Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Starbucks got my order wrong and after mulling just drinking a green tea latte that tasted like rotten grass, I went back and told them there had been a mix-up. The barista apologized for the counter guy mishearing my drink.

2. Making plans to see people in person this weekend.

3. The weather, which earlier in the day had been chilly and raining, cooperated so some of us could meet before volleyball and stand outside with our drinks.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Meeting up in person to work with a colleague at the library.

2. Rudi and I both came home from Salt Lake.

3. Because we both left so early in the month, it’s still Christmas in the Burrow. My tree weathered our absence surprisingly well. We may celebrate Russian Christmas (redux) this weekend.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi and I sprang for an hour at a cat cafe because it’s been ages since we’ve been away from family felines for this long. I had a kitten curl up in my lap for about ten minutes.

2. The bed in our third Air BnB this trip is substantially more comfortable than location number two. I took a nap in it yesterday when we arrived while Rudi did some paperwork.

3. Location #2 was, however, just a mile down the road from a used bookstore that had the first novel in one of Sherry Thomas’ earlier series. I look forward to spending some time with the Marsdens on my flight home Saturday.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

We’re out in Salt Lake dealing with some family stuff that is taking a lot of mental and emotional energy — but it’s not my story to share. For the next little while, I’m probably going to go light on content, so my apologies for that.

Three beautiful things from today:

1. When I arrived to see Rudi’s mom, she was eating with gusto the dumplings that the aide had made especially for her.

2. Salt Lake has put a mask mandate into place, which makes me much happier about being indoors.

3. I got to walk in the sun a bit today.

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Lovely sunsets in Florida and Utah (we caught the first part while we were walking in a park and then I made Rudi pull into a cemetery so he could see what it became after that).

2. A kind Moldovan tech who speaks Russian to Rudi’s mom and who offered to make her some varenyky (Russian pierogi-like dumplings)

3. Pizza outdoors on New Year’s Eve with Sarah and Rudi

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi took practically all our Christmas presents from my parents with him to West Virginia so I could stay an extra four days and fly home.

2. Mum and I got nearly all the baking we’d hoped to done (today was mushroom turnovers and chocolate snowball freezer cookies).

3. Dad and I got two afternoons of playing pool in. Occasionally I even won. (I’m in a place right now where, much like with bowling, I just want to hit the ball hard. It’s good to understand what you need out of recreation.)

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?