The first few days of this week just felt…weird. There have already been various school holidays, and schedules seem to be constantly in flux for one reason or another. John left on Monday for Germany (instead of his typical Sunday departure). The weather was shockingly hot…and then turned cold. Nothing objectively bad happened, but I felt slightly out of sync for a few days.
Joy and I (and later Kae and I) chatted about how it seems harder to settle into routines with teenage kids in the house. Smaller kids necessitate fairly rigid schedules — mealtimes and bedtimes are set — but now things can (and often have to) be more flexible, and we’re finding ourselves pulled in more directions.
Hearing other people voice back my current feelings on the topic was surprisingly therapeutic.
Speaking of therapy. Want some free sessions? Have a blogger friend come visit!!! 10/10 recommend. Kae arrived Wednesday afternoon and we haven’t stopped talking! It is truly incredibly how URL friendships translate so seamlessly to IRL. There’s zero need for small talk; we could immediately jump into discussing All the Things — including the unbloggable challenges (and blessings) in our lives. (I suspect we all, at least subconsciously, realize that when we read about people’s lives online, we’re only seeing a tiny sliver of their complete reality. There will always be challenges too personal to share in a public space.)
AND the good news just keeps on coming: SHU touches down in Nova Scotia in a few hours. Pinch me! I’ll do dedicated recaps of our whirlwind bloggy time together, but so far the visit has been AWESOME.
Happy things this week:
UM…KAE!!!
I could basically start and end the post on this picture. I can’t sum things up more succinctly than Kae did in her post, so why bother trying?
If you had told me 5 years ago that in October 2025 I would be boarding an airplane to fly to another country to hang out with 2 amazing friends that I met through blogging, I would have given you a serious side eye and been like, Um, yeah. Sure. Right.😅
Life is sure a crazy ride!! I guess that’s a big part of the fun of it all, isn’t it.
Mic drop!
Lots more pictures and details to come…
GOOD FOOD
I so often forget to take pictures, but we had some “scrummy” meals this week, as Mary Berry would say.
John made a rice noodle bowl with an egg, some smoked salmon, mushrooms, and a few slices of soy–sesame-marinated tuna steak. It didn’t photograph brilliantly, but it tasted SO good.
Another night I made savoury crepes. There were leftovers, so we actually stretched this out for supper two nights in a row.
We had a simple pureed butternut squash soup and biscuits for Kae’s first supper at Lighthouse HQ (I’m adopting this title, a la Birchie).
There was smoked salmon risotto and homemade energy balls.
BEDTIME SNUGGLES
As Nicole/Allison would say, There will be a time after this. Usually I think of that in relation to ongoing challenges. If I get through a current rough stretch, there will be a time after this. But the flip side is true, too.
One night Indy called me in for a second snuggle and tuck-in. Who am I to turn that down? The clock is literally ticking on how many more times he’ll want me to come tuck him in and snuggle beside him.
Also, we’re reading together each night and I am LOVING it. We read a couple of chapters before bedtime — he’s all in, I’m all in, and it’s great.
OUR CHURCH FAMILY
Our church really is like an extension of our family. I got to see this through fresh eyes as Kae tagged along for youth group drop-off and pick-up. Seeing the church bustling with people of all ages warms my heart through and through.
Getting to do life with people who are real and authentic about their faith is a blessing that can literally bring me to my knees. Watching my kids thrive in their friendships there is a true joy.
At one point, we sat on a sofa watching all the end-of-night chaos, and it made me so intensely grateful. I spotted a dear friend who’s part of our small group — he recently finished cancer treatment, and after months of needing to avoid public spaces, he’s now on his third week of being back helping out at youth group. He’s likely in his 70s, reminds me of Santa Claus in all the best ways, and loves Jesus with every ounce of his being. He’s also hilarious and a talented guitarist. Watching him hang out with Grade 12s, giving advice, listening, and but mostly just being present MAKES ME SO HAPPY! And it was extra special that Kae got to see all of this.
It was also an unusual night for our family because one kiddo has been having a tough time with something, and their small group leader (they split up by grade for part of the evening) stepped up in a big way.
