A Bittersweet Blogcation & Photo Contest Winner!

Jennifer's beautiful Butterfly Bush!

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” 
― Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way

Summer is in full swing! If you haven't noticed already, I have been a little absent from posting for a few weeks. The kids got out of school mid-June and we have been spending as much time as we can playing outdoors, eating popsicles and heartily enjoying the beautiful (albeit terribly dry) Michigan Summer of 2012.

This summer has, thus far, been bittersweet. On June 21st, we suddenly lost our dear friend and neighbor, "Miller." He was one of the kindest souls I've known and he is missed dearly by our family, especially my daughters who used to spend time daily with him in his garage talking about life, school, unicorns and stuffed animals.

It was a terrible way to start the summer, but then the "down" was replaced with an "up" this past week when out-of-town friends, who we haven't seen in years, stopped in for a few days, bringing joy with their two little boys and the familiar warmth of seasoned friendship. This was coupled with a surprise visit from my sister-in-law and our wee little niece.

Bittersweet.

This summer is proving to be even more bittersweet for me on a personal level. It is the last summer with both of my girls before they are both in school full time. Sigh. I don't know where the time has gone. I want to hold on to these past years of watching them grow and blossom - and not let go. But at the beginning of September, I will watch my eldest continue on in her school path as a second grader and will walk my littlest into her kindergarten classroom for the first time. Watching them both growing in spirit, cheering them on while fighting back the tears, knowing I'll be missing my little sidekicks.

Bittersweet.

So, I have made the decision that I will be taking a break from blogging for the rest of summer. A blogcation,  I guess you could call it. This is again, very bittersweet for me, as I will miss it.

But these first few weeks of summer have been a reminder to me that life is short and we need to squeeze every bit of the sweetness out of it. Hug your neighbors and tell them you love them. Stay up all night with a bottle of wine and your dear, old friends talking about the good times (and when I say old, I mean friends from long ago - not old, like OLD, OK, Kevin and Sharon? You are both still fabulous!). Cherish time with your family - life twists and turns, shifts and changes and our families can be our rock.

I'm going to go dance in the dewy fairy grass with my babies for a few weeks. Until then, I leave you with the beautiful winner of the recent photo contest (above). Thank you Jennifer for sharing your gorgeous butterfly bush! It captures the sunshininess of summer. :)

Much love and hugs to you all! Have a wonderfully sweet summer!