Summer

Summer! What an amazing time. For years, I think I have taken this time of year for granted. Playing with the children. Walking my gardens. Sitting out on the porch talking with Wayno until late into the night. And the house filled with endless children. Nothing has changed over the years. Summer is just an extention of the rest of the year only warmer when you are a family who homeschools. We would still have some lessons, run to activities and spend much of life in the yard. Life goes on and summers continue. For me, however, summers have always been some of my favorite memories. I do not like the cold you see and so even though life continued, it was warm and I was happy to have sun! I love the sun and long summer nights! Music, smells of flowers and candles glowing on the porch! These are some of my favorite things!! As the children decided to return to public once they entered high school years, summers were cherished even more! I missed having them around every day. Yes, my days were filled with errends, pottery and running the children once they were out in the afternoons but it wasn't quite the same. Our lives have changed even more with our move to CA. One main way has been my choice to work within the education field. I have been lucky to find a job which I enjoy to the utmost. I love the students. My boss and supervisor are great! The biggest adjustment however, has been being gone all day! The house is not always clean, the laundry gets behind, and we order out chinese or stop for sushi more than in the past. But life goes on and change is fun. How is it then, that I can now cherish a season even more than ever before! Summer has always been my favorite! I move to an area where it is primarily warm year round. Ok, I do complain a bit during the rainy season because it is not near as warm as I want, but it is warm and sunny most the year! How could I ever cherish summers again like I did in the past? Ahhhh! And then LIFE steps in and gives us ways to not take for granted those things that are so very important to us. My new job has brought me many gifts, but the one that I did not notice, was the fact that summer is here and I am home! Coffee brewed and walks in the gardens. I have spent time working with my plants!!! The house is filled even more than usual with teens galore and it is even cleaner if that is possible with so much activity! Summer smells have changed with our move and now they include new plants and an occasinal trip to the ocean to smell the smells it holds! (This year of course, there is the World Cup as well!) Long talks on the patio with candles glowing and music coming through the speakers and sometimes, from the teens as they now strum the guitars and pound on the drums. The romantic summer nights where Wayno and John would play music on the porch as the children fall asleep has now been handed to the next generation and they do a beautiful job at it. Summer! May I never take you for granted again, and if I do, may a change come my way once again to remind me why you are one of my favorites!

Grandparent time is always special and what better way then Bocce in the backyard! The children loved having both sets of grandparents with us for a week over graduation. Could they be more spoiled?
Time to play video games until the wee hours over the night or morning! Life is good as Bry says when there are no longer dress codes. Forever! He has ventured off to college for a weekend with Wayno and signed up for classes for the Fall as well as made some new friends.

The ocean is our favorite and the children and I were lucky to venrure there once again right after classes ended. We and several other teens and a couple Moms from our church stayed at the ocean for a week and had an amazing time.
Skim boarding in the morning! Walks through little shops! Rock collecting, for me. And a campfire on the beach late one night! What could be better?

Boys being boys! What fun they had crossing rocks and climbing to the top! Watch out for the wave guys!!
Summer! May we all be blessed by our summers and breath deep so the memories take us through until the next summer graces our paths!

My morning coffee and walk through my gardens gives me the time to be quiet and see all the beauty we are surrounded by!
I am continually amazed by the shapes and colors all around us. I hope this summer will open my eyes to even more gifts that have been waiting for me in my backyard. Blessings-

Congratulations!!

It came and went so fast but during the passing, there were friends, family, music, laughter and tears all mixed into one. Yet another passing has occured in our son's life and he has carried on in a way that makes us shine with pride being the parents of such an amazing young man. Thanks to many friends, teachers, coaches, mentors and family over the last eighteen years, this young man has grown to become an amazing asset to his community. Through tears, I prepped over the last month for this celebration. To say goodbye to what we have had togethor seemed crushing. How could he leave? To sit back and watch at each ceremony as he received awards and recognitions. To watch him with friends and family as he brought laughs. To listen as he tells of his plans for the future. To receive his phone calls and wave as he drives off with friends. To see that grin and to listen to his drumming. These are the things that let me sit back and know he is ready for this passage into a whole new life and these are the memories I will cherish. As time goes by, and we drop him off at school in just a couple months, we will see even more changes. It has been a priviledge to watch this young child grow and to learn so very much from his insights and sharings. I look forward to all the coming experiences and the phone calls and grins that we will receive from him over the coming years. Congratulations Bry and thanks for all you have given us over the years!