Well hello there, friends. Testing one, two. Anyone out there? If you’re here, thank you for visiting. Man oh man, where do I pick up, begin, start, leave off. Since it’s the last official day of summer, why don’t we start with a summer rewind.
This year has certainly been a trying one for us to say the least. I feel like I I’ve been the bearer of bad news, which doesn’t sit well with me. I always wanted this space to be a positive place but I also think it’s important to embrace the realities of life and share our human side. Even though our summer started off and ended with horrible news, there were so many great moments intertwined as well. And for that, I am very thankful and look forward to sharing.
It’s been a summer that we got to share so much time together, which was just what we needed. We have been surround by so much love and support that it has been a nice reminder that there is still so much good in the world.
Many of you know that we lost our daughter at the end of June. It was a position we never thought we would be in or a journey we’d be traveling on. After several tests and speaking with doctors, we have no closure for why this happened. There was nothing genetically wrong with her or I and there is no medical answer for why she left us. I have to find my peace in knowing that for whatever reason she wasn’t meant to be here with us. During this journey we’ve had the chance to lean on each other and have a deeper appreciation for the blessings we do have.
Sunflowers have always been one of my favorite flowers and we decided last year we would clear some of our land and plant a sunflower field. Little did we know we would be deciding to plant them as a memorial for our daughter. We plan to replant them every year and hope that each year we will get a little better. We need to figure out a way to combat the crazy weeds that like to take over. Like most projects we take on, we will get better with each attempt.
I am happy to say that our garden was a big success this summer. It might have taken us three years to actually grow something edible, but you guys, we did it! I’m not claiming green thumb status just yet (we still have a lot to learn), but our little garden was a great escape to focus on and tend to. We had zucchinis, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans and peanuts. We hope to expand our garden area even more next spring and I’m already making a list of projects that I’d like to add on.
We also finished up our outdoor pavilion area that looks out at the sunset and our sunflowers. It’s one of my favorite places to be and has brought me so much peace. I’m so happy with how it came together and how much joy it has brought us sitting out there. We’re looking forward to many more fall fire pit nights and maybe some parties as well.
We spent so many days at the beach, and I am not upset about it at all. I have seen more dolphins on the shoreline than ever before and we even saw a whale jumping in and out of the water! If you frequently watch my insta stories (always a huge thank you to my friends that do) then you probably saw some of the videos I shared. The beach created so many great memories for us. Seeing the boys happy and loving our time in the sand make my heart happy.
We went on several camping trips and have been so thankful for our Airstream to be able to escape safely and have family moments together. We visited places like Cape May, Assateague Island, and Hershey. We have some fall trips planned that we’re also excited about.
I’m still trying to figure out how my second son turned 5. It all feels like time is going by faster and faster. We had so much fun celebrating him and making his birthday as special as we could. We had a small family party at our house, took him fishing, and also visited Kalahari Resort.
Speaking of fishing, we had so many fishing days with the boys. They have a love for it, and I don’t mind it either. I’m not into baiting things up, but I will say I do have a pretty good cast 🙂
I also celebrated a milestone birthday this summer which was bittersweet for me. I usually don’t make a big deal out of birthday and this was one was a little harder on me this year. We did spend Labor Day weekend down the shore crabbing and doing all of my favorite things. We even saw a whale at the shoreline which kind of made my whole summer.
Unfortunately it feels like it is coming to end with another sad moment. I shared on my instagram that I’m not sure what this year is trying to teach me, but I don’t know how much more my heart can handle. My sweet fur baby went into a downward spiral and everything happened so quickly. We had to make one of the toughest decisions, ever, which broke our heart. He was with us for 11 amazing years and I am so thankful I had that time with him. He was my first baby. I know that this hard time comes with owning a pet, but I think it was one of those things I never wanted to accept that having to say goodby would actually happen. He was truly a part of our family. Our house doesn’t feel the same without him and we are all missing him.
As much as this summer brought us some of the most devastating times of our lives, it was still filled with so much joy and love. I keep saying that 2020 needs to just end already, but at the same time. I have to have a glimmer of hope that good things are still to come.
