This is totally normal, right?

1) I chipped a tooth for the first time since I had my crowns put on 10 years ago. If you knew me anytime between the ages of eight and eighteen, you probably saw me at some point with a chipped front tooth. It happened a few times a year. In 2004 I had porcelain crowns put on both of my front teeth and all has been good since. Until…dun-dun-dun…I had to have a root canal. I put it off, thinking they would have to remove the crown, until I was in so much pain I wasn’t sleeping. Then I Googled (neat, huh?) and learned that usually a root canal can be done through a crown. So I went to the dentist and had it done on June 9. The root canal went great, but, unfortunately, my crown was already cracked and the stress of being drilled through was too much. It broke off last night. I was able to get a temporary fix this morning, so I look normal again now. (Side note, our dentist here, Dr. Jakubas, is awesome.)

2) I spent six days in the last week traveling to my other home, Nashville. I was there for the Utopya Conference and got to see a bunch of friends, learn a lot, and play with kittens.

3) I’m thrilled to be home. Being in Nashville (which I miss all the time) really helped solidify Minnesota as my true home. I will continue to love visiting the south, but I am a northern girl.

4) The beauty in my neighborhood is insane. I live close to Minnehaha Falls and The Longfellow Gardens (and Lake Hiawatha and Lake Nokomis and all kinds of other amazingness). When I walk Picasso I’m constantly stopping and taking pictures. These are all from last night’s walk.

5) I have been mailing out a ton of books lately. It has basically become part of our daily routine to walk to the post office and library (they are across the street from each other.)  On the way, we often stop and say hi to this little guy. Don’t know his name yet, but he and Austin get along well.

6) It’s summer and I really haven’t felt like doing my hair. Even though there isn’t much humidity up here, I just am not motivated. But what I have been doing is a lot of braids. Because I’ve been watching a lot of Game of Thrones. I did this to go get ice cream on Father’s Day.

7) I’ve had really bad customer service from several places lately. Places that used to be known for their good service. I’ve sent a few letters to corporate offices, but rather than complain about it here (or on social media) going forward, I am only going to do shout-outs for when companies do things right. Maybe the positivity can effect (affect? I still don’t understand the difference) change, because negativity sure isn’t doing any good.

8) I am in the process of finding a new church. I have gone back and forth on whether to write either a long blog post or an essay about this, and I haven’t decided yet. (I actually typed something much longer here, but then decided to save it for later.) But, just to say…Finding a spiritual home is hard. If you would pray for guidance for us, I would appreciate it.

9) I was approached by a trainer at the gym today and given a free Pilates lesson and a free training session with two new employees (they need to practice.) I felt like I won the lottery!

10) I made cheese curds last night, the first time I’ve ever fried anything in a pan full of oil, ever. They were okay. I made Kale chips today (baked) and they are amazing.