Since preseason started four weeks ago, I’ve been running pretty much nonstop, and I just plum forgot to post this week. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have thee beautiful things, so here they are, just a bit belatedly:

1. My friend Jordan (who is also coaching this fall and probably similarly feeling behind the eight-ball all the time) cat-sit for us last weekend and we arrived home to find him leaving our place. I thought I’d given him the wrong dates, so it was such a relief to find he’d just gone on autopilot instead. Our cats thought it was a wonderful problem to have — beloved by all the people, as they should be.

2. On a day where we thought we were going to have to forfeit and where I was coaching alone, the JV team got their first win of the season.

3. On our drive south, we were able to watch a truly magnificent sunset, the sort where you keep thinking, this has to be its most spectacular and then it improves again at the next curve in the road or peek between buildings.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A cooler weekend and start to the week (we’ll ignore the end)

2. My friend John has returned for a couple months (to pack up his life)

3. Not having to get up to run morning practices

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

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?

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?

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?

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?