Hi friends.
This week was a wild ride. John left in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday to head to South Korea (his first time!), I woke up to say goodbye and then proceeded to have subpar sleep most of the week.
There was an unfortunate neighbourhood run-in that left me drained (as it always does) and by Sunday I felt like TOAST. I’ll write more about this in my Week 2 FIG roundup, but I decided to label my Sunday FIGs as “defiant.” All I wanted to do was wallow in self-pity, but I rallied and came up with a gigantic list of FIGs.
It helped! I have so much to be grateful for and noticing that makes a tangible difference in my life.
Tuesday I got to go skiing with friends in beautiful sunshine, and Wednesday ended up being a surprise snow day that was relatively relaxing as these things go. Yesterday John got home and we’re looking forward to a low-key weekend (he leaves for Norway on Monday; no rest for the weary traveller.)
Without further ado, here are some Happy Things from the past week.
SMALL GROUP
For all sorts of reasons we haven’t been able to attend our small group at church as faithfully lately, but two Sundays in row I’ve been able to go and it is such a delight. We’re a broad cross section of ages and backgrounds, but it’s such a safe, welcoming space and I am deeply grateful for every single member of this group!
SKIING
You know the drill: I don’t want to go, I dither, I begrudgingly gather the gear, and then I proceed to have a great time.
Indy and I went skiing on Saturday AND Sunday. Saturday in particular was wonderful with relatively warm temperatures and great conditions. We had so much fun.
And every time we were on the chairlift he would snuggle up beside me and put his head on my shoulder. #HeartMelted.
It was snowing big, fluffy flakes which definitely added to the magic.
We went through the new tunnel on one of the hills—very fun and whimsical!
We went again on Sunday night and it was bitterly cold and the hill was icy so it wasn’t quite as much fun BUT the view of the sunset was glorious. And it’s always an experience to be there when the lights go on!
On Tuesday, Indy and I took along his bestie and a friend of mine (who Indy ADORES). It was probably my favourite ski adventure so far this year. The snow was pretty much perfect, the sun was shining, and we kept saying how glad we were to have come.
In the end, my friend spontaneously came over for supper and then we all went to pickleball together! Though I’m an introvert at heart, afternoons like this really fill my cup.
CARBS + OLYMPICS
Parenting had some… tough moments over the weekend. There were unnecessarily snarky comments (like: “My butt is cold because SOMEONE didn’t turn on my heated seat.” Oh, excuse me, my delicate orchid of a child. I’m so sorry I went out to start the car ten minutes in advance so it was warm and did all sorts of other things but forgot to turn on your seat warmer which I remember to do 99/100 times and do not get thanked for). Anyhoo.
But when Indy and I went to the hill, Belle took it upon herself to make homemade cheese pizza. It was SO GOOD and she had the dishwasher going without being asked, and fresh chocolate frosted cupcakes.
We were cold and tired so consuming warm, yeasty, cheesy, saucy, carby goodness while watching the Olympics was extra delightful.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- Coffee + lunch at Mom and Dad’s.
- Supper at Mom and Dad’s!
- Snail mail. It’s such a delight to receive things in the mail. Most recently from Birchie while she was enjoying her trip to New Orleans, and Maria touching base from neighbouring New Brunswick. Full disclosure that I am unlikely to get any snail mail sent back to people for the foreseeable future since it’s nearly time to fly our Canadian coop.
- Olympics coverage is free in Canada via CBC Gem!
- Freshly mopped floors. It had been a month and was overdue. The irony is that every time I mop floors something happens to immediately undo my work: someone drops a jar of spaghetti sauce or comes home with shoes full of sand. In this case, it was a snow day so people were shedding layers with wet snow. Even still, they were clean for the briefest of moments.
- Receiving emails/reading blog posts full of FIGs. This is bringing me so much joy! In case you missed it, here is the Week 1 summary of FIGs!
- I was reading Moon Road (not a huge fan), and there were multiple references to fiddleheads in the book. What are the odds?
- A hot shower.
- Going to bed one night by 9:30 pm.
- Look what arrived for me at our local bookstore on Monday night (we picked it up before pickleball, hence the shorts—it isn’t really “shorts” weather in my part of the world right now)!!! Inhale Exhale by our very own Nicole MacPherson!!! Pinch me <3
- Snow day laughs. Indy and his bestie went to preschool together and spent a good long while pouring over a binder full of preschool pictures and milestones. It was very sweet.
That’s all the Happy Things I have for this week. I’ll be back on Wednesday with more FIGs.
