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Hello sweet friends.

1. It is a gorgeous sunny Friday afternoon. I am well - WELL, I say - my children are well, all is well. Hooray for being healthy.

2. My friend Jessica - a like-minded friend, and I am now old enough to know like-minded friends are as important as they are hard to find - moved back into town this week. Hooray for our little circle of friends.

3. Yesterday we gathered fallen (colorful) leaves and made hats out of them with our neighbors. It was SO FUN. When my pictures are uploaded (I definitely broke the card reader vertically in half while trying to jiggle the cord just right, so that it would work despite the short in it, and that takes a degree of technical ability you all envy, I'm sure) I'll post pictures, because seriously? Toddlers wearing hats like little woodland fairies are every bit as cute as they sound. Hooray for fall.

4. I'm just going to whisper this, because I don't want to jinx it, so lean in. I believe we have found a new normal. The transition from always at home to mostly at home, stirred and fried with sick children, phasing out old clients, and piecing together childcare seems to be mostly behind us. Hooray for less chaos.

5. I'm mentally gearing up for the wedding/birthday/holiday chaos of the next six weeks, and I'm more excited than overwhelmed. I attribute the improvement in my attitude this year (as opposed to years past) mostly to consistently sleeping through the night and a better perspective, thanks to my Catholic friends. Hooray for growth. And sleep - double hooray for sleep.

6. We are out of sweetener, and a few minutes ago I NEEDED a little afternoon coffee. I was getting desperate, when I remembered that a few weeks ago a zealous barista gave me extra sweeteners for my purchase. I opened my purse and found I still had one Splenda left. HOORAY for zealous baristas.

7. In a few hours I'm tackling these for a wedding shower this weekend. How cute are those cupcakes? Hooray for baking.

And there you have it - seven quick reasons why I've been saying, "Hooray!" all day.