Hi there! Coming in a little late because the weekend kind of got away from me but let’s talk about some good stuff that happened last week:
- Pearl got 2 beach days with her class! It’s so nice that they can walk from school to the beach. Both times Rose and I picked her up at the beach which meant a little extra playtime for us as well.
- Rose had a dental check-up and did so well getting her first x-rays done. We made a little date of it and got a warm drink and a treat at a local coffee shop afterward. I’ve tried to make a semi-frequent habit of taking Pearl out on dates but haven’t really done the same with Rose yet. Rose and I are together a LOT so it hasn’t felt as necessary but she definitely loved the extra special attention (and the cupcake).
- The most recent Covid-19 case count on the Sunshine Coast was 0! ZERO! I’m not sure we’ve hit that since this virus reached us in March 2020. BC as a whole is doing quite well too and we’ve recently had some days without any Covid-related deaths. 76% of adults in BC and over 72% of the population over the age of 12 have been vaccinated with their first dose and second doses are rolling out quickly. The dental hygienist was excited to tell me that their whole staff had recently received their second doses and others we know have gotten them too.
- As part of the loosening of restrictions, our family met with our good friends for church on Sunday. Our church is continuing to meet on-line but Bible study groups are able to meet in person. Our particular group consists of four families so is still too large to all be together under current guidelines so we split into micro-groups (something we also did last year). This was our first time having church with anyone but the four of us in over a year. It felt pretty amazing!
- Pearl and Rose got to invite a friend from school and his little sister over for a playdate in our backyard for the first time ever. This is the first playdate from school Pearl has been able to have and the first time they’ve had friends in our yard in months. Their excitement was so adorable. They carefully swept out their playhouse, arranged their little plastic chairs just so, picked a flower bouquet, and even crafted a welcome sign. I am so happy that they are getting to do these normal little things once more.
- On Saturday night I got a night out with 3 friends. Again, since our community group is too large to meet as a whole, we four women have made a monthly habit of meeting together as we’ve been able to under provincial restrictions. Previously this has meant a socially distanced outdoor gathering, usually around a bonfire. Now that we’re allowed to be in restaurants with people outside of our household again, we opted for drinks and appetizers on the patio of a local restaurant. It is such a gift to have friendships like these.
- I added the link to my post on Reading Indigenous Voices but I’ll add it here again – 48 books to read by Indigenous writers, particularly focused on residential schools in Canada. I was particularly struck by this quote from David A. Robertson:
I think the answer starts with stories. Stories have been, and always will be, the best way to educate ourselves about the truth. You have to recognize that you have the power to be the authors of reconciliation if you read as much as you can, listen as much as you can, learn as much as you can, and then take meaningful, informed action.
David A. Robertson
- My Dress Challenge continues. I continue to be bad at taking pictures of myself. The weather was not super co-operative for wearing dresses and although I firmly embrace layers and leggings, I’ve realized that I’m outside a lot more now than I used to be in previous Junes (pre-kids, to be precise). On Thursday and Friday I knew I’d have a lot of time outside, potentially in the rain, and since this is a challenge I made up for myself I decided to forgo dresses those days. On my Saturday night out though I was excited for the chance to dress up a little more.
Sunday 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday 
Saturday
Karissa Reads Books 
I went to an in person church meeting on Sunday! We’re still meeting under strictly limited numbers with a lot of restrictions (and no singing), but it was really wonderful. We did actually try to meet back in November, but we only managed once and by that point the second lockdown had been announced, so it was a rather dispiriting experience. This time there was a lot more freedom! Attending online church on my own has been one of the roughest parts of the pandemic for me, and I’m glad it seems to be on the way out. So glad you were able to meet with friends too!
That must have been so amazing! Our church has opted to wait until restrictions loosen more although small gatherings are allowed now. Our church did get some chances to hold services last summer but our family opted to stay home. Numbers were so limited that we felt like we needed to allow the space for people who were more socially isolated than we were. Plus, without Sunday school or child care I was pretty sure we’d just end up wrangling our kids alone in the basement, which would have made me feel terrible that I took someone else’s spot! I am really looking forward to the day when the church can meet fully and safely.
You make dresses look so cool, Karissa! And I can see quite clearly where you girls get their sense of cute, funky style. I always look at my clothes and see one thing: the clothes as they are on the hanger. I’m not great at thinking about what shoes, leggings, a jacket, accessories, etc. will add to it. Maybe because I don’t tend to buy a lot of items that would make my clothes my versatile? I should!
The thing I love about dresses is that it’s a complete outfit. No trying to pair tops and bottoms because it’s all there! I tend to have the same few go-to accessories so something like this makes me think slightly outside my usual.
I thought you’d removed your wedding ring for your Saturday night out with the girls, but then I realised the photo was taken in a mirror… 😉
Hahaha! It was not that kind of ladies night!