Sometimes it’s hard to talk to a parent about certain topics, so seeing other adults with life experience, wisdom, and genuine care come alongside and mentor my kids…wow. It means more than I can say.
Tl;dr: Jesus is awesome, and being part of a church that puts that at the forefront — while being full of openly flawed but Jesus-loving people — is incredible.
WALKING CLUB
The full recap of Week #1 is coming on Monday, but here’s a sneak peak.
I have loved receiving emails and texts with photos/details of everyone’s walks. Keep them coming!
HAPPY THINGS AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
- I can’t get enough of Birchie’s travel recaps. Here’s her take on Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick and one last visit at our house (which she dubbed Lighthouse HQ).
- Rachel ran the Cardiff half-marathon (after a week battling stomach bugs in her household) and managed a PR!!!!
- There is a new addition to the dollhouse — a Peloton bike, to match Michelle’s newfound enthusiasm for her own real-life Peloton.
- I’m a big fan of Kyria’s monthly summaries. Of course, I had to smile that her answer to “What are you looking forward to this month [October]?” was the Cool Bloggers Walking Club!
- SHU is busy recording the audio version of her upcoming book. Exciting times!
- All’s well that ends well for Catrina and her family who have been traveling together. I enjoyed her pictures from Miniatur Wunderland (the largest model railway exhibition in the world)!
- Lindsay’s sharing details about Maysie the Bernedoodle, the newest addition to their household.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- At-home date night. I’ll write more about this soon (I sometimes get questions about how it started and what we do/eat), but for now, just know it deserves a spot on the Happy Things List.
- Ice packs. Ice packs. My knee has been through the wringer lately, and as I type this, I have an ice pack calming the discomfort.
- Crunchy leaves. The dry weather has been horrible for farmers and wildfires, but the crisp leaves are a sensory delight for my ears!
- Bridge jumping. I was sure — sure — we were finished for the season. But then a friend asked if I wanted to meet her and her boys to jump. Indy thought about it for two milliseconds and said yes. I expected they’d jump in once, come out hypothermic, and be ready to leave — but they jumped multiple times, even went swimming for a while, and had so much fun.
- Clean slate. I changed the sheets and cleared all the books off my bedside table. I have space for them in my drawers, and I was craving a bit of blank space. Much better.
- Crunchy grapes.
- Toothbrushes (and toothpaste). I love “resetting” my day with a quick brush.
That’s a wrap from my world this week. Happy weekending!
Now it’s your turn.
- What was the highlight of your week? The lowlight?
- Which sense do you lean into most when you’re outside in nature?
- Is your bedside table covered with All the Things or mostly empty?
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I love your list of happy things, and that I was included in them! I am awake at midnight, sitting here with an ice pack on my knee! I stepped on a rock yesterday, which gave me a jolt, but I thought I was ok. But now my knee is throbbing! Hopefully the ice will help. My knees are so prone to injury. I hope your knees feel better soon!
Bummer we’re both struggling with knee issues, but hooray for ice packs!
Yay for Kae and SHU touching down at Lighthouse HQ — your place is officially a blogger’s hub!
I love how you captured the mix of chaos and joy, especially the warmth and happiness with your “second” family at church.
My highlight this week has been runs, rides, and walks in the (mostly) glorious autumn sun.
On Wednesday, I had a lovely walk with my parents — which reminds me, I need to send you my photos of the week! Coming your way soon.
Catrina, I feel like a trip to NS is in the cards. You would love it here. Such beautiful scenery, lots of hiking options, AND it’s relatively frugal. Let’s start making plans 😉
I loved all your photos; thanks for sending them. And it’s wonderful to see seniors being active. #LifeGoals.
oh i love that pic of you and Kae! i am heading to her blog to read that post now.
have been busy this week as i’m on work week in sao paulo, heading back today to finish packing and fly out tomorrow.
can’t wait to read all the recaps in your blogs.
I don’t have a bedside table, so my things- phone, books, tablet, glasses- get left around the kitchen, usually.
