Quick 5

Happy Friday, one and all!

1.  Joya's birthday party was fun for all.  And tiring for mom.  But mostly fun.  It's always fun to have the cousins in the same room, and it's always fun to eat Papa Murphy's pizza.  I'm sure Joya would have been content to open her presents over an hour so she could look at everything, but we pushed it along for the sake of time and everyone else.  She's been really enjoying her presents, which is fun for me to watch, because until now she hasn't cared much about anything.  Anyway, it was fun to have the family over to celebrate our little Joya Bear.

2.  This fall weather is making me happy.  On Tuesday, following the fastest emissions test in the world, the girls and I stopped at a park.  I definitely don't do that as much as I should, and the weather was perfect that day.  Upper sixties and sunny, with a gorgeous backdrop of blue sky and yellow and red trees.  Joya spent a full half hour going down the slide, saying "Ta!" (her version of Ta Da!) and climbing back up to do it again.  Around and around and around.  Alaina was all over the playground, but give Joya a slide and she's happy for a good while.  It was a spontaneous trip, so I didn't have my camera.  Which is too bad, because it was such a pretty day.

3.  Last week a bunch of ladies at our church put together baskets of goodies for Pastor Appreciation week.  Apparently they had so much stuff, that I, as a lowly, yet still qualified member of the staff, received two myself.  It has been a joy to have baskets of various baked goods in the house.  Cookies and zucchini bread and chocolate covered pretzels and homemade macaroons...we've had to consciously remember to eat the rest of Joya's birthday cupcakes.

4.  Apparently I'm something of a political junkie.  I've always been slightly in political things, but it's been magnified in the last couple of weeks.  Maybe because the presidential race has taken such an interesting turn.  It honestly felt hopeless and boring for most of this year, but now it's not so cut and dried.  I wish the nation wasn't so split on the decision; that seems almost counter-productive.  But it is so exciting to think we might actually get a change in leadership.  So now you know what I'm browsing on the internets these days.

5.  Our backyard is actually kind of pretty these days.  If you ignore all the yucky apples on the ground.  We have one bush that suddenly erupted into a rainbow bush.  These are the fun little surprises you find during the first year in a new home.