If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that…
001 | I’m new to coffee dates. Not the real and in person with friends you know kind of coffee dates, but the virtual ones where you share tiny tidbits of your life. So many blogging friends join up to share these posts at the beginning of the month and as much as I adore reading them, I rarely ever jump in. Since I am a huge fan of link parties and had exactly zero things on my blogging calendar for today, I decided to join. I don’t have anything revolutionary to share, so it would be easy to let it pass by, but sharing where we are is kind of the point. Right?
002 | I’m drinking boring coffee these days. For the near future, my coffee is boring and black (and not so delicious). We started a second round of Whole30 for the year and I’m having to cut out the coconut sugar that I love so much. Coconut cream is still in heavy rotation, but I’ll be looking forward to a sweeter cup, come August. In case you need a new and delicious treat, try adding Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream, coconut sugar and ground cacao to taste. Then come right back over here and say thank you.
003 | Church is good. Many of you know we started attending a new church last summer. In fact, next Sunday will be our one year churchiversary. After months of turmoil and uncertainty, we randomly selected a local fellowship and dug in. It was slow starting in many ways, but here we are a whole year later and so very happy with where we’ve found ourselves. We still know very few people (which isn’t surprising given the size of our church), but I recognize someone different every week (last week a girl at the check in counter complimented my tattoo and this week she told me she got an arrow on her side since I had seen her last!). Sophie promoted this summer, so she and Ella are finally in a worship service together. They are much more likely to make new friends, with the safety of their sister nearby. I dropped them off for summer camp today and left them amidst HUNDREDS of other children. Check in was overwhelming, but they were all smiles when I left, linked arm in arm with best friends and strangers alike. On Saturday, we’ll join more than 20,000 local members for a massive day of service and we are super excited to take the girls and begin teaching them practical ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus. There is a huge difference in the way our children will worship and the way we did growing up — not better or worse, just different. Despite those differences and because of those differences, I am beyond excited to see how God will move in their lives as they continue to grow.
004 | I’m trying not to be frustrated with my house. Our house has been on the market since January with barely a showing per month. It’s both frustrating and overwhelming. I keep it spic and span for weeks on end without a word and the one morning I leave piles of laundry and breakfast remnants on the counter, our realtor calls in the middle of the day. It’s frustrating when no one wants what you think is perfectly wonderful. Why isn’t it selling? Why wouldn’t they want to live here? We’re in limbo because we don’t want to spend unnecessarily, but it’s hard not to make improvements or adjustments when I feel like it. We are taking a little break from worries and wondering and just living in our house this summer. We’ve built blanket forts and let gardens die. We’re pouring aqua concrete table tops and sourcing windows for our back porch. If someone buys it over the summer? Great. But if not, we’re going to love it a whole lot more in the meantime.
005 | Binge watching is my favorite. I wish I could tell you I have patience, but it’s never been my strong suit. I wish I could tell you that we didn’t watch television, but the fact of the matter is, I just love good stories. When Netflix sends you recommendations, we give them a try. We’ve watched documentaries and new series and are in the middle of rewatching a few old favorites. Parenthood is still just as amazing as when we started. Josh laughs because I (predictably) cry during every episode. Especially if there is wine involved. The family just gets me every single time and I’m either sobbing in solidarity or crying when something beautiful happens. Tell me I’m not alone? After that brutal season finale of Game of Thrones, I decided to rewatch the whole series. I was impatient and didn’t wait on Josh, so I might very well rewatch with him later this summer. I know that people are squarely on one side of the fence or the other, so if you aren’t a fan, let’s just agree to disagree. There is a lot of violence and language and some skin, so beware. In exchange, though, is a beautiful story about people and redemption. What about Marco Polo? Did you watch that one? We finished season two in about 72 hours and I’m still rolling it around in my mind. What are YOU watching today?
006 | Books are hard right now. I don’t know what it is about summer, but I’m finding it hard to read. I thought lazy pool days would mean more books, but it’s been quite the opposite. I struggled to finish six books in June and I haven’t even started anything for July. Not one book. I open the cover and read a few words, only to realize I’d rather be talking to my mom or my sister or my girls. This is such a busy month for us and there is always something going on around me and I just can’t seem to settle in. Maybe reading will have to wait for cooler weather and Sunday afternoon naps.
007 | I need recipe recommendations. Recipes that are easy and quick and family friendly and involve real, actual food. Recipes that involve the grill or the crockpot, because, who wants to turn on the oven when it’s a hundred degrees outside? I brought a stack of printed recipes and a favorite cookbook to work, so I’ll be spending my lunch hour reading and planning. What deliciousness are you cooking right now?
