Invariably, the words I write at the top of my PowerSheets each month are some variation on “This time is yours to enjoy.” This, apparently, is the reminder I need month after month – not a reminder to work harder or do more, but a gentle (yet insistent) remix of my grandmother’s “I just tried to enjoy them.” In the swirl of work, and distractions, and travel, and daily responsibilities, and evenings, and mornings, and after-school afternoons, it is the call that most resonates with me: to look around. To notice. To delight. To enjoy the imperfect abundance all around me, and to reflect gratitude to the one from whom all blessings flow. I am extending that offering to you this month, too. Happy October, friends! On my calendar:— The 11th anniversary of Articles Club! We’re celebrating at my house and discussing Dolly Parton and legacy with fancy Southern foods and I can’t wait. — Our annual fall mountains trip — this year to Brevard!— A campout in our backyard for our church community group! We went back and forth on dates and waited too long to book at our local campsite, so our backyard it is, ha. What we lack in lakeside location we make up in cleaner bathrooms, I suppose? What I’m loving right now:— Have y’all heard of Any Human Ever? Click the button to draw a random life from the over 100,000,000,000 people who have ever lived and learn what year they were born, where they lived, and a brief sketch of their life. Really, really interesting.— And underrated seasonal activity: mini wooden puzzles! My in-laws have given us one or two for the last few years and they are so fun. All of the pieces are irregularly shaped and some are “whimsy pieces,” shaped to

I wrote recently about my love for the non-optimized vacation, and though I didn’t call it out by name, my ultimate example is, of course, Maine: place-based love of my life for as long as I can remember. Though I listed many reasons to love the unfancy, repeated vacation, there was at least one I left out: the circular pleasure of watching your children enjoy the same things you loved as a child — especially the things that were particularly formative for you. I had that experience this summer. (I have that experience every summer.) Though she got in lots of cousin and together time, June also snuck away, sometimes for hours at a time, to be alone. Usually her aloneness took the form of building fairy houses on the path leading down to the ocean: moss beds, bark roofs, and little acorn caps filled with blueberries. Mine more often took the form of writing poetry and lists about the upcoming school year on a particular rock on a particular path. Those quiet hours were part of turning me into the person I’d become, and I believe they’re doing the same for June. I’m grateful, and I have to think that someday, she will be, too. For as much as things stay the same on a non-optimized vacation, there are always surprises in store. I’d love to share a few of the highlights and photos from this August in Maine, if you’d like to see! Highlight No. 1: We got to travel up with our niece and nephew. Cousin Camp directly preceded our time in Maine, so the seven of us flew together from Raleigh to Boston and then made the drive up to the Midcoast from there. Though this might have been total chaos with a younger crew, it

Last month marked one year since we went under contract on our home. It also marked one year since we walked inside that future home for the first time — which, as you may recall, was after we went under contract. That day was an extraordinarily muggy one, with an oppressive gray sky. The seller peered at us grumpily from the neighbor’s porch as we pulled up; the selling agent hovered anxiously as we moved from room to room. I mostly felt flustered as I tried to keep three excited children from touching a stranger’s things, and then — yes, there it is — relieved as we got back in our car and drove away. Nothing was wrong with the house, really, but I just wanted to get back to our house. Now here we are, a year later, and every time I pull up to this house I let out a happy sigh. It is our house in every way. It took a few months for me to get here — see here, here, here — and on this first anniversary it is good to look back and remember how wrong it felt then, and how right it feels now. I am SO incredibly grateful we took the leap and made the move — our life is better in almost every way for it. Praise God! And one more fun little update: nothing says “we’re here for the long haul” like buying a piano :) We found this little used Kawai on Facebook Marketplace a few weeks ago and took her home. Now we can officially call this nook the piano room! Things have already changed since our first home tour, huh? On my calendar:— A quick anniversary weekend at the coast! We started doing these mini yearly getaways

When I list everything that took place in July, it’s almost hard to believe it all happened in the same 31-day period. But, for posterity and sheer incredulity, here goes: We road tripped to Michigan for a week. Annie celebrated her fifth birthday with a family dinner and a friend playground party. We hosted family. We prepped June for two weeks of sleepaway camp and dropped her off and picked her up (which takes an overnight stay on each end). We hosted a kindergarten ice cream social for our neighborhood. We celebrated John’s birthday. We finished the swim team season with two final meets and a banquet. We pulled off an Amazing Race-style birthday party for Shep. We hosted our niece and nephew for a week of Cousin Camp. And that is just the major *events* — not to mention the out-of-the-ordinary projects I also worked on this month, like prepping my message for the Island Sunday service and packing for Maine. On this side of the calendar, I don’t really have any big takeaways. Do I wish all of those things had been crammed into one month? Not really. Was I tired and overwhelmed at points? Yes. But they are all things we chose, and I never felt alone in the action: we were accompanied along the way by friends, family, and neighbors. So mostly, I’m feeling grateful — but also ready for a bit of a quieter August :) On my calendar:— A week in Maine! My happiest place.— All the back-to-school things, including a special family dinner, a TTT, and shopping + conversation dates.— The first day of school! The last year of elementary for June and the first year for Annie, with Shep squeezed in the middle and starting second grade. What I’m loving right now:&#