Happy weekending, friends.
Your turn.
- What’s your favourite Winter Olympic sport to watch?
- Favourite pizza topping?
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OMG, what if you could just keep all of your stuff at the ski hill, and just drive there? Even the boots? Wouldn’t that be amazing? Our closest skiing is probably 4 or 5 hours, so it doesn’t really happen for us without a ton of effort. If we could go more often maybe we would, that seems amazing.
Poor John, is he ever not jet lagged? I think I would always be Jet lagged if I traveled that much.
You can actually rent a locker to keep things at the hill and it would be AMAZING, but I’m too cheap for that 😉
He does spend a lot of his life jet-lagged 🙁
So glad you found some great moments in a tough week!
My happy moment – seeing a friend yesterday and having her dogs think I’m the best thing since sliced bread. No one could stay glum with those waggly,, wiggly pups around. Worth the watery eyes and running nose after I left.
I hope your final prep for your European advegoes smoothly!
I love how often pets show up playing the role as Mental Health Boosters. Their enthusiasm for life is clearly contagious <3
Yes, your week really was a ride! Sleep-deprived, solo-parenting and weird neighbour energy….and yet you still pulled out a giant list of FIGs. Well done, Elisabeth!
So nice that you get to enjoy skiing so much, your photos are pure winter magic. Indy leaning his head on your shoulder on the chairlift will be a moment you will remember forever. And Belle quietly making pizza, running the dishwasher, warm cupcakes ready, she’s my hero. Pizza and Olympics plus warm kitchen are the best therapy.
We watch the short summaries every day of the various Swiss teams. They’re doing so well at the moment, especially the downhill skiers!
The pizza was SO good. I had three slices! Fresh-from-the-oven is hard to beat.
Switzerland is having a MOMENT at the Olympics.
Oof, I wish your neighbourhood situation would resolve itself! It sounds such a stress.
This week felt a bit scatty – I got less done than I hoped to but everyone is well and we’re headed to Amsterdam (via the ferry, thoughts & prayers b/c I’m incredibly seasick). But we’re going with A’s cousins, so we’ll have 3 8-year-olds, 1 13 year old, and 4 grown ups, so it should be really fun. And then when we get home, I feel like we can start getting rid of excess furniture, etc in earnest. We’ve managed to sell our dining table (new space is too narrow so we found a long rectangular table at the thrift store) and T’s playtable – someone coming to collect them tomorrow. The £ is going into a “fun £” fund.
That sounds so fun (aside from the potential seasickness).
I’m so glad things are coming together for the move. It must feel good to sell things that no longer will work/are needed and I love your idea to put that into a fun spending fund!!
I haven’t seen any of the Olympics lol. I really don’t care about sports but I’m glad others are enjoying it! I have also never been skiing but that’s more because I’ve never had the opportunity/am very clumsy and I’m not sure how well it would go! Haha!
My happy things:
1. Florence! I climbed the Duomo, visited some amazing museums and took the train to Pisa where I climbed the Leaning Tower. It was all so incredible.
2. People were so helpful when my phone died and I needed directions.
3. My hotel was fantastic. It was also fancy and I went there because it was having a winter sale. Well worth it!
4. I had so much fun just walking around and exploring. I ate gelato, enjoyed wine from wine windows and went on a merry-go-round! The weather was a good surprise; it was supposed to rain the whole time but it was mostly dry (apart from the one time I left my umbrella behind and got drenched). It felt like spring compared to Denmark!
5. I’m happy to be home and to have a few days to do nothing and rest before getting back into the swing of things 🙂
We didn’t climb the Duomo in Florence and that’s on my list to do when we go back at some point <3
Hooray for a nice hotel that's also a good deal!
The wine windows were SO COOL!!!! I don't like wine, but loved finding them and it was so cool.
The only day it rained when we were in Italy was the day we were in Florence, but it was just mild spitting, so it didn't really interfere with our day.
Happy weekending!
The Duomo is a LOT of steps but absolutely worth it. It’s got kind of a low rail at the top, just to warn you if you’re nervous of heights! I hope you get to climb it! I should also give you a head-up to book your ticket ahead of time – that might sound obvious, but I’m so glad I did because it was closed for refurbishment the whole time I was there apart from the day I arrived. Happy weekending to you too!
Great advice.
Yes, all those high viewpoints are a lot of steps!!! But there’s nothing like it. We have a few treks like that planned in Europe (and did multiple similar things in Paris last year which the kids actually were great troopers about).
