing up a new line of cards, various appointments and errands, and a few other necessities that need to get taken care of. That's ok, though. Sometimes that's just how things work out, and I'm excited about what the week has to offer.

This past weekend, we finished our taxes. We had mostly completed them, but were waiting on one last form for Andrew. As it turns out, we're still getting the hang of this whole taxes thing. This is the third year that we were able to file jointly, and I'm still trying to figure out my estimated taxes for my business. Last year, I failed in that department, so most of our federal refund was swallowed up paying Maryland state taxes. This year, the opposite happened. We calculated too much, and now we're staring down a surprise chunk of change from both federal and state tax refunds.

And thus, here comes the dilemma. About four months ago, after sleeping on one of the most comfortable beds I've ever happened upon during a quick weekend away in Philadelphia, we vowed that we would buy a new mattress (to replace our current inherited one that has seen better days) if we got a tax refund. That's still the plan. However, we realize that after throwing down a chunk of change for that, we'll still have refund money left.

Hence the dilemma-- how do you choose how to allocate that money?! It feels impossible to choose! Do we save it for a rainy day? Do we use it to travel? Do we finally install new flooring in the basement since we've been wanting to do that for years? Or should we replace the tile in our bathroom? Or do we purchase a new coffee table? Or do we throw it all at student loan debt? Or do we try to do a combination of these things?

We're not ones to burn a hole in our pockets when we come across extra money or spend money on luxuries, so the decision seems insanely difficult. And usually when we have a little extra money it goes straight toward super lame things like a new roof or an air conditioning unit. If I'm this indecisive with a tax refund, I can't even imagine what I would do if I won the lottery-- maybe I'd just put it all in the bank, too scared to spend it.

How do you usually spend surprise extra money? Are you saver or a spender? Do you splurge on luxuries like traveling and eating out, or put it toward debt or home projects?

Before anything else, I wanted to say thank you for all of your comments and responses to yesterday's post about adult friendships. I loved hearing all of the different perspectives, and more than anything knowing that we're not the only ones experiencing this weird phase in our lives. A lot of you in your late 20s and early 30s seemed to relate, which seems incredibly indicative to how transitional these years can tend to be. And if I lived closer to you all, I'd hang with you! ;)

I wrote in this week's Happy List about the arrival of my Boy & Bear album that I'd ordered over a year ago. While I'd been listening to the album for quite some time on Spotify and my iPod, it feels like an important album for me and I had wanted to add it to my physical collection.

Many of you know that I spent time living in Australia and also recently traveled back. As a result I often keep an ear out for new Australian music that I wouldn't otherwise stumble upon here in the US. Boy & Bear is one of those bands. I'm not sure what it is that draw me to them so much, but whatever it is I can't put a finger on it other than to say that their sounds is purely Australian. Maybe it's the lead singer's unaffected Australian accent coming through in his vocals, the open and airy sound of their music that makes me imagine driving through the hot desert with the windows rolled down, the carefree and playfulness of it all that reminds me of the wild south pacific ocean. It's hard to conjure up an appropriate description, but as weird as it may seem, I can almost feel that warmth of the southern sun while I listen to their music.

I ordered their second record, Harlequin Dream, last January. For some reason, there was a major delay-- maybe they had to press another batch or hunt down a copy, I'm just not sure, but I forgot that I had ordered it. A little over a year later, it arrived, and at the perfect moment. Here we are, in the last fit of winter, pushing through cold, gray, blustery days, and when the needle dropped on the first track, "Southern Sun," it was almost as if I had been transported back to that strange and beautiful land. This morning, I put the record on for another spin, and as I listened, the sun began to slowly creep out from behind the clouds and blue sky reappeared-- a reminder that warmer days are soon to come.

What are you listening to these days? Are there any albums that transport you to a different place or time within your life?

Adulting is hard. Even harder? Finding and keeping good friends as an adult. When I read DESIGNLOVEFEST's recent Real Talk series about adult friendships the other day, there were so many points that I could relate to. And one of the biggest takeaways was that I'm not the only one that thinks adult friendships are ridiculously difficult.

When Andrew and I moved to Baltimore, we knew no one in this city except for a friend that we went to Syracuse with and grew up in the area and had moved back after college. Making friends took a little bit of time, but we got to know some people through work and started spending time with them. We'd meet up for happy hours, have get togethers at each others' houses and slowly we found a group of people that we were comfortable with, spent a lot of time with, but were never super close with on a one on one basis. Then things changed.

A lot of the people we got to know were older than us. Many of them moved out of the city and had kids. Several of them moved to completely different cities as they were ready for a new phase in their lives. Only a few of those friendships remained and we found ourselves spending most of our time with a few couples that we'd known the longest.

After I quit my teaching job, things changed even more. A lot of the people that I had previously spent time with were no longer a part of my daily life and so those friendships slowly slipped away. I made an effort in the first year to invite as many of them as I could to various functions, but over time it became obvious that our lives were headed in very different directions and that those friendships had never been close ones to begin with. I learned the hard way that co-workers and friends are not always one in the same.

And still in the last couple of years things have changed. Close friends have moved. Some have had babies. As these closer friendships have drifted apart, some have felt like sudden breakups while others have left us feeling as though we've been forgotten. And we've found ourselves almost back at square one of a process that took nearly seven years.