The lowlight- well, the publishable one anyway!- was losing the German exchange students I’m hosting . They were not at the YMCA ( where I dropped them off for a workout) when I went to pick them up. After sone frantic searching and phone call, they checked in with the teacher. They had walked to the high school to watch the rest of band practice as they couldn’t get a call to ne to go through. So highlight was finding my lost sheep. ( The high school is right by the Y, and their host students were at the practice, so it was a good and safe choice to make. Why they didn’t think to borrow an American phone, I don’t know, however!)
Important life lesssons- checking that phone/text work before you set your charges loose, and don’t believe 14 yr olds when they say something works- test it!
Your week sounds wonderful! Enjoy your visitors!
Eeks! That sounds scary. I always panic when I can’t find my kids in a crowd. There is a feeling of helplessness like no other. Glad everything ended well.
Ada wants to be Maid Marion for Halloween – found the perfect gown on FB Marketplace (had to renovate it down a size or two, hoops and all) for $6,then picked up a sequinned hooded pink cape to complete the ensemble for $3 at VV. Win! She hasn’t seen it yet, but she’ll love it. Hoping to see everybody here at Pine Lake on Sunday – hope they all stay healthy until then. Happy Turkey Day, Elisabeth and fam. Back to NS for the winter on Tuesday morning…
Can’t wait to connect! Let’s plan in a coffee date.
We are certainly aligned with our love of thrifting in the Valley.
It doesn’t get any happier than a Friday with in person Cool Bloggers! Ask me how I know;-)
I know what the food tastes like in your house and I would have been all over that noodle bowl!
My advice for anyone going into the teen years is that this is not the time for uber organization or epic dinners. Just let life happen and enjoy the ride.
Most days we enjoy the ride! Occasionally we hit a speed bump. Thankfully, we’re all wearing seat belts 🙂
KAE!!! And… SHU!!! I absolutely cannot wait to hear all about these visits and see more photos. I could use some free therapy… I need to invite bloggers to visit!
Yay for bedtime snuggles and reading with Indy. Yes- “there will be a time after this” applies to the good times too. Good to keep in mind so we remember to appreciate the good things that are going on right now… AMIDST THE CHAOS. Yes- teenagers are hard because they’re unpredictable. You can’t just put them to bed, ha. I’ve been super tired this week due to some unexpected late-night activities, sigh. Oh well- it’s Friday and that means Happy Things. I’m off to check out the happy things around the blogosphere that I missed.
I KNOW!!! I have two of the COOLEST BLOGGERS IN MY HOUSE. Can you believe it? The internet and friendships and life are wild.
But Jenny, you would not believe how many times your name came up in conversation and we were all saying how much we wish you were here.
So many happy things for you this week!! Have a fun visit with the ladies!
Just saw this morning that the full Canada Post strike is ending. It’ll be rotating strikes but hopefully that means mail starts moving again, even if it’s slowly.
A highlight this week – the two big kids had dentist appointments and both did great and got a clean bill of oral health! The oldest has REALLY struggled with the dentist in the past and this appointment was a major breakthrough for her. Another huge highlight is that I got to hear baby’s heartbeat at a prenatal appointment. Always fantastic, especially the first time in a pregnancy. 🙂
Oh Maria, what an answer to prayer about the heartbeat. Sending so much love your way.
And the dentist can be a terrifying experience. One of our kids had a pretty horrific experience once and it was so awful as a parent to try to help them work through the very real anxiety (an abscessed tooth and freezing would not take — terrible!)
I love that you are having all these fun bloggy meetups! You are a very generous host. Happy weekend!
So far it has been utterly fantastic! And the weather has been perfection.
Oh such a full heart of happy things! This list makes me smile so big 🙂
Highlight of the week: ordering 15 yards of dirt and getting a major garden + flower farm expansion underway! 😀
Also the weather is *finally* feeling like Fall, complete with a nippy little NE wind, and I’m here for it.
That molten gold fall light has been particularly on point this week too, and it gives my soul happy shivers.
Congrats on the expansion!
Our weather changed dramatically in 12 hours and now it very much “feels” like fall!
