Joy. (okay ... miscellany joy)

"Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life. and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy."

- Ann Voskamp, "One Thousand Gifts"

I cannot tell you how much I love this book. I am reading it the second time with my pen in hand, underlining and marking. I would quote all of it for you but that would be time consuming and probably a breach of some copy write laws so instead, I highly encourage you to buy a copy, or get one from the library, or ask me for mine. =) 

Christopher and I made our monthly MN road/visiting trip last weekend.  We spent a night in Rochester and a night in Hastings and saw many (notice (ahem, Ann) that I did not say "all") people that we love.  We arrived in Rochester just in time to be part of a surprise birthday scavenger hunt. Chinwe's reaction to finding us at Caribou is possibly the highlight of the trip month. And, Chinwe, if I was a crier, I would have cried too. It soon became apparent that it was loads of fun participating in said scavenger hunt, and it was a neat way to see a bunch of friends. And I love that it was personalized and so thoughtful. Seeing my friends happy and loving each other makes my heart happy. 

We ate out more times than we have all year (it seems). For a couple on a pretty stingy restaurant budget, that made for a nice weekend. My parents took us and my bothers and John's girlfriend to a fancy tepanyaki place (the cook-your-food-in-front-of-you-place) which was sooooo good and really fun. 

I'm sorry mom, that I didn't take any pictures of people ... 

A few of the guys at work have been scraping off our cars before we leave -- and one of them brought me a Shamrock shake the other day too. I'm pretty sure that qualifies them for coworkers of the year or something. In fact, I have been encouraged about several things that are happening at work. I know that I have people have been faithfully praying for me regarding that and that answer to prayer has not gone unnoticed. 

I went out to coffee with a friend and her two year old girl this week. And, earlier this week, I met Christopher at school for dinner and we were joined by a few of his classmates and a professor. Let's just say that there was a point in that conversation where I decided not to even try to look like I knew what they were talking about. Afterwards, Christopher noted that the man who I probably viewed as a ... umm ... interesting, somewhat-funny, Santa look-alike professor is a fairly well-known author and theologian. (He also has a wikipedia page.)

I put fresh sheets on our bed. And this is what Loki promptly did. 

I could babble on and on about this little guy, but maybe I'll save that for another post!

I got honey dip doughnuts for my honey AND from my honey. 

The sun is shining, the snow is melting into pools trapped under ice (I am fascinated by this). The weather is perfect for a simple hat for me and Loki's doggie jacket and a walk into the park next to our complex. My sister in law bought something from my etsy shop, encouraging me to finally pack up and send some things to them. Ocean upon ocean miles away, two kids are growing up and the glimpses I get from the internet makes me happy and, kinda, proud. 

Last week, during a discussion with Christopher about how we enjoy doing P90x 3 - 4 times a week and the balance about not doing it every day, we decided to try to do it every day for a week every month. Yeah ... I'm not sure how we got there either. But this is day 2 and I am already reaching for the advil ... oi. Tonight we went to a planetarium show and craned our necks to learn things about the sky above. And we spent the  two hour round trip ride talking about intimacy. And then we drank hot chocolate and watched tv in our jammies. Whatever I do, whether it be sweating it up, relaxing or learning something about the universe, it is better with him. =) 

So, there you have it - miscellany joy-gifts # 1356 - 1382.

I hope you have a wonderful, blessed weekend.