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Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Saturday smiles

Saturday smiles: birthday reflections edition

May 4, 2013

So, it’s my birthday.

I ran Week 1, Day 3 of Couch to 5K this morning. (My dad: “You’re 35 and can still run?” Har-dee-har-har)

I perused the local treasures at a garage sale down the street and sampled the coffee at my favorite neighborhood roaster.

The kids played outside while I sat on the porch and finished the novel I’m currently reading.

A friend stopped by with a gift and the smell of the lilacs she clipped from the bush at her house is filling my house with my favorite springy scent.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We ate lunch on the porch and the boy fell asleep watching “Toy Story.”

I finished the novel.

I washed some dishes because if I took my birthday as a vacation, we’d be eating off the table and with our hands for the next two days.

We’re back outside.

The sun is shining.

Our bills are paid.

My husband doesn’t know it yet, but I think we’re going out to eat tonight.

Not all is right with the world but today I believe it will be.

Today, I am 35.

And in some ways, I feel life is just beginning.

Filed Under: holidays, Saturday smiles Tagged With: birthday, spring, turning 35

Saturday smiles: thankful edition

April 27, 2013

hearts

Photo courtesy of Stock Exchange | www.sxc.hu

I’m away this weekend, attending a writers conference and presenting a workshop as part of the one-day event. So, today, I focus on what I’m thankful for.

  • That my husband’s job is flexible with his time off so we didn’t have to hire a sitter or a beg a friend to watch the kids while he worked and I went away.
  • That my husband enjoys spending time with the kids and has a day full of fun planned with them.
  • That my kids look forward to having a Daddy-Kid weekend so much they don’t even seem to realize I won’t be there.
  • That my husband supports my writing and speaking dreams and encourages me to do things I think are unthinkable.
  • That my friend Carol would let me tag along on her speaking gig and participate in it as well. (She’s as cool as her name would suggest.)
  • That at the end of a rough and eventful week I can still be thankful for family and friends and praise God for His goodness.

What are you thankful for this week?

Filed Under: Children & motherhood, Saturday smiles Tagged With: reasons to be thankful, spending time with kids, writers conference

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Welcome

Hi. I’m Lisa, and I’m glad you’re here. If we were meeting in real life, I’d offer you something to eat or drink while we sat on the porch letting the conversation wander as it does. That’s a little bit what this space is like. We talk about books and family and travel and food and running, whatever I might encounter in world. I’m looking for the beauty in the midst of it all, even the tough stuff. (You’ll find a lot of that here, too.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay as long as you like.

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