That’s a lot of happy things! And I’m looking forward to reading about your “defiant figs”, ha. Sorry about the hard things going on- it really helps to have a gratitude practice!
I’m full of admiration for your skiing adventures. I would be too cold and also too chicken to ski down a hill- I would be sure I’d break a bone. But it sounds like a real highlight of your week (and all your bones are intact!) AND, homemade pizza by Belle!!!! The snarky comment sounds just like what I get all the time, and I’m not getting pizza. Hmm.
i ordered Nicole’s book and am waiting impatiently for it to arrive!!!
One of the days WAS very cold, but the other two days were perfection.
I feel like I’ve come a long way – a few years ago, I literally used to repeat to myself “Just don’t die” the whole way down the hill. Seriously. I’d say that over and over again 😉
The pizza DOES help balance out the snark.
*blushes* THANK YOU!!!
I loved Moon Road but it is SO sad. It’s probably one of the saddest books I have ever read!
I have a whole Five-For-Friday post about things I’m grateful for today (LIE FLAT SEATS ON THE PLANE). I was in Costco this week and they had those premade pizza shells, and Elisabeth, I DIDN’T BUY ANY. You can bet I have regrets after reading this! But today is Galentine’s and tomorrow is Valentine’s, and I have a special chocolate-raspberry dessert in mind to make. I mean, it’s a riff on a recipe which means I’m making it up mostly, so we shall see if it turns out. But how can it possibly be bad?
SUCH A SAD BOOK, right???
That dessert sounds amazing. Happy Galentine’s/Valentine’s!!!! I have full confidence it will be amazing.
That was a wild ride of a week! Whew. Glad you had some great moments in the mix 🙂 You make me want to try skiing/snowboarding … but I am such a klutz, I’m a little afraid I’d end up in 3 pieces, LOL!
Favorite Olympic sport: skating, of all kinds. Also snowboarding/x-games type events. Skiing. I really will watch just about all of it, except hockey, lol
Favorite pizza toppings: extra cheese, onions, ham/good bacon … my favorite pizza EVER is at this little local joint in the mountains (my mom used to eat there when she worked at the Lake during the summer), and it’s a white pizza with white sauce + garlic + chicken + the most amazing cheese blend. SO GOOD.
Haha. Thankfully, so far, I’ve come back in one piece from skiing.
I love all of it, even hockey. Though, to be fair, I prefer watching summaries at night when they mostly just highlight the exciting parts 🙂
I haven’t had a white sauce pizza in FOREVER. I really should make one!
I’m a weirdo who loves pineapple pizza, but also, nothing beats pepperoni and banana peppers. I’m not an Olympics watcher.
I don’t think I have ever had a banana pepper in my life! I am not a spice fan, unfortunately 🙁
Just a novel recommendation – How to Behave in a Crowd, set in France with 11 year old male protag, and it’s making me laugh out loud🙂
Thanks! I just put a hold on this book!!!
The night skiing looks so dreamy! The Korea thing made me laugh, because a few years ago we took my parents to wine country for their birthdays with my sister and her husband, and Matt had to meet us there (after a death-defying Uber ride, apparently) because he had just flown in from giving an invited talk in Korea. This year I’m going to drive my parents down to my sister’s for Easter and Matt will have to meet us there after flying in from guess where AGAIN. He’s about to leave on a crazy two-week trip to like seven places.
“Someone didn’t turn on my seat warmer” SERIOUSLY? Oh, child….
My thoughts exactly about the seat-warmer.
And you get it, Allison! I love that someone can fully understand the mind and time warp of a travelling husband. Mine has also had some sketchy Uber rides 😐
Oof, Asian then Europe in back-to-back weeks! That’s tiring! I’m glad he rarely flies to Asia for work in his role. That would really take its toll on a person!
I have watched very little Olympics coverage sadly. Last weekend was a busier weekend and then I was traveling this week so didn’t watch any tv in the evenings. But I hope to watch a good amount this weekend. Ice skating is my favorite thing to watch but I will watch pretty much anything! I do get bored watching Curling, though. I watched some on the plane ride home yesterday and am just not enthused about the sport. And it’s a sport with a lot of Minnesotans so I should care more but I just don’t!
My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms! Phil does not like mushrooms so I never eat dishes with mushrooms when I am home. So when I am ordering something I know he won’t eat, like a GF pizza, I make sure to get mushrooms! I also love spicy pepperoni!
Curling can get boring. I like watching the highlight reel from games instead of sitting through the whole thing.
