10 Happy Happenstances

A few wonderful and unexpected happenings lately. I told Jer yesterday that it’s been so nice recently with lots of good experiences and good fortune, I’m just like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why so suspicious of good things coming your way? I expect life to be hard all the time because that’s how it’s always been; happy but a struggle. Life is not meant to always go my way or always be terrible because there are ups and downs. Jer told me to just enjoy right now. He always has such good advice for me. So this is me sharing some present joys, starting with this moment…

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#1 Friday Night Lights

We’ve taken our kids to the games here since they were babies! It’s been years since we’ve been able to go to a football game (cough… pandemic), and we missed all the excitement and fun! This is Jer’s 10th year teaching at Salem Hills, and we showed up in support of the students at Homecoming.

The field has changed so much since Covid. The grass is now turf, the scoreboard got a big digital upgrade, the school name sign that lights up is new and visible from the stands, and they have a big blowup Mascot which acts as a tunnel that the players can run through. Halftime was so good as everyone united for a dance / cheer / drill number. Ballroom stole the show with their rendition of Gungnam Style sprinkled with the iconic dance moves.

#2 Fence

It was going to cost thousands to put up a fence, even on one side, so we’ve been saving up and holding off. Our neighbor friends who owned a landscaping company planned to put up a fence with us over a year ago, but things came up. They sold their company, temporarily moved out of state, and went into a completely different business. Recently they moved back, and the fence was back on suddenly! Thankfully we had some money ready for it when we needed it! We split the cost of materials and planned to help with the labor. They surprised us with a beautiful strong fence when we came home from our Labor Day camping trip. It’s completely perfect, our neighbors did such a great job (they are professionals)! They saved us so much money on this and have been so generous with sharing their knowledge and connections. I appreciate them so much, and can’t stop staring at the beautiful fence like a weirdo, haha!

#3 Lane Change

At the beginning of the month, Jer came home and asked me to help him send his transcript to the school district because he applied for a raise for completing the next level of educational credits. We got it!! Every bit helps, and I’m so proud of him taking the initiative to apply for that without me; that was so surprising since he’s normally procrastinating anything to do with paperwork and H/R stuff, but he coordinated with the office many times and made it happen. Congrats, Jer!

#4 Garage Shelf

This was an impromptu weekend project after I casually mentioned I found something at Costco. We went out the next day to buy it, assembled the metal shelf for camping items, and now Jer and I can’t stop admiring how good the garage looks! It’s easy to find what we need, care for our things, and have adventures now because we can just grab and go. No more oddly shaped things in piles all over!

#5 I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Jer worked so hard over the summer and with coaching, and thought he’d be able to get something he’s been looking forward to. He researched what kind of bike he’d like to get, an investment in his health and also one that would fit our lifestyle. He found this special bike called a Brompton and for months I’ve seen him dreaming about it. While my brother was visiting, he found a bike shop that had one he could test ride while we met up in SLC. He watched videos of riders showing how to fold it up and use it on bike-packing trips. He planned which parts he wanted to eventually upgrade and in what order. He can answer any question I have about it and more, haha. The only thing is… it was way $$$$ and we had lots of other financial responsibilities to take care of, so his goal of getting a Brompton seemed discouraging. Although we had almost all the money saved up, he didn’t want to pay for it in full in case we needed a large sum for some reason (like the fence haha). Turned out super because we ended up having to replace 2 tires on the van 🤑. Anyways, we were able to finance his new bike with favorable terms, and we have a fund to pay for it. Jer felt it was important that the bike didn’t take away from our family needs. His bike should be arriving in time for my parents’ visit, and my Dad has a Brompton so they can ride together 🙂 (Update: Check out Jer with his Brompton here!)

#6 If the Shoe Fits

I’ve also had my eye on something for at least a year or two: an all-season leather Swedish clog in a dark wood finish that could be worn with socks even in fall or winter. I could never justify spending the money for even used ones, so I waited. Last week I found a pair of like-new condition, in my size, in my color on a local marketplace for only $20—they were like 85% off! It honestly felt like they were meant for exactly me. That might seem like a small thing to someone else (oh you bought yourself a pair of shoes big deal), but this felt like a very personal “keep your chin up” from God with how favorable the circumstances were. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt His love for me being able to find those shoes. I feel His love for me a lot when I shop because I get caught up in all the choices and do not like spending money and never feel like I have enough time to make proper decisions and it makes me hate shopping. Anything that does work out is God helping me and telling me to move on!

#7 Brownies

This beautiful girl made all of our Sunday with a fresh batch of gooey chocolate.

#8 Sunflowers

Here’s a little orchard/flower farm in our neighborhood that I run by to get to the canyon, I absolutely adore the different varieties! So much nicer running when there’s lots of interesting and beautiful things to experience! Still trying to run a 5K distance 2-3x per week.

#9 Fantastic Feast & Festival

I’ve heard of this Harry Potter event at the Lindon Castle for many years, and said I’d like to do it with my Potterhead daughter L someday. Didn’t think that someday would be sooner rather than later! Talked it over with Jer because the tickets were selling out quickly and it was quite expensive and I wasn’t sure if it was something we should do, and he was so supportive. So… I splurged and am taking Lily to this next month!!! I love having something to look forward to! Already planning our costumes and how to surprise her, she is going to FLIP!! (Update: see our post with photos here!)

#10 Soccer Victory

The boys tried their best and hardest today at their last game and won! What a great way to end their first soccer season playing together! This was their “victory shot”.

I really enjoyed that this was basically an “I’m Grateful For” list. Having a thankful heart helps bring more of these Happy Happenstances into my life. The ordinary moments that fill my cup and help me feel love.

Until next time, Kat