Happy Friday, everyone!
I'm looking forward to a weekend filled with family, friends, and good food, among other things. For Father's Day, David wants to come home from church and watch the U.S. Open (golf) all day from the comfort of the couch, and then after that we're hitting up a new burger place with my parents. Sounds good to me!
But first... I'm popping in to share a few things making me happy this week, and linking up with Amy from MomAdvice. {Bonus happiness: swimming with Papa (my dad)!}
3 Little Things... making me happy
1. My kindle. I'm not sure I've gotten a gift that I've used so consistently, well, ever. My parents bought me mine for my birthday, and I think I've probably used it almost every day since then.
It's basically the most convenient way ever to keep up with reading. I try to keep it with me everywhere I go, so I always have it if I have a few minutes to spare. It's much slimmer than carrying around a stack of books after all. I'll share with you what I've been reading on it soon, or you can catch up with me on GoodReads. I still love real books (especially for nonfiction) but I've become something I never expected-- a total e-reader junkie. ;)
2. Embroidery. It had been a year since my last embroidery project, I realized, as some dear friends of ours celebrated their first wedding anniversary this week. How did that happen? Embroidery is such a relaxing creative endeavor, so I'm not sure why I don't do it more. This past week, I worked on a project for a dear friend (and reader!)'s birthday, and I just love how it turned out.
Recently, I spied an excerpt of a poem up on her fridge, and I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I'm anxious to read some Wendell Berry now. Anyways, I took a line from the poem and created a piece of hoop art for her. I really love how it turned out.
3. Church beach nights. Every summer, our church meets at the beach every week for a fellowship night of food, hanging out, surfing/swimming, bonfire, etc. It's one of our family's favorite parts of the week, and one of our favorite things about our church.
For those of you who prayed for my pastor's 14-year old daughter in the past (the one who was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumor last month), last week was a big milestone for her. After one of her (five!) brothers got baptized, Katherine paddled out to catch her first waves since her surgery and recovery. As she put on her rash guard and grabbed a foam board a cheer went up from the friends and family on the beach. She paddled out with her dad, a friend, and a couple of brothers while several of us watched from the beach. Dolphins were jumping in the waves (in celebration no doubt), and the sun peeked through the fog to reveal rosy sunset. It was the kind of thing to bring joyful tears to your eyes.
I'm taking a break from the Surf Report (link roundup)-- because I'm finding myself of needing to consume less, so I can effectively create more. Do you ever feel like that? It's hard. I love reading blogs and articles, but I just need to scale back a bit so I can try to get a little more consistent in my creative output.
What's making you happy this week?
