Top Twenty Summer Lovin' Moments

Here are my Top Twenty (in no particular order) favorite moments of summer! 

1. Getting to reflect on life and my vision/mission. I got to be a part of a Ladies' Breakfast hosted by my friend Evelyn in July and I got to think about my Life Verse as an activity with Callie in June. 

2. Trying new restaurants! We ate at Farm Haus in Indian Land for Father's Day and it was delish! 

3. Going on adventures together as a family! We hiked a little at Whitewater Center.

4. Playing games (my personal favorite)..here we are at SlowPlay playing SkyJo, but we also played Chris' favorite...Eucher too.

5. Making freezer meals to use in fall and make dinners even easier! This summer, Wendy and Kyra joined me at the end of join making meals to trade with each other. I made lasagna and chicken enchiladas and got a freezer full of different meals after we met up. 

6. Having a Spa Night with Maggie and doing a Mary Kay virtual party with Aunt Connie. 

7. Stopping in Asheville at some of our favorite places (Maggie=Mast General Store, Riley=Dobra Tea).

7. Connecting with Chris' side of the family in Lake Cumberland, Kentucky (right near Somerset) and getting to rent a pontoon boat to go tubing, enjoy a waterpark, card games, cookouts, and music around a firepit.

8. Celebrating 18 years of marriage with Chris and the very thoughtful ceramic necklace he got me. Bless his heart, he ended up with a pair of blue ceramic bowls from me! But I love the symbolism of how pottery is made by putting it through the fire. Just like in life, there are moments that try us but if we persevere we can come out the other side more beautiful and polished than ever before. 

9. Life can be a puzzle and sometimes it feels like we're stuck in "checkmate" but thank goodness, there is Someone who has the complete picture in mind and knows the end result of the game. I loved discovering Puzzle Night at Middle James Brewery at the new Power House with friends!

10. We sent these two darlings away to Scout camp for a week and Chris and I got to enjoy some much needed quality time! Bocephus and Brunhilda (names we picked out for each other...aren't they cute?? LOL!) had a close game bowling together (well....kind of....). We didn't get any turkeys, but we had quite a few flamingos! 

11. I'm thankful that these kiddos have a supportive group of friends and are getting to appreciate the Great Outdoors in all kinds of neat ways! This is the Scout oath that they say at every meeting: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. And these are the 12 traits that they work on developing: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I pray that as they grow, these will become Christ-like characteristics that SHINE through them in every place they go. 

12. I'm so thankful for faith, family, and freedom! It's not something I take lightly that I got to celebrate 4th of July with my precious parents and hubby and that I daily get to enjoy so many personal freedoms. 

13. I got to eat cake for breakfast on my birthday and have coffee with some of the loveliest ladies I know! It was such a day filled with blessings (gorgeous gifts and words of encouragement from so many). I got a new journal from Chris to record some of our beautiful moments together. I love the idea of transformation, renewal, and new beginnings that these critters represent and check out this meaning: Blue dragonflies, conversely, symbolize tranquility, peace, and calmness. They inspire feelings of serenity and are a reminder to release stress and anxiety. In the Bible, blue is often linked with the divine, the heavens, and the infinite. Therefore, a blue dragonfly could invite us to explore our spiritual potential.

14. On Friday, July 7th, I woke up at 4:30 (after a really restless night of sleep...probably only a few hours) and drove 3 hours to meet my dear brother at 8 AM to hike around Mount Mitchell.  It was the most strenuous trail I’ve ever done with everything from soggy stepping stone stumps to ropes and boulder climbs. But I tell you what….it was time well spent. I sure do love this guy! We got turned around quite a few times so what was going to be a 2 to 2 1/2 hour hike turned into 4 hours...but there's not really anywhere else I wanted to be.

The cheerful BEFORE shot!

The sweaty but still happy AFTER shot! Thanks Edward for keeping my heartrate in check and teaching me the important lesson of a slow and steady climb....don't be afraid to take baby steps! :) 

 This is actually our pic at the summit and then we started our hike down and then back up the mountain! Such beauty all around us! Thankful my girl and boy got to experience God's creation as well that same week (just in another state...West Virginia). 