John LOVES mushrooms. I’m fine with them, but never go out of my way to eat them and you can likely imagine how my kids feel about mushrooms 🙂
I am always amazed just how many happy things you find in a week (I sometimes feel like so many of my days are “the same” – workout, work, cook, go to sleep – and there’s not always something that stands out to me but with FIGs happening this month, I am really trying to look hard).
Have you had tuna on pizza? If not, you must try it. It’s a staple in Italy, but most people here refuse it and can’t even imagine that tuna would be good on pizza, but it is SO GOOD.
I have not, but I love tuna so this sounds amazing! We’re going to pass through Italy at one point on this trip, so I will keep my eyes open for tuna on pizza specifically and report back 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion.
This line –> I don’t want to go, I dither, I begrudgingly gather the gear, and then I proceed to have a great time.
This happens to me a lot, about a lot of things! In my mind, I am lazy, but if I push myself, I nearly always have fun. What is that? I wish I was one of those, yes that sounds great lets do it people, but I always have to dither a bit, I guess. Luckily my dithering soul vaguely remembers that I had a great time the last time, or knows that someone else will have a great time, so I do it. Otherwise I would never leave the house!
I am a fan of most pizza toppings, although I could usually do without green peppers. I mean, why ruin a perfectly good pepperoni by putting peppers next to it? I also like mushrooms a lot! There is a place near my house in Berkeley that only does one kind a day, always vegetarian, and it is always delicious. The last time I went there it was five kinds of mushroom and the line was so long, but it was so, so worth waiting for!
I am such a ditherer. I think some of that comes back to being a questioner and wanting to research everything. I don’t tend to be spontaneous. Also, I count the cost: the hassle, the bother, the time, etc. I am a low-energy person by nature, so I think I always have to get myself over that hump. In reality, most days I like to just stay home in PJs and read a book, so I have to force myself to go do things.
I grew up with my mom always putting green peppers on pizza and agree it is THE WORST. Ugh. Five kinds of mushrooms. I wonder if they make it GF? Lisa would be in heaven.
The pizza looks amazing. I’m sure having a teen can be rough, but moments like that must be so amazing! I love cheese pizza so much. I feel like other toppings just get in the way!
As I regularly say: They have their moments. (Both the teen AND the tween.) But the pizza was SO good. Especially since I had just been skiing for a few hours in the cold!
Many happy things: a walk with the new pastor’s wife (she is wonderfully normal), didn’t have to pay to have the car towed because I pay extra to my AAA membership due to driving old cars, the new mechanic replaced the starter pronto, I got a ride down the hill with a good friend to retrieve the car, picked up a favorite take-and-bake pizza while down the hill, the poppies are out on the hillsides, read a 5-star book (Owen’s Daughter by Jo-Ann Mapson), two books arrived at the library, and TODAY I FINISHED THE LIBRARY MURAL!!
Wonderfully normal. Haha. That is high praise.
I’m so glad that you’ve already made that connection and I hope this new pastor is a wonderful leader for your church.
So many Happy Things, Jana. Congrats on finishing the mural! I have sincerely enjoyed following along with your process.
Sorry your week had significant rough patches! Here’s to a better week this week!
I’m glad the postcard got to you! For the record, I always send mail for the joy of sending it for me and for receiving it for the recipient and never with an expectation of a reciprocal piece of mail! 🙂 Of course I love getting mail too but please never feel obliged to have to reply or guilty if you don’t! 🙂
I love sending snail mail but it has definitely fallen off my radar in the lead-up to this trip! I will have to try to send some messages from abroad as I’m able <3
Mushrooms! And cheese! Also I love seafood on my pizza. And I will confess to even liking pineapple on my pizza. Although maybe not at the same time as seafood…
Your skihill sounds like a lot of fun! Maybe I should make more of a push to go ice skating – we do have an ice skating rink not too far away from us. And then maybe one day I will learn to figure skate… I’ve been watching and recording all the figure skating. Did you catch the drama with the men’s final???
I don’t think I’ve ever had seafood on a pizza, but it sounds delicious!!!
I haven’t been skating a single time this year. I have to admit I don’t really enjoy it that much. I’d rather go sledding or skiing. (Skates always hurt my feet after a while and my feet get cold!)
I did watch the men’s final and it was DRAMATIC! So unexpected. And a bit of a shame since he really didn’t need to do any of the jumps he attempted. I was so excited for the Canadian who came close with 5th.
They do make GF, and they do an excellent job! I can 100% relate to you regarding the dithering and cost counting (including time, bother, wear and tear, emotional strain etc. WOOF)!
You feel my “pain”!!!!