My friends, Chelsey and Jon, dancing their first dance at their wedding

1. Love. I have a good reason this week for this post being late. I’ve been busy, marrying my friends Chelsey and Jon. It’s the second ceremony I’ve officiated, and just like the last time, I was marrying people I love dearly, who love each other even more. It’s just so great to see people you love so happy together. And, p.s., tomorrow is Eric and I’s 24th anniversary. And, p.s.s., sorry I forgot yours again, Mom and Dad — somehow I always thinks it’s on the 11th, after ours. Hope you had a lovely day even though your kids suck and probably both forgot.

2. Fall in Colorado. I’ve been drinking it in this weekend. It’s supposed to snow tomorrow, and even if we don’t get the full 4-8 inches they are predicting, it will for sure pull a lot of the red, gold, and orange off the trees, fast forwarding us towards winter.

3. A new fence! After a few rain delays, it’s finally done. I will never take having a fence for granted, no matter how run down, because my dogs really really love to go hang out in the back yard, play or lounge around, and it’s so much easier when they can just go out when they need to, instead of needing me to suit them up and take them out. And it doesn’t hurt that our new fence is so nice.

Sam approves

Having to play inside just isn’t the same

4. Walking with the dogs in the morning. It’s so dark we can hardly see anything at first, but it’s so lovely and quiet.

5. Flowers in the bathroom. With the snow coming tomorrow, this will most likely be the last ones from the farmer’s market.

6. My tiny family. There’s nothing I love more, nothing that makes me feel more content, than being with them and knowing they are healthy and happy.

Bonus joy: working out in the pool, taking a long nap, crispy gala apples, dog sighs, clean sheets, good books (just finished Buddha in the Attic, so good!), good TV (lots of my favorites are back on, like Queen Sugar and Superstore and Grey’s Anatomy), computer glasses, getting up and down the mountain safely, going to lunch with Eric at a place we’ve went to for the first time 25 years ago, pancakes and waffles, our new bed, clean water, all the good people working to resist the awful things being done, knee braces, dog toothpaste, our new furnace.

1. Fall is here. As the weather got cooler, we started getting a few berries again. Not many, but I am appreciating their big taste, especially knowing they are the last of the season. A bonus joy this year is the painted lady butterfly migration. For some reason, there are way more, and for a few days when you would go outside, it was like walking through a butterfly pavilion — they were everywhere!

2. For some, fall means pumpkin spice, but for me it’s salted caramel. This sauce would be good on ice cream too, but I mostly use it in coffee (decaf).

3. Farmer’s market flowers in the bathroom. These are the final weeks. I have loved them so much, the ritual of going to the market and picking out a bouquet, chatting with Joan. I am hoping she’s back next summer and I get up the guts to ask her for a tour of her garden.

4. Sleep. I don’t know if I mentioned it here, but we are redesigning our website at work. It has been a huge project, and I’m responsible for much of it, so I’ve been working myself ragged. In order to stay healthy and sane, I’ve been prioritizing sleep — going to bed early, taking whatever I need to help me sleep comfortably (my knee still gives me trouble at night), sleeping in, taking a nap whenever I can fit it in. It makes such a difference.

5. My tiny family. Eric took these great shots of the dogs up at Lory State Park last week, then filtered them with Prisma. It was too muddy from the rain for them to walk too far, but the pictures are worth it.

Bonus joy: a new fence almost finished, Wild Writing, a breakfast burrito from the farmer’s market, good neighbors, a cold glass of clean water, a warm shower, our new bed, cuddling with Sam, the way the top of Ringo’s head smells, pay day, a crispy Gala apple, ibuprofen, the swimming pool at the gym, good books, good TV, a washer and dryer in my house (it’s been years, but I still remember what a pain it was to drag all my laundry to a second location and the constant hoarding of quarters to run the machines — having my own in my own house is such a luxury), a good pen that writes fast but doesn’t smudge, an umbrella when I need one, texting, laughing with Eric, a hug when I really really need one.