Summer is rife with fresh produce, heat waves, late nights, lightning bugs, rosé sips, splashes in swimming pools and along ocean edges, sunsets, adventures, lazy days at home, extra noise and chaos with littles underfoot, the buzz of locusts in the evening, laughs at the lake, extra food, extra cocktails, connecting with faraway friends, and no alarm clocks (at least once swim team ended). We’ve been blessed to have been bopping up and down the eastern seaboard for jaunts big and small: to visit grandparents and family in the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York, girls trips and family relaxing time at the beaches in New Jersey, family time in the mountains and around the lakes of the Poconos, visiting friends for a high school reunion on Long Island, popping up to see our dearests in North Jersey, siblings in Maryland and Massachusetts, and an expedition to witness the solar eclipse in Charleston, South Carolina while also simultaneously squeezing in visits with cousins and friends. We’ve been road-tripping and rocking and rolling and laughing and not sleeping and over-indulging and making do with subpar sleep scenarios for the kids and us. And it’s all been joy. And fatigue. And stressful. And delightful. We rocked out to 90s rap dance parties with our sisters. We went out for ice cream. The kids went to camp and the grownups went to brunch. Toddlers whined. Grownups dragged themselves out of bed and refilled endless bottomless mugs of coffee. We kayaked and paddle boarded and watched sunsets and fireworks like the bosses that we think we are. The kids pushed limits and ate unhealthy foods and found sand dollars and seashells and stayed up late. And memories were made and moments were captured along with the fireflies in a jar. Hashtag: blessed.
But coming home? Turning the steering wheel into your driveway and seeing your sweet house that you’ve begun to miss…best. And then while you’re unpacking, having your best friend neighbors, after spotting your minivan through their window, pour out of their front door like a deluge in the jungle (even though there is a veil of sprinkly rain above us) running to you for hugs and love and oohing and ahhing at the baby who looks so much bigger in just a few weeks and the kids who magically look taller and tanner and older. And hugs and hugs and hugs and stories and tales of their treks and ours. Ugh, this is the STUFF! Within seconds, ten kids were in my basement and crafts were flying and laughs were twinkling and grownups were rehashing amidst the suitcases and sleeping bags and mountains of mail strewn about my house and all of *that* is just such a beautiful gift. To have gorgeous pockets of the world to see and savor is fabulous. But to have a home that feels sweet and safe and cozy and has faces and open arms to welcome your motley crew of barefoot toddlers running around sans undies and kids with unbrushed hair and mismatched socks is just heaven. It’s heaven! I genuinely don’t know what I’ve done in this life to deserve all the love I feel but it’s certainly worth noting. Being surrounded by supportive friends who help shoulder the carpools and the stresses of health issues and broken bones, and the reminders of which special dress days are when…this is what makes the dream work.
Now on deck: to do laundry and stock up on sleep and drip dry from drinks…groceries to buy and workouts to resume and routine to restore. Fall is now newly upon us, school for the four is beginning in waves, new sports schedules will be hammered out. The hint of a chill in the air is a beautiful tease. I’m sure I’ll be singing a song about the return of pumpkin spice lattes and jeans and boots and daylight savings before too long. But for now, I’m still crooning my ode to summer, the kids are still riding bikes and climbing trees and having water balloon fights. Keep collecting the moments. They’re all a gift.
I’m exhausted,racing through the weeks of summer with you,but joyfully so..Having personally witnessed a mere 8 hours of your summer,a glorious 8 hours,I was left with
unforgettable memories …..now ready to follow you into autumn.
??????????????
Aww that was a truly wonderful day!! The kids and I will remember it fondly and we look forward to the next time we can do it again soon!!! xo