Good morning; I hope you are meeting me here after having a really nice weekend! We certainly did and I’m excited to share some snippets of it with you this morning, and yet, it’s one of those mornings that’s hard to wake up and keep living as usual after seeing all the reports from the horrific Texas flooding. I sat in a doom scroll yesterday afternoon, just crying for these families. I know all our hearts are aching for the people of Texas.

This morning I’m grateful to have this space to talk to you, hopefully providing some light and connection in a world that can sometimes feel so heavy. Thank you for being a bright spot in my life.

Let’s rewind back to Friday. Our neighborhood organized a 5k to kick of the celebratory weekend. David and I decided to go for it and gave the girls the option to join or not. Hailey took up the challenge immediately and Kaitlyn reluctantly decided to join us the morning of.

The course was through the woods so it was nicely shaded, but pretty hilly. I have not really run in a long time and had the goal of simply to keep going and run the whole thing no matter how slow my pace. It was a trudge through that last mile, but I accomplished my goal of running the whole thing, 3.11 miles in 36 minutes and 46 seconds, putting my average pace just under 12 minutes. I probably could have walked faster, but I was proud nonetheless, coming in 4th place!… out of my family of four.

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We went home to refuel, shower, and clean up for our friends that showed up early afternoon to spend the weekend with us and the festivities began! We had a community event at the pool, which was welcome with the hot, humid July weather. Everyone brought a dish to share to accompany the burgers and hotdogs. David spent 18 hours smoking a pork butt to redeem his past performance of not letting it cook long enough, and he nailed it. It was one of the first dishes to disappear from the buffet line.

The pool was refreshing and we all hopped in. The dads wrestled the kids, there were footballs to throw, and we all had a really fun time acting like kids. We topped off the evening by watching some impressive fireworks from our back porch as the sun went down.

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On Saturday morning we went to visit David’s parents for a little lake action! Our friends enjoy a good workout as much as we do, so we first got in a little exercise while the kids played racquetball then beelined it for the water to cool off.

David’s parents are always so welcoming and we had such a fun time. We whipped the kids around the lake on the tube and watched them splash on the lake mat while we chatted and listened to 60’s music. We grilled up burgers and corn to pair with watermelon for dinner and Mema had the coolest snow cone maker set up, which was a huge hit for the kids! The shaved ice it creates would work pretty well for a margarita base, too. Just saying.

The kids were flat out exhausted by the time the sun went down and the six adults took advantage of the quiet to play a round of Samba, a card game that can be played with four or six people. It’s a great game because it’s mentally engaging enough to be fun, but easy enough to carry on conversations while you play. It probably goes without saying but, the girls beat the boys. 😉

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The real proof of a relaxed and enjoyable weekend? The fact that I this is the extent of the pictures I took!

We got home Sunday midday. The kids spent the afternoon vegging out in front of the TV, a luxury they don’t get very often and thoroughly appreciated after such a busy weekend. This gave David and I time to do our own things.

He caught up on a bunch of work stuff. I took down 4th of July decorations, got through all the laundry, washed sheets, blanched and froze some potatoes, and got the chicks set up for their first night in the coop (they are getting so big!).

Finally as the sun was setting, I spent a few minutes in the garden, pulling off squash bugs and picking my latest harvest. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the peace of the garden?

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And that’s a wrap on the weekend. Today is all about preserving some food and starting a pack list for our Colorado trip. We are going out west with my mom, brother, and crew and really looking forward to it! But first I must make all the pickles and freeze all the beans, as not to waste a single thing. Also on the list for today? Some BLTs because just look at those ‘maters.

OK, I’m getting rambling now so I’ll sign off. Wishing you a day of peace and being fully present in the joys in front of you. Talk soon!