Summer's Bittersweet Goodbye

My long time readers are well aware of my fondness for summertime. I feel most alive when I can be outside. (Even if I'm inside working all day, knowing I can be outside if I want is huge.) I'm also admittedly smitten with all of summer's idealist stereotypes - bare feet, fireflies, beach days, sundresses, ice cream, margaritas, etc. Gimme all of them. I am also very much affected by the length of days - I have a hard time emotionally/mentally when it gets dark so early in the winter, and I am happiest when the sun stays out late. (My favorite summer nights were when I lived at the west border of eastern time in Indianapolis and Ann Arbor, Michigan, when it stayed light out until 10 PM. The best.) So as August comes to an end and I know these sunny days will be gone soon, I always get a little melancholy.

Now that I have babes who go to school (yep, even little Emmett starts next week), I feel slightly sad about that too. Okay, so I'm not distraught over having them away a few days a week (you mean I can work without hearing "maaamaa!" from downstairs at regular intervals?), but I am a little stressed about all of the added drop offs and pick ups (on top of all of their other activities) after a relaxed summer schedule.

Despite any sadness for summer coming to an end, the more I think about it, there is some goodness to it too. It's bittersweet. I may not get excited about fall like most bloggers do, but I do love watching my kids' wonder at fall activities like apple picking and pumpkin hunting. This is also the first fall and holiday season we aren't in the townhouse, and own our own home to decorate for the season. And this summer, as wonderfully summer as it's been, wasn't without difficult times. Saying goodbye to one of my best friends after a brutal illness was heart breaking.

So beloved summertime, it's a bittersweet farewell this year. I'm going to do my best focus on the memories you gave us (as can be seen in the photos throughout this post), but also keep myself in the present as the seasons change. (Which doesn't actually start until September 22nd, just sayin'.)

ALSO FIND US HERE: INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // PINTEREST