15. We got to take a very special trip to the beach this year with my favorite nephews (Tripp and Liam) and we got to celebrate Mom/Grandmama's birthday along the way. We had so much fun eating our weight in seafood, riding Banana Boats, wave jumping, playing games and mini golf, and just simply connecting with each other. When we got back in town, Maggie and I got to do a virtual cheers with Kelly and Dustin and enjoy a sweet shower for baby June who will be making her appearance very soon! And we fit in an escape room before the fellas had to leave to fly back home. It does my heart so much good to be able to physically see and be with my PNW family!!

(Sidenote: We got a picture of Roxie from Camp K-9 and found her doppleganger!) 

16. So to sum up this next set of pictures, I just wanted to say that I'm thankful for Sisters in Christ, Saturated, Savory Foods, Steel Hands Brewery, and Shops that let you design your own plant terrarium. I love that my God is a Trinity and I am made in His image and a triune being- Body, Soul, and Spirit. So much of the things I value most on earth are things and people that not only feed my physically, but emotionally, and spiritually as well. It fun to eat, drink, touch, create, imagine, relax, soak, laugh, learn, and give back. I love that because of the gifts I've been given by my Creator, I can encourage others and hopefully point them back to the Giver. What a good God to know that as human BEINGS, we get so much satisfaction from BEING with each other in community and that He designed us from the very beginning for relationship. 

17. CSTALCK is one of my favorite summer traditions. Here's recipe I posted on Facebook after getting to be these sweet girls:

CSTALCK 2023 RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

7 College Friends

3-4 Sunny days

1 amazing pool and hot tub at AquamaReen

2 tasty breakfast casseroles

1 delicious charcuterie board

Equal parts of humorous & heartfelt conversations

PREPARATION

Mix friends in any combination and combine with laughter, games, trips down memory lane, and great food and drinks. Add in special sound effects and peace signs, good advice on just about any topic, cute CSTALCK gifts, at least one night out on the town, and some .5 pics. Sprinkle with choreographed pool noodle dance videos and Insta reels. Bake (in the sun) at least once a year (preferably more).

Yields-a weekend to cherish, more belly laughs than you can count, and friendships that last a lifetime

18. Maggie and I got to take in a free concert by KJ Scriven (part of Worship Unplugged) at Power House July 28th. My top 2 (at the moment) songs were played first: I Thank God and Come Rest on Us. It was so neat to see such beautiful diversity in our community coming together with a unified purpose of praising God! We had to head out before the end, but I heard that there was really powerful prayer moments too with people praying over each other...complete strangers. This is how revival fires are spreading and how more and more people are realizing that there is just something they can't resist about Jesus! 

19. On July 29th, we got to celebrate cute Collins turning 1 year old. This precious girl was a premie baby born 4 months early and she had to fight for her life. She is a marvelous miracle and it was awesome to watch Stewart and Lizzy love her so well. After the shower, Aunt Connie and Phil pulled out all the stops and spoiled our family. We had some delicious Tex-Mex at El Matador, icecream at Dillard's, a drive out to their barndomenium, a trip to Century Park, dips in the pool, a cookout complete with homemade peach icecream, and a makeover and spa supplies. It was such a wonderful weekend! 

20. I love that we got to celebrate Chris' birthday at his usual dive spot--Lupie's and that we began our day with a bike ride together (he'd been asking me for awhile to join him...so I finally caved and it turns out it wasn't as terrible as I expected).  He slowed down his pace and was patient with my amateur ways (like wearing padded gloves backwards)

. I wish him a continued lifetime of downhill slopes, refreshing breezes, and strength to persevere when the road gets bumpy or steep!

Summer is drawing to a close. We are in our final stretch (Chris and I start back next week), but it has truly been one of the most refreshing summers I can remember. It had such a great combination of trips and time at home, getting things done around the house, and relaxing with nothing to do. As sad as I am to see it go...I know it's not truly the end. It's just "see you soon."