Idyllic

Idyllic.....summer days are often called this. I have not been able to relate to this word in quite some time.....over the past couple of years our days have become so full with tasks and responsibilities that we forgot what relaxing was or meant. This weekend, like the week we spent at the beach in June, has been a nice exception. This July 4th weekend, we've chosen to homebase it out of Great Falls since one of my brothers is in Columbia for a week. As I type this, I'm drinking bottled sangria and eating a piece of Trader Joe's sourdough toast with butter. Scott and Kate are outside in the vastness of the green grass of the church property on a not-so-hot summer day. Friday, we drove to Charlotte and Concord and visited Trader Joe's, introduced to me during my recent Charlotte yoga immersion weekends. We ate at The Open Kitchen, a 50-year-old Italian eatery, and spent the rest of the afternoon with our friends the Bryants: Jeanne, Mark, and Griffin, who is now 7. Miniature golf, ice cream and a wonderful July 4th festival (rides, fried food) provided the context for catching up with dear friends who also have an "only." Today, we drove to Fort Mill and watched our friend Austin play travel team baseball with another family who is close to our heart. We love to watch baseball, and seeing Austin play having known him since he was a toddler is ideal. For lunch, we met Alexa, Harman and newly-three Simran (July 3 birthday and also an "only") for lunch. This family was the first set of friends to come to Great Falls for church. We love them too, and Alexa and I loved catching up at the park while the dads watched the girls climb. And tomorrow, Michael and Mary Anne Dewitt will come to church and stay for lunch. Kate summed it up in the car today: "friends, and more friends, and more friends, and more friends." Idyllic in the lounging around eating bon-bons in St. Lucia kind of way? No. It's been relaxing in our ability to not worry about The Mimi's breathing, what she has eaten, how messy the house is or how many projects have been left undone. It has taken us a while to rediscover ourselves outside of the harried and hurried schedules we keep, and I appreciate this reintroduction. Hello self!