Seasons Change

Summer used to be my favorite season. Vacation, swimming, sunny days, summer camp, mission trips, late night hang-outs with my friends, wakeboarding, no school, fruit salad, pasta salad, cold bbq chicken, and cheescake for my birthday. However due to our financial standing, vacations have come to mean one mini-trip for the entire summer, four days stolen away to an economic location with very little swimming and no wakeboarding for those who forgot their boat. "No school" does not apply to a teacher at a year around pre-school. Sunny days means squelchering heat with no air conditioning at work, at home, or at church and not a fan to be found on sale in the city of San Diego. Swimming means paying hard earned money to go to a public pool sure to be plentiful in urine or the ocean, which is great, expept for the salt, the crowds, the lack of parking, and the scantily clad beach goers (men and women!). Late night hanging out is often followed by regretful early morning rising. Summer camps and mission trips are weeks that we cannot afford to miss from work and school. Fruit salad, pasta salad, and bbq chicken are the same as ever...some things never change...however, I can never quite reproduce them just the way my mom makes them. And cheesecake on my birthday has come more and more to mean...massive stomach ache after eating said cheesecake. Don't get me wrong...summer will always have a special place in my heart, but as an adult it has lost some of its appeal as it had in the carefree days of youth. This has had a positive outcome, however.

Fall has come to hold more appeal to me than it ever did as a child. The bold colors, cloudy days, the smell of rain, cool winds, oven-baked goodies (that don't kill my tummy), creative costumes, warm sweaters and cozy pants, preparing gifts for loved ones, curling up with my hubby, a blanket, and a good book, hot tea, zoo friendly weather, the excitement of upcoming vacation time (a whole week off!), and three consecutive months of holidays. It's a beautiful time! I hope you are enjoying this season as much as we are!

~Shannon