june roundup (or ten things I love about summer)
This list has been our summer. Sure, we’ve had to work and grade papers and enforce timeouts along the way. But I know I won’t remember those things as much as I remember all of the reasons why summer is the greatest, a little gift from God to remind me that seasons are a beautiful part of life…
Cold brew. The last thing I do before bed is make my cold brew. One cup of your favorite ground coffee, two cups of water, let it sit overnight then strain in over a coffee filter in the morning. Fill a big mason jar with ice and mix with water and creamer. Y’all, I absolutely cannot get enough of this. Good iced coffee just makes it feel like it’s going to be a really sweet day.
Early mornings. One of the things I love so much about the northwest is the long summer days God gives us. The sun is up before 5:00am, and it makes it so much easier to crawl out of bed (cold brew waiting) and meet Jesus in the quiet. Alex and I often sleep with our window open, and maybe it’s a sign of me getting older and more sentimental, but waking up to the birds talking to one another could be my new favorite way to wake up.
Open back doors. Nine months out of the year it is much too cold in this neck of the woods to open any doors. But summer, oh beautiful summer, your mornings are as close to perfection as it gets.
Lake days. I’ve told you this before, but in the PNW, we summer. We go out on the water before work, we come home and go swimming after work, we take days off to spend the whole week near boats, paddle boards, and fishing poles- we simply do this season big. And our summer so far can be summed up with two words: lake days. Harper thinks she is queen of the world with her little puddle jumper on, and anyone within five feet of her may have a tiny hand reach out and beg you to stand in the water and catch her seven hundred times. But we have had the sweetest memories already with friends and family, getting sun-kissed and covered with sand, soaking in the gift of each other. Because our people truly are a gift.
Hamburgers. Truth be told, I spent my entire life not liking hamburgers. Honestly, I have probably eaten three in my whole life. Well, that was until this summer and this little baby bean in my belly, who cannot get enough. I have easily eaten five times the amount of hamburgers this month as I have my whole life, and I wish I was making that up. But you know, something about this warm weather and a big deck just make it feel so right. (PSA- locals, get yo'self over to Crafted in Couer D'Alene for one. My friend Kelly and I had a date night there when we meant to get salads and accidentally ordered hamburgers. Not even sorry).
Hats. Because I cannot pull them off any other time of the year, and no one looks silly protecting their face from the sun, right? My straw hat from Target has gotten wet and dried right on my head so many times it really only fits me now, just how I like it.
Little girls in bathing suits. Chubby legs in a bikini never looked so dang good.
My son’s curly hair. When Cannon gets a little bit sweaty, or is drying off from a dunk underwater, the hair around the edge of his face curls up around his ears and neck just perfectly. I cannot stop running my fingers through it. Mama, Daddy, and big sister all have totally straight hair, so this little guy and his sweaty ringlets are the best.
Fire pits and s’mores. The smell, the people, the melted chocolate. I don’t think I need to say anything more about this.
Late nights. Just to complement our early mornings, we also enjoy a subtly lit sky until about 9:30pm. I think it could be God’s way of reminding me that enduring the winter is worth it, because once we put the littles down for bed we still have a few hours of fleece blankets, lawn chairs and shared words. Just a few more of my favorite things.
Here’s to hoping your summer months are filled with tan lines and cannonballs and fresh cherries from a tree in your yard (that would have been number 11 on my list). Viva el verano!
P.s. The Giving Shop is giving another $75 to Christ Kitchen/Christ Clinic this month- Thank you for still coming back and spreading a little bit of brave around!