wrapping up Summer in a very slow, enjoyable fashion...

Summer is coming to an end. The weather says differently, but I can feel it. School is in the air. Hopefully Fall is in the air too. I'm longing for warmer clothes, candles lit, random blankets on the couch to cuddle, pumpkin spice everything, crock pot meals, reading by the fire, and did I mention working out while not sweating half to death because its so dreadfully hot outside?!

The kids and I have been enjoying this end of the week. We've had fun just us and fun with friends. I hosted summer swim dates at our house {typically every Thursday or Friday} and that was probably the highlight of our summer. So fun to have a ton of friends over all at one time. And I enjoyed that even though it looked like a bunch of work, it wasn't. It was like being at a park, but its the comfort of your own backyard, so no worrying about strangers and the kids were on contained to our yard. Plus, I get to be outside enjoying my yard all day, while talking with good friends. Those summer dates were a blast. I can't believe next week is our last one....


I took the kids to a big lake near our house yesterday and we enjoyed the 
hottest day of the year in the water and playing in the sand. 



 The lake totally reminded me of Lake Tahoe. 
I couldn't get over how much it looked like a spot we went to at Pope Beach. 

Miles had a hard time with the heat, so he got to dip in the lake a bit as well. 
It was his first introduction to lake water and I think he enjoyed it. 
It was nice to spend a day out of the house, just relaxing. 
The girls collected shells and made a lot of friends and Ethan practiced swimming 
in the deeper water, which went really well to my surprise. 
He's our cautious child :) 





 Half way through our visit we pulled out some of our favorite books, 
laid on our blanket and I read to them while they relaxed. It was heavenly. 
IKEA has some new children's books that my kids love. 
They're really cute stories and different from all the other books we have, which is fun. 
I think I love them because they're books I've never read, 
so even I'm anticipating what's gonna happen next. 



I love to people watch and this couple really caught my eye. 
They've been married 52 years. When they got married they were 16! 
The husband needs help walking when he doesn't have his cane. 
So his wife helps him. And she helps him very tenderly. 
It was one of the sweetest sights I've ever seen. True love. 
She told him where to step and kept saying, 
"I'm here, I'm here, sweetie. Lean on my arm." 
when he got in the water and started doing his laps, she stood there very proud, smiling. 
They ended up with her on a floaty and him in the water next to her, just talking. 
Laughing, talking and gazing at each other. 
I kid you not, it was a beautiful sight. 
I asked them "when you give marriage advice to young couples, what is it?" 
and he quickly answered, "admit when you're wrong and love her more than yourself." 
She said "remember that no fight is worth what you think its worth in that moment
and never forget all the silly reasons you fell in love, especially during those tough times." 
Then he said something golden.... 
"marriage is like cement. It shouldn't break easily. It should have to be blasted and 
drilled apart with great intensity. And maybe it will crack, but it shouldn't split easily. 
And just because that person is stuck to you like cement for the rest of their lives, 
shouldn't mean you take on a jerky 'this is life' attitude. 
Make sure your spouse feels like the luckiest person in the world, 
even on that 52nd Anniversary." 

So true. 

They were adorable. And I'm super glad I met them. 


 cozy for a nap, before the heat annoyed him. 

Comments

Nikki Ludwyck said…
Ahhh!! LOVE this day. Love that couple you met. What amazing advice. Thanks for blogging this Stef. Very sweet to read.
Stef said…
I know! I wanted to bring them home with me. Such a cute couple and very real. loved them. Loved the day.
Amy said…
Absolutely fabulous story about the older couple. I will remember the "no fight is as important as you think it is in the moment" advice.

Thanks for sharing!!
Charlotte said…
I loved it that you went and started a conversation with that couple. Today it seems like we just do our own thing, and don't even notice those around us, let alone get into a conversation with others. And what beautiful words of wisdom!

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