Hello and welcome to another Social Distancing Edition of Five Things Friday! I hope you and your families are all staying safe.

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to.

1. Some things that made me happy this week.

—-> Continuing to see inspiring sidewalk art on my neighborhood walks. 

—-> My family misses visiting my pets. This week my husband’s siblings dropped off some stuff and got a moment with my dogs outside. It’s so sweet to see the mutual love. 

—-> We splurged on take out chicken wings for my husband’s birthday dinner and had a socially distanced meal with his siblings. Since the four of us always go out to dinner together for any of our birthdays, it was a nice compromise. 

2. Some things I read this week.

—-> My friend Maria convinced me to try this romance novel series by Penny Reid called The Winston Brothers Series. I’m halfway through the third book now and can’t stop! The series follows six brothers who live in Tennessee, and they all have beards so all the book titles are beard puns. Definitely check it out if you’re looking to get lost in a fictional world right about now!

—-> This week I finished American Zion by Betsy Gaines Quammen. First of all, it has a blurb on the cover from Jon Krakauer, who has never steered me wrong! It’s an epic read, covering everything you could possibly want to know about the Bundy family and their battle against the federal government over public lands. I highly recommend this one for non-fiction readers, particularly those interested in the history of the west, and religion. It’s also a compelling read for conservationists, and lovers/users of public lands.

3. Some things I did offline this week.

—-> I’m not sure if this counts as “offline” but my husband and I have been watching Barry on HBO (which is proving some shows for free through Hulu.) I’m absolutely hooked. I don’t watch a ton of TV so that’s saying something. Bill Heder is Barry, an Afghanistan veteran turned professional hitman who is burnt out with his current lifestyle. He follows a “mark” to an acting class and realizes it may be his true calling. It’s a hilarious show, but not in a slapstick way. It’s dark and heavy, the humor comes from how real it is. Plus Henry Winkler is in it and he’s spectacular.

—->My husband’s birthday was this week. I made him a homemade card I was pretty dang proud of.

4. Some things I’m grateful for this week. 

Celebrating my husband’s birthday

Sunny days

Watching birds at my back yard feeders

Fresh strawberries

Having access to receive therapy

My writer friends who are helping me workshop a new essay

5. Question of the week:

What new habit have you developed during this quarantine time that you’d like to stick with? 

For me, this time has brought attention to what obligations I had in my life previously and whether or not I want to re-commit to them again later. Strongly evaluating anything I commit to is a habit I’d like to continue forever!

Tell me a thing or two that made you happy this week!