Weekend Coffee Share....Come Sit with me

It's another week of Weekend Coffee Share. I always love everyone's posts. Are you like me and try to visit everyone? It doesn't always happen but I try. I have loved getting to know different bloggers and I figure if they take the time to write a post, I'll find the time to visit, even if it's a week later. I truly enjoy what you all share and I often learn so much. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare.

If we were having coffee we'd probably talk about:

I remembered I wasn't working at the pumpkin patch this weekend so I think I can pull off this weeks post. 

The weather: Man, the weather has been great...chilly in the mornings and evening, but warming up a bit during the day and little rain. Many people have been able to see the northern lights, but I keep missing them this time around. Every time I go out, the sky is too cloudy. The warm, sunny days have brought out the box elder beetles and the stink bugs. They are so annoying. 

What we're thinking about: The 10th was our 32nd anniversary so I've thought a lot about where we are today as opposed to where we started and thought we'd be. I wrote this in a FB post, along with sharing a few photos...

Marriages change over the years, people change, but I think each phase of marriage has potential to settle in and find it's rhythm, even when it looks different than we expect, even when things don't go quite as we thought, as we age, as our thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes, interests, etc, change and shift (and sometimes differently than the other person..which is okay)...allowing each person to be who they are and to grow in who they are. It's an adventure.

The challenge can be weathering the changes and circumstances and I think we've done that. Not perfectly, but hopefully we'll have many more years to work on it.

We got engaged in Stanley park in Vancouver, BC. 

Of course, our wedding day!

Last April on our trip to the Olympic National Park.

What we're thankful for: I am thankful for someone who has weathered life beside me. Like I said, it hasn't been perfect, and it isn't perfect now, but thankful neither of us is willing to ever give up and quit. 

Around the house: The retaining wall we built is done. I'm looking forward to planting in it...however, I was a bit disappointed with how the coloring of it went...because it was vertical it's harder to do...I'm thinking of ways to balance it out...maybe I'll put some pots in front of parts of it to cover it a bit. There's no way we're redoing it, that's too expensive. I'll share a photo next WCS.

I've started decorating for fall. I'm hoping to get done this weekend. I'm not doing a whole lot, but I did grab a bunch of pumpkins from the pumpkin patch on Wednesday. I've worked on the outside decorating andn am almost done..just have to do a bit more. 

For the love of food: This week has been a bit of a mixed bag...I didn't really do much this week...in fact it must've been so uneventful I don't even remember. I did a pork chop recipe in the crock pot that was decent. I haven't done pork chops in awhile. Oh, I did make some homemade sourdough pasta that turned out really good! We also did some taco salad and picked up a meal from Costco..it was their Polenta with roasted veggies. I haven't seen it before so must be a new one. 

What we're reading or wanting to read: Nothing new to add! 

What we're watching or listening to: I finished the audiobook The Great Alone and WOW, what a great listen. I'd like to listen to a few others of hers. I did start Bono's book Surrender. I had purchased the physical copy, but it's so long, I think I'll do better listening to it. I listened to a really good Ed Mylett podcast episode called 10 things to stop doing to maximize your life. They were really good. I'm finding I'm liking to listen to podcasts more if they are less than 45 minutes long. Of course I listened to the newest episode of These are Good Days which I love. Did I watch anything? I don't think I did. Ha! 

Favorite quote: At the beginning Bono's book he says:

 "I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me". 

Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed with what is happening in the world, wondering how we can do anything that can make a difference...we can start right where we are. We may not have a large platform or stage to make significant changes, but if we start within ourselves, within our homes, our workplaces, our communities...it spreads! 

Favorite photo(s):

They were thrilled to see all the Star Wars characters at the new library! 

Making mud pies and using some flowers that I was about to throw away because they were dying. They were so excited. 

Random or not so random things: 

Saturday was the grand opening of our towns new library...we went and there was such a great turn out. It's beautiful. I took no pictures inside because there were SO many people. I can't wait to go back and bring the grandkids..they were with us and had fun. 

My son in law and youngest daughter along with a group from their church are on a Brazil mission trip so our oldest daughter and the kids have stayed the night a few nights, which has been fun. 

OH! One thing I wanted to share and I'll end with this since I'm tired and feeling a bit under the weather. Several months ago a girl came in and was mailing a book that her grandmother had compiled about their family. The things was HUGE and so beautifully done. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, so on a whim (not sure that's the correct word), I reached out on FB asking if anyone knew this book and how I could get my hands on a copy. WELL, one of the granddaughters happened to hop on FB and saw my post (she said she's rarely on there)...she went out of her way to get me a copy to KEEP!!! You guys, I don't even know this family, but I just felt like I wanted to read the history. My family will think I'm crazy, (I can hear it..."you don't even know these people"...nope, but I will soon enough through these pages) but I'm so excited. It makes me wish there were more stories or information out there about my own family..maybe there are and I just don't know about them. I may start pestering family members...haha. I'll share a few photos with you. The detail is extraordinary! 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin