Friday Favorites, 9.25.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope your week was good; mine went by really fast. I have some favorites from the week that I thought I'd share today! 

I really love the accounts that I follow on Instagram; I loved the truth of this statement when I saw it this week. I struggle with seeing my worth sometimes, and when I'm feeling like that, I try to go back to Scripture. What does Scripture say that I am? I am chosen by an almighty God, I am deeply loved by Him, I will never be abandoned by Him, I am saved by Him from an eternal separation, He made me in His image, I am the apple of His eye (as are we all), I am His. Another thing...I am not made for this world, but for Heaven. When I remember that, it helps me put things into perspective. 

Dinners at home have been my favorite this week! Jonah made our dinner both Monday and Tuesday nights: steak, okra, macaroni; then grilled salmon and more okra. I didn't go to Rotolo's Wednesday night, so I had spicy dumplings at home, but they were too spicy. My mouth was on fire for the next half hour after I finished! 

Monday night spent at church was my favorite; you may remember that I told you about a membership class I signed up for. Well, I didn't want to go when I got home from work that day, because at the end of a day, I'm tired; the thought of being here from 7-8:30 just wasn't that appealing. I love my church, y'all, I'm just telling you how I'm the queen of talking myself out of things. Anyway, after I got home, I kept staying dressed in work clothes downstairs and finally at 6:30, I decided to stick with it and to go. 

I'm so glad I did! There were several people there with me for this, and it was great hearing Gib (the main teaching pastor) explain about the church. He said something that night that has stuck out to me ever since: people tend to come here looking for something new, and end up staying. Well, on Tuesday morning, I filled out the paperwork and submitted them online. This just means that I'm officially joining the church! I'm really excited about this...and it makes me smile thinking of how much Chris would have loved me doing this. It feels right. 

I stopped in the moment and took this picture before I got in my car to drive home. I'm going to sit and be fed for a little while before I jump into serving, though I do want to do that eventually. I'd love the chance to sing here, honestly. I'm doing this at the recommendations from my counselor and a friend I went for coffee with over the summer. This was before Chris died, so all the more reason for that now. There are tons of places I can serve, though, and I am excited to be more of a part of the body here. 

This was where I found myself on Tuesday night, which was a favorite for my week. I went over to Marilyn's after dinner at home, and her daughter and her boyfriend were there to watch a show. Because of the amazing fall like weather, we decided to walk over to her pool and sit there to talk. Y'all, this was amazing. We almost needed blankets, it was so cool! There was a breeze, and we could hear the water feature on the pool; it was just a really great and relaxing way to unwind for an hour before I went back home. She and I have both struggled separately over the week, and we needed this night to just vent and get things off our chest. 

Doing this for my little student in ELA this week was a favorite. I'm such a nerd and geek out over stuff like this! I loved this sweet little story; I actually told Marilyn about it on Tuesday night when I saw her. It kind of tied something in with what we see when we look at the Big Dipper. 

Going up to The O'Leans Wednesday night was a favorite! I was happily at home when my plans didn't happen, until my son's friend Nick called and asked to talk to me. He wanted me to join them up there for a drink and to hang out; I wasn't going to have a drink, but then he bought me (and Marilyn) one, so why not? I love that she joined us there! This was a fun little patio hang out for an hour; the weather this week has been incredible. 

Lastly, eating dinner at my mom's and Bill's this week was a favorite. I got to see Trish as well, and it was good to be out there with them for a little while. After that, I met my friend up at another patio while she ate dinner; it was nice getting to sit outside again and hang out before coming back home. I'm ready for the weekend! Are you? 

Thanks for reading today, friends. Tell me about your week! Love to all.

Jen