Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The fireflies have made their first appearances of the season!

2. It was a really good week at volunteering this week. We brought snacks to celebrate one of the other coaches’ 25th birthday, which both she and the kids loved; the kids had a fun time trying to score on me in the goal (with our bitsy nets, I am a pretty good goalie); and some of the kids who usually sit on the sideline actually played in the game at the end (and seemed to have fun).

3. My friend Chris got married last weekend and invited us to his and Julie’s wedding. And it was delightful. All of it. From the ceremony to the reception, from the venue to the food, and from the raucous joy of both their families to easy camaraderie of the volleyball folks in attendance (we even got a shoutout in their vows), I can’t point to a single thing I’d change. Except maybe that we were having too much fun conversing to do much dancing, and that doesn’t really seem like a negative at all.

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

Dozed off writing this last night… Apparently too much sun and sand for quick, coherent thoughts!

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We spent the afternoon at the beach, my first in more than a year. An onshore breeze mostly kept the haze away from the shore until evening, so we held court under deep blue skies and with temperatures in the upper 60s.

2. After going a couple more days without water than I would have liked (the water was mysteriously off at the garden and I hadn’t brought any from home), my young plants have perked back up, including my pink flowers, which had looked decidedly wilted.

3. I needed a haircut and tried a new stylist. She listened to what I wanted, offered her suggestions when I asked for her professional opinion, and provided tips for getting the most out of my new ‘do this summer. It works both down and back for sports, and now I just need to find a diffuser attachment for my (very dusty) hairdryer to see if I can recreate what she did for Chris’ wedding on Saturday.

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

I dozed off working on a cover letter last night and didn’t realize until I was in bed that I hadn’t posted here.

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Grey Kitten and I talked for a spell in the wee hours one night after Rudi headed to bed. Sometimes a 3-hour time difference can be a good thing.

2. A friend’s mom has come through her brain surgery as well as can be hoped for.

3. My team’s game on Monday was against an opponent who struggled to put together plays. So we stayed afterwards to play a split squad scrimmage (plus a couple others) and had a blast before heading out to the bar.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Two pounds of strawberries, a bag of greens, and my first peas from the garden

2. Rudi turned 50 this week. We threw a big party with dozens of our local friends at a beer garden to celebrate. And I made him a playlist with songs, stories, and photos from friends from all over, ranging from his Salt Lake school friends through our college friends to those we’ve met since moving to D.C.

3. Karen and I finally got to catch up in person for the first time since Thanksgiving. Six months is too long between visits, but we milked the afternoon for all it was worth!

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. This was a good week of volunteering, with the kids being attentive and having fun.

2. I harvested a pint of strawberries from the garden. They were delicious!

3. Most of the team went for drinks after the game on Monday. It was really good to catch up with folks!

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Purple irises for the kitchen

2. I’m hanging out at our local yuppie grocery store/cafe, and they bring out bags of sourdough bread to take home for free.

3. Rudi makes a frittata from seasonal nettles, asparagus, and spring onions.

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