The Doll Sweet Journal.: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Someday, I'll do a Five Things for Friday post again, but today is not that day. Instead, it's a looking back/looking forward post because those are fun, too!

First, on the looking back side of things, I'm happy to report that October was a good month. A very good month. I feel settled, content, happy, peaceful, and very thankful for how my life is going and turning out (knock on wood!). Turning to the Lord and trusting in Him WORKS. The first two weeks were so busy with work (a continuation of September), and then after that things settled down. We also had beautiful weather with a lot of mild temperatures and really beautiful foliage this year—the best in years. (We do need more rain though. I miss overcast, rainy days!)

Here's some of what went down in October:

General Conference

My dad left to return to Utah (both good and bad 😆)

Had four fun lunches out with different friends

Got a new church calling (Relief Society first counselor, and one of my good friends is the new president, and another friend is the second counselor)

Watched one of my favorite movies of all time again for the first time in several years (Anne of Green Gables 💖)

Speaking of movies, I watched some good movies with Sam, including A Haunting in Venice and another one of my old favorites, Clue. Sam likes mysteries, like me.

Went to my friend's endowment at the temple

Went to another friend's baby shower

Met one of my favorite historical fiction authors at a book signing and got her new book on the day that it was released in the U.S.

Went to a haunted Halloween excursion in the woods with my family

Had a two-day "escape to the Cape," which is always so restful and rejuvenating for me (while also productive—I get things done on the house, run Cape-specific errands, and work).

WORK:

I had good hours at the library. I love being a sub and working in different departments and choosing my hours out of what is available. I enjoy my co-workers, several of whom are now my friends, and I like being out in the community. And I'm surrounded by books!
I finished running a fall writing group for MWEG and helped edit and get several op-eds published for a special campaign related to Amendment D in Utah that we were running.
I learned how to do some new things for Cape Cod Moms and Rhode Island Moms (specifically, updating and republishing previously published content) and worked my tail off to get our fall and Halloween content out, and even some Thanksgiving stuff too.
I LOVE my work! I feel so blessed by my opportunities. I get to work with books and reading (the library), politics, government, civic engagement, and editing (MWEG), and Cape Cod, New England, and editing (Wicked Good Mom Media). These are all major and long-term areas of interest and enjoyment for me! Someone must be watching out over me. 🤍

Blog posts about many of these things are forthcoming this month. 😁 Speaking of which...