Sweet summer

This year, summer feels extra sweet. Before this one, the last eight summers kind of blurred between many seasons of staying at home and navigating all the many milestones of raising kids. September used be mean getting kids ready for their return to school, the beginning of their activities. But now September means my own return to work. And I've survived my first year!

Why am I talking about September? That'll come soon enough.

For now, looking back on July, it has been filled with all the perfect elements of summer:

...slowing down after a busy year
...drinking coffee on my front porch
...finishing up our back deck and patio
...sending kids off to overnight camp, having them return home grubby, happy and full of new songs
...a family trip to Quebec, to my brother and sister-in-law's "camp" in the Laurentians (no running water, living up high on the trees, catching frogs, eating fantastic meals with lots of family, many swims out to the raft, skinny dipping, paddling in the canoe following loons on the lake.
..welcoming L-man home from Denmark, having all four corners of my heart back together again.
...and now, we're in Victoria, BC. But I'll save that adventure for another post.

Slow down, summer. Slow down.