August 28, 2026
fixed (we hope), cheer squad, and compliments
posted by soe 1:32 am
Three beautiful things from my past week:
1. Two weeks ago, we discovered a slow leak in our bathroom ceiling. Last week it was diagnosed as a cracked iron pipe, and this week, our handyman replaced it, a process that involved no water and no toilet for hours over a couple days. We’re waiting a couple more to let everything dry out and to make sure no extra leaks were missed, and then next week, they’ll seal our wall back up, which will be a relief, since bathroom supplies are spread across the rest of the apartment.
2. Harmony, my teammate who sprained her ankle earlier this summer, brought her first-grader to watch us play our final game on the Mall. It was great to see her again and to better get to know her daughter.
3. On the last day of our beach volleyball program, one girl arrives and runs to give me a hug. Today, I took the bus up to campus with one of my middle-schoolers and we spent the time talking a bit. As we were walking up the steps to school, she told me she thought I was a good coach, which was such a kind compliment to give on a week when I’ve been struggling a bit. (I was running a practice with ~33 girls mostly by myself and things had gone off the rails a bit.)
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?
August 21, 2026
fighting foo, practices, and sharing a table
posted by soe 1:06 am
Three beautiful things from my past week:
1. Rudi and I got to see the Foo Fighters on Monday night at Nationals Park. It was a fun, high-energy show, and I’m glad we checked them off our list.
2. High school practices kicked off this week. I haven’t learned all the girls’ names, but I’ve learned a bunch of them. I’ve had several good conversations with the varsity coach and the athletic director, and got a couple nice compliments today. While I’m still nervous about the sheer number of kids showing up next Monday morning for the middle school practice, I’m getting excited.
3. Rudi picked me up from coaching last Friday and we went out for pizza. It felt really nice to sit across the table from him again and talk about our days.
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?
August 14, 2026
jiggety jig, catch up, and time outside
posted by soe 1:53 am
Three beautiful things from my past week:
1. Rudi is home after a month.
2. Rebecca and I catch up over French sodas and supper.
3. After coaching, I stop for a key lime pie milk shake and settle into one of the Adirondack chairs tucked around Crystal City to read and chat with my folks on the phone.
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?
August 7, 2026
baby, made an impression, and mont ventoux
posted by soe 1:21 am
Three beautiful things from my past week:
1. Katie had her baby, a beautiful little boy, to make the sixth player on our next generation team.
2. Two brothers had such a good time at Friday’s beach volleyball camp that they showed up for my grass camp on Monday! (Kudos to their mom for making that happen.)
3. Rudi finished the ride he went to Europe to do within the timeframe he hoped for and set some personal bests on several segments of the course. (Also, the countdown clock to his return is now less than a week!)
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?
July 31, 2026
together, in bed, and just married
posted by soe 1:24 am
Three beautiful things from my past week:
1. Time out with my friends after our volleyball loss.
2. Clean sheets and a cat tucked in on either side of me.
3. A bride, a groom, and a bridesmaid take the same Metro train as me. The bride stands for several stops, handing her bouquet to her husband. He stares at her with a huge grin on her face. It’s one of the things I love about living in the city.
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?
July 26, 2026
belatedly: brunch, do it again?, and just sprained
posted by soe 10:24 am
I thought of this blog post in bed Thursday night and thought, there’s no way I’ll forget to take care of that first thing in the morning… Here it is Sunday morning, and I just circled back to see if I had, in fact, taken care of it, and, surprise! I had not.
So, here are three beautiful things from last week:
1. Anna and I meet for brunch and a catch-up.
2. John and his friend so enjoyed the Fort Reno concert that we met up to attend again this week! He brought his girlfriend, as well, so we were able to get to know each other better.
3. My teammate Harmony aggressively rolled her ankle during our game on Wednesday. She took herself for x-rays the next day and they came back negative for a fracture, so thankfully, it’s just a bad sprain. (She tells me she’s able to stand with crutches, so I’m hoping this means she’s able to be back at work this coming week.)
How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?