Lately

I have started so many blog posts over the past several weeks that were intended to be posted but then never got finished until their content was completely outdated. Maybe I need to stop writing so time-specifically. All my future posts will now read like: "Roger learned to walk. Now he's running and playing little league. His girlfriend is really sweet we hope this one sticks." Haha that's how long it feels between posts sometimes. My few loyal readers will have to agree. 

Speaking of my little guy... Roger turned 1 on May 30 and was celebrated cutely with a Charlie Brown themed birthday party, generously hosted at the home of my nanny fam. Dave made a replica psych booth like Lucy's and photographic cuteness ensued. Was that two months ago already!?

As an official toddler, Roger is now walking quite adeptly and very close to running. He is climbing everything in his reach. Watching Daniel Tiger in the mornings while I get ready for work. Walking around with his blankie wrapped around his head like Linus. Climbing his rummage-sale kiddie slide and laughing proudly as he slides down over and over. Grasping language and following simple directions (when he feels like it.) And hiding his toys in random places: when I asked him where his hotwheels truck was the other day, he walked into the kitchen and retrieved it from inside a box of ziplock bags, as if of course we store hotwheels cars in ziplock bag boxes. I love that it wasn't lost—he knew exactly where he had stowed it. Very unlike his father in that regard.

Speaking of his father... David has transitioned at church from Youth Pastor (full-time), to Connections Pastor (part-time), which is a fantastic fit for his personality. He wore the youth pastor hat well but it never felt like his unique calling, and so this transition (with the amazing support and encouragement of our pastor and church community) has been really smooth. The part-time factor has meant he needed a "tent-making" gig, and so he has been painting houses for a local company for the summer. Prayer for the next opportunity in this non-ministry employment adventure is greatly appreciated. Painting ends in the fall so he's going to need another gig by then. God is a faithful provider; we are not worried about how he will keep feeding and clothing us. Still, prayers can't hurt.

Speaking of clothing... I have been on a fantastic thrift kick lately. Thrifting in a small-ish town is challenging (at least compared to my old stomping grounds of Minneapolis) because there will be waves of new merchandise flowing into the donation bins... and then seemingly unending thrift-droughts where every time you hit the Goodwill you waste an hour scavenging among the same raggedy duds that have been there for months. It's been the former lately—plenty of gold hidden in the racks. I've been able to find all I've needed for summer attire at two local Goodwills... and maybe a clearance Target find here and there. Thrifting in the past month has landed me four pairs of shorts, two of which started as "mom jeans" and I slashed into cut-offs DIY style, and the other two being specific styles (a pair of white chinos and a pair of tribal printed shorts) I had only expected to find at the end of summer in some picked-over clearance rack and two sizes too big. But amazingly there they were in exactly my size and $4 bucks a pop. Never underestimate the bounty of the thrift. I'm very serious.

Speaking of... unrelated segues. My inner Anne Shirley is finding her way to the surface a lot lately— I've been deeply enjoying the flora of my South Dakota summer. Residential landscape flora, mainly, but hey, a flower is a flower. It helps that our next-door neighbor has planted cone flowers and black-eyed susans and lilies and roses all over her yard and on the patch of yard between the sidewalk and the street; like a little garden path, and Roger and I like to walk through it and admire the bobbing bumble bees together. I keep hoping I'll run into the neighbor who lives there, and I finally did this morning. I think she is a kindred spirit. She raises chickens in the backyard and I'm going back this afternoon to purchase some eggs from her. Yep, kindred spirit.

Today is Saturday and that means plenty of chores at home, but also fun. Roger and I have already been to my favorite coffee and bread shops (Coffea and Breadico), the library, the farmers market (the little one that nobody seems to know about but has way better prices), and stopped a few blocks from home to say hi to friends who just moved into our neighborhood. Yay for friends who are within walking distance and have kids my kid can play with! I brought them a loaf of golden raisin and herb bread from Breadico in downtown Sioux Falls-- if they didn't like me before, they like me now. We'll soon be BFFs. Bread friends forever. 

Now Roger is napping from his busy morning out and about and I'm hoping to knock some big To-Dos off my list. Here's hoping your weekend is restful and fun- stop back sometime.