The week was full of those horrid phone calls that take hours to navigate the robotic phone trees, trying to understand script readers with accents who cannot solve anything, wasting hours. So, the highlight of the week being able to cross three of those calls off my list. Kind of a lame highlight, but that’s the truth of the matter in a week of dropping off my new-to-me car to be worked on for an entire week, saying goodbye to a friend who is joining a monastery and cannot have non-family visitors for THREE YEARS, losing a neighbor to a sudden heart attack (or ?? He died without warning).
A second highlight was when I figured out how to NOT have to buy a new laptop. My MacBook can no longer be updated enough to keep up with Word’s updates. I’m editing a book, which is a huge file, and Word is lagging behind, with the spinning beach ball of doom after every move I make. After yet another of those horrid phone calls to solve the problem but instead to learn the sorry truth of the matter, I figured out that if I divide the book file into 2 parts, my Mac can do the job!
Oh Jana, those are some very hard things. I’m so sorry to hear about your neighbour. Life is so fragile and that can be sad and terrifying.
I’m very glad you don’t have to buy a new laptop, though. They cost a lot of money and take so many natural resources. Hooray for longevity.
I am really happy for you and Kae (and SHU)!! I read all of your blogs and agree that time chatting with friends is just priceless. I’ve been thinking a lot about the pitfalls and benefits of the internet. There are some legit downsides and some really good upsides!
My lowlight was definitely my middle kid getting sick. It’s our fall break so we’ve been home all week, mostly just resting and hanging out. I was feeling bad for my daughter, and then she told me “mom this is the best fall break EVER!!”. LOL. We’ve not really done… anything… but it makes my heart happy that she has positive feelings about the week.
Sick kids are so hard. Sending healing vibes!
I do like the smell of leaves in the Fall. My bedside table has my TV remotes, a ceramic coaster for my hot beverage at that I drink while watching TV at night, hand lotion, lip mask, a fancy photo of me and hubby, a little clock, and a candle I’ve never lit but matches the decor.
Love that you have a picture of you and your hubby on your bedside table. That’s adorable <3
So many happy things! And YAY for blog friend visits! Amazing, isn’t it?
When I was in France with my cousin in 2022, when something went wrong, we would shrug our shoulders and say ‘C’est la vie’, as one does. At one point, though, we were somewhere great and everything was perfect, and I said to her, “you know what? C’est la vie aussi” Which is likely not the way the idiom is used in France, but yes, THIS IS LIFE, the good and the bad both. I’m glad you are enjoying the time with your kids here and now.
I’m glad you have such a great church community, that is so important. I have a friend whose husband was a minister, and she had to leave his church because of the other parishioners. Can you imagine? He was fired later, and I wonder if her leaving had anything to do with it. Anyway, they are at a church now that is a MUCH better fit for them.
It has been so wonderful!!!
And yes, we moved churches about 5 years ago and is has changed my life in wonderful ways <3
Your church family sounds wonderful. Having a community like that is such a gift. I am also thankful for our church community. They’re an odd bunch, but they’re my odd bunch, LOL! There is so much faith, love and wisdom there.
My highlight, was E and K signing a contract on an apartment. They’ll settle on 18th December. I think she’ll move in then because it will save her an hour each way commuting to work and E will stay with us until they’re married. Lowlight is my tight glutes.
I feel the same way! These are MY people. They come with various quirks, of course, but we’re doing life together and I am so honoured.
That’s wonderful news! Exciting times as they start their life together <3
I’m so behind on commenting. Urgh. So many happy things. Still jumping off that bridge? I love the clinging to summer. I’m here for that. The blog visit sounds dreamy and so relaxing.
My lowlight of the week was when Rae lost her marbles and directed it at me. But – my highlight was when she apologized a few hours later, admitting that the word vomit she had was all nonsense. “Once I started I couldn’t stop.”
Me: Yeah, I noticed.
WE have come soo sooo far. We talked about the issue at family therapy this evenings. I think she thought she was going to fam therapy because she was in trouble. Nope, I had this appt set up weeks ago, because there was no school. It was mostly a discussion of what things are happening and how she’s made such great strides.
There is not a surface in my bedroom that is clear. Unfortunately.
My bedroom is very cluttered after a busy weekend…and I do NOT feel like tackling it 🙁