5 on Friday

The combination of a short work week + beautiful summer weather has automatically made this one a good one in my book.  An added bonus: these five things.

[one]
A common phrase you may hear from Oregonians is "summer doesn't actually begin until July 5th" and sadly that is usually correct.  However, this year the usual Oregon weather (i.e. rain) has taken an early hiatus, which I will not complain about one bit!  And since we missed last year's festivities due to being in Nova Scotia last, I'm so happy we were able to spend this year's holiday with the three F's: family, food, & fireworks!

[two]
Last week I mentioned I was starting a new job this week and although I'm only a few days in, my first impression is that I think I'm going to like what I'm doing and who I'm working with.  I'm sure I'll have more to say once I have a few more days/weeks/months under my belt, but so far so good :)

[three]
Remember me talking about the Influence Conference (about a hundred times already...)?  Well, this week everything felt just a little more real because I booked my flight AND my hotel this week!  Yay!  If you want more information, check out my sidebar or this post by Ruthie Hart.

[four]
Speaking of the Influence Conference, the whole idea has had me thinking about why I'm blogging and who I'm blogging for.  This week, I came across a post by a blogger I have been following for years now and really respect.  Kerri's post about her blogging notebook wasn't anything groundbreaking (I know a lot of other bloggers use a similar idea), but it really pushed me to pull out an old notebook and start writing down some potential blog content.  Now we'll see if it helps me post more and work on my direction...

[five]
Maybe my lack of posting has been partly due to the life changing event that took place in December.  With six months under our belts, we still have hard days intertwined with the good ones.  I came across an article with some helpful ideas for those who have suffered a pregnancy or infant loss and thought I'd share for anyone else out there who may know someone who has gone through a simliar situation as we have.  The suggestions aren't difficult, just simple and thoughtful, both things that people need during a difficult time.

How was your week?