Abiding Love, Abounding Grace: Summertime...

June 22, 2013

Summertime...

"Summertime... and the livin' is easy..."

Aaah sweet Summertime... I love it for oh so many reasons!
Seriously - Oh. So. MANY.

I love the cool summer breeze that ever so gently
brushes across my face and slowly greets me in the morning...
(says the Mama of a nearly grown girlie!)

I love the playdates and coffee dates
and lack of rushing through one thing
in order to get to the next
(at least on MORE days than is usual!)

I love the sunshine and blue skies...
the coconut oil, iced teas,
and lazy laying in the grass...

I love the birds and the butterflies and the flowers in bloom
that just so boldly and brightly give praise right back
to the One who painted them happy in the first place!

I love the laughter and the stories
and the promises of a future - later on...
Soon - but not now!

I love the evenings outdoors,
the al fresca meals shared both in large gatherings
and in romantic corners...
I love the candles lit outside on our patio
and the gentle strumming of the guitar
on the front step when the sun
has gone down in this desert town.

I love the smell of fresh cut grass and BBQs
and the sounds of sprinklers and sports on radios
when grilling or yard work is getting done!

See? Oh So Many things...

One of my most favorite things about Summer is VACATIONS!!!

Ohhhh yeahhhh - say it with me: Vacation!

I suppose I could be all up front and honest...
you know - vulnerable and authentic
and all of that sort of thing
- since that is what I am all about, after all!
I realize a couple of things right off the bat:

1. We have an ONLY - so 'Family vacations'
- well, they mean something different - mostly easier, probably!

2. Growing up - we NEVER went on family vacations.
(OK - Disclaimer: Unless you count the one time we went to
the beach with my grandparents and everyone got
deathly feverish and cranky and I stepped on a jellyfish...
OR if you count the handful of times we would all
pile into a car and drive with no bathroom breaks
to visit family in another city 4 or 5 hours away...
while my Dad white-knuckled it and chain-smoked
and my Mom wrote out our blood types
and a family will...
Every. Single. Time.
- So... yeah... you know - pretty much like NEVER.)

I will be writing all this week about
some of our Best Vacations ever...
as well as a few (ahem!) Worst Vacations ever...
well - at least some of the Worst things
that have happened - but honestly
- one of the best things about vacations
is that we mostly only remember the good parts!

For the first time - we really don't have any
concrete plans over summer vacation.
We went away for Spring Break -
and we are going to #Allume in October
and building a vacation around that,
so we planned for no plans this summer...
but I am feeling a few wknd trips in the making
and I will be so ready to share some Vacation memories
and maybe get some ideas to help me plan
a few short get-aways after all!

So next Saturday (6/29)
- I will be hosting my first ever Link-Up
- so be thinking of your Best and/or Worst Vacation ever
and join in on the fun!
It could be a memory of when you were a child
- or as an adult/parent, in the not so distant past!
Link up and join us in sharing some memories
of what Family Vacations have meant to you!

Monday I will begin to dig in to how we began
our family tradition of vacationing...
why it means so much to me
- and where we have gone
(and where we'd love to go... you know
- if life was perfect
and money was no object
and all that jazz!)

So - what about you?
Did your family take vacations
when you were growing up?
Do you remember them fondly
- or not so much?

What is it about Summertime
that YOU love?
I'd love to hear...

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.
~Karrilee~

I'm hosting my first ever Link Up next Saturday... read along with me this week* as I reminisce about Family Vacations and then link up with your own Best or Worst Vacation!