end of year

The school year is just about coming to a close. Phew, we made it! It was a full year for not only the kids but for me and Ryan also. The kids have been cleaning out desks, lockers, and bringing home all sorts of "stuff" that has mostly ended up in the trash can. Don't you love it when they come home, rushing through the door, bombarding you with all their papers and art projects? These are precious times to a mother, especially as kids get older and we realize these times are quickly slipping away. My Gwennie will be graduating from middle school on Friday, and it is very surreal. She will soon be 14 and she is so enthusiastic and excited for high school next year...and for stake dances, youth conferences, etc. My firstborn is blossoming into a lovely young woman right before my eyes and I wish I could make things slow down just a bit so I can soak it all in a little more.

The end of a school year means the beginning of a new summer. We are looking forward to time together once my love returns from Utah. There's so much we want/need to do this summer that I'm afraid we won't have time for all of it, but we're going to do our best to squeeze it all in. So here's to summer 2011 and lazy days spent on the seashore, traveling, and cozying up to the campfire. Hoping to make some special memories that will last forever!

In touch with my inner hippy

The older I get the more I realize the inner hippy in me. I was born and raised a NorCal girl, in a conservative family, yet surrounded by Birkenstocks, female school teachers who didn't shave anything, and lots of healthy, organic food with the very rare candy or gum. My parents are not hippies, don't get me wrong, we just lived out in the vineyards and lived off the land. Nothing wrong with that! In fact, I crave that sometimes. Just being back out in wide open spaces with nothing but fresh air and nature all around you living off the food you grow.

I don't know why, but lately that hippy has been wanting to come out more than usual. Homemade granola. Check. Birkenstocks. Check. No make-up. Check. And I finally paid a visit to our Trader Joes!!! It's a little ways away, so I kept putting it off, but I sure got a hefty dose of NorCal as I went yesterday! I felt like I was back in California, back to my roots. I could have bought the whole store if my wallet would have allowed it. And the prices are wonderful! Even better than other grocery stores. What is it about that place that makes me want to put on a linen skirt and some Birkenstocks and go buy some natural deoderant? (I've never tried any of the body products but have always been curious). Silly, I know. Don't worry Ryan...so my shaving habits have become a little sporadic since you've been gone. You won't come home to a forest, I promise. But you may come home to my feet adorning something like these...I have a weakness for Birkenstocks. Always have, always will. Aren't they cute? Too bad money doesn't grow on trees...