The Young and the Restless

Summer send off

Summer is watermelon dripping down elbows, that little white line on the tip of little noses, chlorine matted hair. Summer is monsoons rolling in as night falls, fresh berries on waffles, cicadas buzzing in trees. Summer is lying in bed listening to the hum of the ceiling fan as morning sun slants through the drapes, pajamas and bed head late in the afternoon, lying on the trampoline watching stars. Summer is blue otterpops, flip flops scattered across the floor, movies in the loft before bed. Summer is deep tan lines, pastel sunsets on the lake, jumping off docks. Summer is sunburned shoulders, wet footprints across the kitchen floor, Circle K slushies. Summer is everything good in the world.

I felt all out of sorts last summer as we were consumed with the move, so this summer it felt good to soak it all in. I always start the summer out with high expectations- up and dressed no later than 9, summer chore charts, a stack of library books just waiting to be delved into, a set limit on electronics, a commitment to hit the gym before the kids wake up, a thoughtful daily schedule setting aside time for crafts, and a consistent bed time schedule. It usually lasts a week, this time it lasted 2 days. Goals and ambitions aside, it was a really good summer. Some days we spent outside in the sun and water until sunset and some days we stayed in our pajamas lounging all day. I've learned it's okay to do both. There was so much good packed into these two months, but we wanted to slip in one last memory. We surprised the kids and booked a staycation at a local resort. I packed up the car and told the kids to hop in, I had a surprise. They guessed museums, movies, Big Surf, hiking (which they were nearly in tears about) and a few other places. When we finally pulled up they were all pretty excited, except Ryder who cried for a solid 10 minutes because he wanted to sleep in his own bed that night. You can't win 'em all. He finally came around and told me over and over throughout our stay that he loved the surprise. We swam that day while Jason was at work. It was miserably hot, Kylie was upset about no wifi, Ryder wouldn't swim because I forgot his goggles and there was a ridiculous amount of teasing and petty fights breaking out. I wanted to call it quits and eat a pound of chocolate in silence. We picked up Jason after work then went to Barros for dinner. We squished into a booth, referenced the pictures on the wall to our Chicago trip years ago, licked BBQ sauce from fingers, talked about our summer and the upcoming school year, had some laughs at Ryder's reaction to the lemon water and Jason's comment on the way Kylie eats. Ya know, for the first time everyone ate their food, nobody fought, climbed under tables or blew straw wrappers at each other. I was certain that for the first time in Young history we were THAT family that everyone was looking at and thinking, man, I wish our family was like that. It was a fleeting moment, but it felt good. So good that I had to take a picture while everyone rolled their eyes at me.

That night we swam under the stars, played miniature golf while sweat dripped down our backs and dozed off on a chaise lounge under palm trees swaying in the breeze. You bet I'm going to cheese this moment up, because it makes me feel a tad less guilty that the kids spent the previous 3 days doing 8 hour xbox marathons. Ya know, balance. We slept in the next morning, went for a swim then packed up and drove the 45 minutes back to real life. Back to lunchboxes ready to be filled, backpacks stuffed with crisp lined paper and freshly sharpened pencils and new shoes waiting to be worn in. So long, summer, you were a good one. KIT.

It should be noted, Ryder got a hole in one on the first hole. He was pretty proud of himself.