Farewell to Summer

This time of year is bittersweet for me. I love all the Back to School excitement, and I'm more than ready for a break from the heat, but there is always something sad about leaving summer behind. We had a full three months of summer vacation this year, and I thought I would be ready for it to end. But I wasn't. And as I look at my September calendar, already filling up with meetings and obligations, part of me regrets that those carefree days have passed.

The kids and I made a list this year at the beginning of summer break of all the things we wanted to do, and we hung it up on the refrigerator so we could check it off. It mainly consisted of things in the city that we hadn't seen yet or favorite places to go play. I'm proud to say we got quite a lot of them done.

So in honor of the first week of school, I'd like to submit my homework assignment:

What I Did This Summer
Slept late (till 9). Played in the back yard. Went swimming. Went camping at the beach. Went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Went to dinner with some old friends. Went to a family reunion. Went to Grammy and Grandpa Carroll's house. Played with my nieces and nephews. Rode the train to the zoo (twice!) Rode bikes to the school parking lot. Chased fireflies. Ran a 5K. Played on playgrounds. Played at friends' houses. Had friends over to play at our house. Watched the sun set. Saw two rainbows. Played in rain puddles. Watched movies. Went hiking. Fed the turtles and ducks at the pond. Grew flowers in the front yard. Went to the mall playground. Taught the kids to swim. Stayed in my pajamas as long as I wanted. Went to some birthday parties. Made cookies. Enjoyed my family.

Tommy, Grace, Natalie, Katie, Will, Myatt, and Laura at the beach.

I think Laura says it best.