on my mind

enjoying - being back home with Nate after being apart for a few days, and the almost summer-like weather we're having here in Los Angeles, and the longer days! The sun didn't set until 6 o'clock last night, and Nate and I enjoyed a long walk through our neighborhood wearing sandals and no sweater. It was like heaven on earth.

reading - (or rather, just finished reading) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. What an amazing story that book tells! I started reading it last summer, but it was so heartbreaking that I had to put it aside for awhile, then in the beginning of this month I picked it up again and became so involved with the characters (real-life characters) that I couldn't put it down! I read every footnote, and even the acknowledgments in the end. Unbroken left me feeling so proud to be an American, and so grateful for the freedom that I have -- all because of those men. The next book on my list is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I'm already partially into that one and it's very interesting, as Russian literature always is! Any recommendations for what I should read next?

thinking - about the future. We're constantly on the lookout for a new apartment, one a little less expensive, but we're so comfortable here that it's difficult to get things moving. Our neighborhood is beautiful and safe, it takes a minute to walk to the park to read, it takes eight minutes to drive to our favorite beach and tide pools. We're near our friends, and I'm finally feeling familiar with all of the people in our church ward. Then there's the knowledge that we've been trying to conceive for a year now, with no idea when it will happen or if it will happen. Right now, a single bedroom is suiting us just fine, but if a little one comes along things are going to get very cramped very fast. *sigh* It's so hard to plan for the unknown. I suppose I should try to enjoy the mystery, right?

grateful - for little things like porch plants that rely on me to care for them and keep them alive. I love watching them thrive. It gives me joy and makes me feel important, and necessary, knowing that God has given me stewardship over something, even so small as potted flowers.

I hope all of you are finding joy in your lives -- especially in the small things!