We've come to realize that things were always different from the beginning when we first moved to Baltimore. Neither of us have those best friends that we had while in high school or college, you know, the ones that you can talk to about anything under the sun or call up in a moment's notice to grab coffee. We don't have the types of friends that you'd have a girls or guys night with. We don't have a core group of people who feel like brothers or sisters. Even though we had these kinds of friendships at earlier points in our lives, they're now mostly non-existent as we grow older.

For the most part, we're ok with it all. We're pretty low key individuals and we tend to like to be in our own little bubble. But there's also a part of us that often wonders why friendships are so hard. We've noticed that a lot of social situations in which we could meet new people often revolve around alcohol and partying, which is another hugely mystifying thing. It almost feels as if nothing is genuine anymore. People don't want to take the time to sit down and have meaningful conversation.

On the other hand, we're inundated by how things are "supposed" to be. Society and media tells us that women are supposed to have their "squad" of friends, the women that are like sisters, the Sex in the City group that doesn't hold back about any detail in their daily lives. But let's be real for a moment. I've read articles that show photos of women huddled together on a bed having a sleepover in their pajamas. Photos of women arm in arm having a picture perfect picnic in the park. Or women dressed to the nines, hugging each other, and toasting champagne over brunch like it's a totally normal daily occurrence.

And then I think about the reality and ridiculousness of it all. Isn't it a bit absurd and maybe even immature? In reality, how authentic are these types of friendships? And for those in real life that portray their friendships in this way, is it reality or is it presented that way only because we've been taught by society to do so? On one hand, I'd love to have a group of girlfriends that was close enough that we could jet off together and stay at some Caribbean resort for a week with not a care in the world. On the other, why is it that these are the ideals and almost expectations of friendship that we've been handed by society?

When I think of all of those implications, I begin to wonder if friendships aren't all that they're cracked up to be. Maybe it's ok that I'm in my bubble with Andrew, managing to spend time here and there with the few friends that we have left between our time spent together doing our own thing. Maybe it's ok to be out there in the world by yourself doing your own thing. Adult friendships are hard, and maybe that's ok.

How do you feel about friendships as an adult? Have you found yourself in these in between moments where the dynamics of your friendships have changed? Do you prefer to stay in your own bubble or is having a close knit group of friends important to you?

I've written lists like this before, but after reading Nicole's list of gratitude yesterday, I decided that I wanted to make this a more regular thing. I'm not going to lie-- while I try to keep an upbeat and positive attitude, sometimes I get stuck in a spiral of negativity because of whatever events are happening in my life behind the scenes. And lately, I've felt a lot of that negativity for a myriad of reasons-- health issues with our pets, some really rude people I've encountered both via customer service and in person, some unexpected change in plans with my business, and a few other things. I'm also sure that part of the negativity comes from the time of year. I've never liked winter, and February is always a tough month to get through with it's last hurrahs of cold and sometimes snow. So in attempt to be more intentional in thinking about the happy stuff, I decided to write a list of 10 happy things.

1 // Listening to a record that took over a year to arrive. Yes, true story. I ordered it from Amazon over a year ago, and it took so long to arrive that I had forgotten I had ordered it. It's finally here and it is a happy surprise.

2 // Homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on a cold, rainy night.

3 // A weekend out of town to see old friends.

4 // Having time to sketch and draw and design new cards.

5 // An unexpected Valentine card and drawing received in the mail from my six year old nephew.

6 // Extra puppy snuggles in the mornings from Lilah. Usually, she picks favorites with Andrew, but she's been extra happy to see me in the mornings lately.

7 // Meets ups with other creative people at coffee shops.

8 // Inspiration for new products and ideas pouring in all at once.

9 // Finding a digital printer that I'm happy with after a two and a half year search.

10 // Leftover tacos and guacamole for lunch.

What things are making you happy these days? Do you make happy lists to help you get out of a funk?

This past weekend, while in Syracuse, my friend and I were talking about her upcoming travels to some National Parks out west as well as our mutual desire to visit Acadia National Park. I've always loved the National Parks, and they have long been a reason to travel to some parts of our country I may not have gone otherwise. The fact that we've protected pristine lands so that we can enjoy them for many years to come seems so incredibly important.

Unbeknownst to me, my friend informed me that this was the 100th anniversary of the National Parks. This gave me the itch to want to travel to a few more of them even more so. And then yesterday, I stumbled upon The Greatest American Road Trip. A couple, one a National Geographic photographer and the other a travel writer, decided to visit 59 National Parks in 52 weeks while on assignment for National Geographic Travel. Along the way, they are documenting their travels and adventures.

While I thought I had already visited a lot of the parks, I've only visited 12 of them in total, which is only about one fifth of the parks. Some of them, such as Yellowstone, Badlands, Grand Teton, Everglades, and Rocky Mountain, I have been lucky enough to visit multiple times. As a teenager, I felt as though I had more access to the parks, since the driving distance from the Midwest was within range for a decent road trip because many of the parks are in the western portion of the United States. Now, living in Baltimore, I feel more cut off from them than I used to. With some airline miles that need to be used before the end of the year, Andrew and I are hoping to make it out to California for Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Sequoia, and Yosemite, amongst other destinations. However, wouldn't it be fun to take a year off and attempt the same road trip to visit all 59 parks? One can definitely dream, and maybe one day we'll do just that.

Are you a huge fan of the National Parks? Which have you visited? Which are your favorites?