5 Quick Things #407

Apr 24, 2026

Hi there,

I finished my book edits this week—late yesterday afternoon, in fact—and now I’m rereading the whole thing once more to see what I missed (so that I can turn it in early next week). It’s nearly one-hundred thousand words (WHAT. HOW. 🤯) so I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I want this thing to be dang good, so it’s worth me to skim it again.

This, plus me needing to finalize the wedding programs (fun fact: Catholic wedding liturgies have quite a few moving parts, especially in the Ordinariate rite) means today I’m publishing a few reruns. Seeing as I’ve been doing 5QTs for almost eight years, I’ve got plenty in the back catalog—which exist specifically for insanely busy seasons such as these.

Enjoy! I’ll be back here soon.

*Summer Morning on the Oise*, by Charles-Francois Daubigny (1869) #

5 Quick Previous Quick Things ☕️

1. #368, first published May 16, 2025: haircuts, seasonal uniforms, & marriage
2. #354, first published February 7, 2025: learning to read, live local, & tell good stories
3. #340, first published October 18, 2024: watercoloring, a house full of books, & camping hacks
4. #331, first published May 17, 2024: free-range parenting, theology of the body, & our universal ache for home
5. #322, first published March 8, 2024: good art, dumb phones, & neighborhood walks

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

The Marlow Murder Club, by Robert Thorogood1

Quotable 💬

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

-Antoine de Saint Exúpery

What’s the best bear? 🐻

You have my 18-year-old son to thank for this question… And it was quite popular, so it seems (one of the more well-answered poll questions). I’m torn between panda, grizzly, or gummi. (Look up ‘drop’ if you’re a fellow non-Aussie like me.)

Panda: 37.8%
Gummi: 17%
Polar: 15%
Black: 13.7%
Grizzy: 6.3%
Battlestar Galactica: 4.5%
Brown: 4.3%
Drop: 1.4%

Find the next poll here.

Historic Highlands: Join Our 2026 Pilgrimage to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

There’s still room… We’d love to have you! These small-group pilgrimages are life-changing, and I’m so grateful for the friendships I’ve made through them.