{ Inventory }

"The greatest of poems is an inventory."

~ G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

It's been very quiet around here lately. I lay the blame for this at the feet of good busyness {though do I really want to use the word blame when speaking of something good?}. Many times I've thought, "I really want to blog about this!" only to realize that in order to do so, I'd have to cut into already-scarce sleep or say "no" to another opportunity for good busyness. I'm short on photos, too....that new camera Mr. Mike got me for my birthday has been woefully under-utilized. For the first time since I've had a camera, I've been too busy doing to step back and document--which, if you ask me, is a wonderful predicament! As a result, this inventory of Joys That Have Been Filling My Days Lately will be light on the visuals and heavy on the verbals.

: : A wine-tasting bridal shower that wended through downtown Seattle's Pike's Place Market and Post Alley

: : The banjo-playing trio that sang at one of the tasting rooms we visited; they were so good!

: : Successfully painting the kitchen, dining room, and living room over Memorial Day weekend--and finishing the entire job by Monday evening! Many, many thanks to Mike for putting his plans on hold on Monday to help me finish up.

: : Putting a new light fixture in the kitchen. Let there be light!!!

: : Finding a big mirror for the living room wall {within an inch of the dimensions I wanted} at Value Village for $19.95. All the mirrors I've found online and at local stores have been several hundred dollars for the size I want, so this is a total answer to prayer--and I don't even think I need to paint the frame!

: : Planning a joint baby shower for my two pregnant coworkers

: : My first haircut in about eight months. Just a trim, but such a nice change.

: : A new mattress and pillows that are oh-so-comfy. That, and not having to worry about spraining my ankle getting into and out of bed, when "bed" is a full mattress on a queen-size frame, with a large gap all 'round between mattress and frame

: : Cilantro, Thai basil, and three dahlias in pots on the balcony

: : Tiny, colorful cacti on my kitchen ledge and purple violets on the windowsill

: : Mike moving his office back home--we can actually see each other in the evenings!

: : Gary Thomas' "Sacred Marriage" conference at our church last weekend--really, really good. We're still working through the discussion questions, and I'm re-motivated to read his books {I bought Sacred Marriage and Sacred Influence while we were engaged!}

: : Really loving our community group {church lingo for Bible study}. It's comical how many people have the same or similar names. There's Luke and Lucas, three Michaels, and Christina, Krissy, and Kristi. I snapped this photo last Sunday after church. From left to right: Michael, Michael, and Michael.

: : Discovering this lovely musician yesterday, via my friend Andrea. This song has been running through my head literally ever since.

: : Only 31 more days 'til Kauai! Eeeeek!!!

: : Lots of overtime the past week or two. I'm trying to count this as joy because it means more money for {a} Kauai, and {b} savings/Nikki's "early retirement" fund ;-)

: : Impromtpu Friday night happy hour with friends at Epulo Bistro, a darling little new-to-us spot in downtown Edmonds. Love. We will be back!

: : Meeting a friend for breakfast later this morning at our new favorite breakfast spot...speaking of which, I need to get ready!

I promise, I'll be taking and posting photos soon!