sweet summer

This summer has been so different than any previous summer. No big vacations. No swimming lessons. No play dates with friends. It has felt a bit isolating and hard, but there have been so many sweet spots that have made up for the sour ones. Having the Adseros here for the majority of the summer has been magic. Being able to kind of quarantine with them, and with most of the Mecham family really, and to be able to be each other's social life has been so wonderful. We've had lots of mini adventures, but mostly a ton of dinners together while the kids run wild and free and the adults sit around and talk. Robert strung up patio lights on our back patio a few weeks ago and summer magic comes in full swing on the nights where we grill burgers and hot dogs in our backyard while the kids jump on the trampoline or play in the sandbox and then the rest of us end up talking late enough that the lights come on and we just relish each other's company in the warm of the summer night. This is what I always wanted for our home. I wanted it to be a place full of good food, a cozy place to sit and a place where people feel like they can sit and stay as long as they like. I have been in the "let's move" mode for some time now because I want to get off our busy street and have a bit more entertaining space inside, but on these slow summer evenings in our big backyard in the shade of our oak tree, I feel so grateful for what we have. I've said this a million times over, but things feel so strange right now. Hard, even. But there is still so much to be happy about. There is so much to enjoy. I am grateful.