Seizing the Last Days of Summer (Ann Voskamp Style)

As I read the words of Ann and how they can just right undo me every time, she encouraged us all to seize the last of summer... to drink it in, slow it down... to photograph it and instagram it..  and to count it full!

Yes - I am feeling it different this year... as August winds down and just speeds right into September - it's unfolding different.  No back to school shopping... no supplies or checks written (yet) for art class or sports expenses... no threat of returning to bedtimes or early mornings (yet)... my Only Girlie is nearly grown and attending college this Fall. So as Back to School starts around our small town this week... we seize the last of summer together, enjoying it a bit longer than usual...

And we count on...

#1506 - A Morning walk with my Girlie... beating the heat of August... climbing hills and working out, while dreaming dreams and talking long.

#1507 - Walking by Orchards... trees and trees, lined up with harvests of Apples hanging there... just waiting for the picking... with blue sky background!

#1508 - Sunrise making Mt Adams look Majestic in pink!

#1509 - Light filtered through giant trees along the path, providing shade with streaks of Glory raining down.

#1510 - Lamps in the Living Room that give just enough Light to make it warm and cozy... inviting and relaxed.

#1511 - Old Hymnals from the early 1900's, worn and torn, and still offering hope and history... love and legacy passed down.

#1512 - Forever friends who have known you through ALL of your phases - and loves you still!

3 Gifts Moving:

#1513 - Our plans moving right along for our trip to South Carolina in the Fall.

#1514 - My body - legs burning, climbing up an incline to crest the top - breathing in the reward of fresh air and gorgeous views of our valley.

#1515 - Moving stories/testimonies/blog posts that I read every week... Aslan is on the move!

   

#1516 - Happy Mail... and helping to make a difference!

#1518 - Trust being rebuilt... opportunities extended, grace and second chances all wrapped up in one.

#1519 - Fragile: Faith in the face of fear... Talking gently with a friend and boldly calling out walls erecting, and pushing and hiding... friendship that does Real and talks Long and keeps Accountable... that leans in and says what He says to say even when we don't know how it will be received!

#1520 - Tackling my Scrapbook/Art table that was piled high and hiding my work area!  (It's not done - but it's getting done - and I can see my creativity work space once again!)

#1522 - Jonah Boy - never knowing if he wants to be inside or outside... or inside

...or outside. (SO much like Sad Cat Diaries - and yes - we prop open the door for him!)

#1523 - Flowers in the Garden, clinging on to the last days of summer... insisting on blooming all the way through!

 #1524 - Sunsets sprawled out in Pastels and in Neon... lavender, peach and pink... painting the summer skies!

#1525 - My Nearly Grown Girlie and how she is growing and embracing change!

#1527 - The smell of Chicken on the Grill

#1528 - The Bright colorful fresh flavor of Bean Salad - refreshing and crisp on a summer day!

 #1530 - Evening walks with a friend!

#1532 - Bethel Worship station on Pandora while out on a walk!

#1533 - Finishing a great book (Daring Greatly by Brene Brown) and starting right on in to another (3)... (Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott,  Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey, and Prototype by Jonathan Martin)

#1534 - Seeing Benches (Thanks Emily Freeman) and "Y's" (Thanks Jennifer Dukes Lee) everywhere I go now!

(Benches represent offering a place to slow and sit and talk...

 ...and Y's represent Yahweh - and her Y-shaped scar!)

#1535 - Seeing the Beauty of Pink - just bursting right on through and out of the box... and oh how it spoke to me!

 ... and as much as we LOVE the sun and summer, the heat and water, the less Bossy lists and the  lazy(/ier) days... Fall is my absolute FAVORITE, ya'll! 

So as the morning air is just beginning to hint at being a little cooler, and the need for layers at night in this desert town rise up... I am looking forward to the warmth and coziness that Autumn brings!

What about you? What are you thankful for this past week? How have you seized and squeezed the last of summer into thankfulness? I'd love to hear!








I am linking up with Ann Voskamp at the Multitudes on Mondays