life update.

Hello friends! It's been a minute, huh? How are you all doing? It's been six months since I updated you guys on what's been going on in my side of the world, so I thought it'd be fun to do a brief post sharing what I've been up to! Looking back, a lot has happened since March, so I hope you enjoy this little update post!

// Job // I've been continuing to work fairly consistently, which has been a nice source of income for various things I'm currently saving for. I feel like I've really improved my skills this year, and have become more reliable and helpful to my boss, which is nice. ;) I enjoy working with the customers, though it can be a challenge sometimes, but for the most part, we have a wonderful group of people that we serve. <3

// Macrame // I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do make and sell macrame at the place I work. I really got into macrame a couple years ago, and I've been selling it pretty much ever since then. I really enjoy how therapeutic it is, especially when I can listen to an audio book or music (particularly autumnal music during this time of year. ;). I've been pretty happy with how sales have been lately - I feel like that specific craft has really been coming back in the last couple years...

// School // School has been going well, nothing much to report, honestly. XD I've been enjoying most of my subjects, which is always a plus! Lately, I've been learning about different diseases (bacterial, viral, etc), including what causes them, spreads them, and treatments for them. I never thought I'd ever enjoy that, but surprisingly, I've been finding it very interesting and informative.

// Violin // I am still playing violin, and it's been fun to see my little steps of progress. I changed teachers at the end of summer because of some changes my previous teacher made due to some health issues, but I'm really liking my new teacher. She's very helpful and I feel like I'm making so much more progress, mostly because I'm required to practice more. XD But it's been really good for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing where I am this time next year!

// New kitten! // It was a wonderful surprise to go and feed the cats one morning and find a little gray kitten run out of the cat house! XD Right off the bat, he was super friendly and affectionate (not to mentioned ADORABLE), so that saved a lot of time trying to coax him. He did show up with an injured back paw, which I think was a result of a possible cat fight. Thankfully, after caring for him a couple days (which may have included setting up a cage in the mudroom for him to rest ;), his paw seems to be healing really well, and he's no longer limping. Now as for his name...almost immediately after finding him, I decided to name him Pippin (from Lord of the Rings), but after a few days using it, I do get a little tongue-tied when calling either Picket (our other cat) or Pippin. XD So I'm considering a name switch. :) I love the idea of Chess Shire from The Wonderland Trials, especially since the original name (Cheshire) was for a cat. ;)

// Sickness // Over the last two or so months, a crazy wave of sickness has past though our community of friends, which has been rough to say the least. Some of our closest friends got hit the worst, and were out for a solid month recovering. Thankfully, our family didn't get anything too bad, though we did get a round of colds, which is never fun. Some families around us are still getting it, but hopefully it will completely go away soon, Lord willing. <3

// Reading // I've been reading SO much more since the turn of the seasons. I definitely read considerably less in summer, so I'm really glad to be getting back in the routine of reading consistently again. A few of my recent favorites are: Dust & Shadow by Kara Swanson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and The Wonderland Trials & The Looking Glass Illusion by Sara Ella (if you enjoy fairy tale retellings, you must read these! They're based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll). I do have a couple books I'd like to read in autumn - The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - but I'm not sure if I'll be able to due to some other required reads in the next few months... we'll see how everything plays out! :)

A few of my favorite things recently:

• The cooler autumnal weather <3

• Watching the Road to Avonlea TV series for the first time.

• Reading so much more as the activities of summer slow down and the calmness of autumn sets in.

• Spending time with our new kitten (name: TBD)

• Hanging out with my friend after work to talk about life <3

• A barn dance where the rain is positively pouring outside.

• Listening to Annie's Song by John Denver.

• Reorganizing my bookshelves.

• Getting comfy in my bed next to the window with my journaling bible, notebook, earbuds, and a good sermon.

• Doing macrame in my room while listening to a podcast.

• Creating an autumn mood board for my desktop wallpaper.

• Grabbing coffee and shopping for thrifted treasures. :)

Well you guys, I think that's pretty much everything that's been going on in my life since March. Nothing crazy exciting, but I'm looking forward to seeing what these last few months in 2024 hold. I probably won't be posting much, though I do have an exciting post you can be looking forward to relatively soon. I'll keep it a surprise for now, but make sure to keep an eye out for me in your inboxes sometime before the end of the year! I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy, and please share in the comments below what your summer was like and what you're most looking forward to in the coming months!

Have a lovely rest of your week friends! <3

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ― Henry David Thoreau

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” ― Jane Austen, Persuasion