Family Photos: Our First Summer Walk…and Lunch Outside

Breaking news: We had quite a busy day on Monday! Well, more like a busy afternoon since I technically didn’t get up until 10:45…ooops! In my defense, though, I’ve slept much, much later — just ask my mom! Anyway, I recently suggested that we take our first official summer walk because, ummm, I don’t get out much in the cold winter months and I’ve become paler than a vampire; seriously, if I looked in the mirror, I don’t think I’d even have a reflection! So anyway, take that summer walk we did. And, wow, did it prove to be just the thing we needed too. I’m starting to think the warm sun is a giant ball of pure magic!

I couldn’t resist snapping this photo of my mom right after we started our trek. She’s one of those people who likes to walk ahead and lead the pack. I think it comes from all her years as a teacher spent corralling hoards of unruly students on field trips. This photo is her classic pose. When she saw me taking her photo, she said, “What are you doing?” as if she not photogenic — is she humble or what?

We’ve walked the above path a lot, but for some reason on Monday, I was struck by how much it reminds me of life. Life can feel like one giant winding path sometimes and it can start to feel like we’re just walking on it forever, but there really is beauty all around it, you know?

We were going to just walk up to the gas station to get a soda pop, but as we were walking on a merry way, we realized that it was almost noon. Why not stop for a nice lunch, we thought? We have the greatest restaurant right by our house — it’s a tavern/sports bar, and they have the largest order of fries I’ve ever seen! SO YUGE! My mom and I split an order and we still had some leftover. That’s saying A LOT considering I could eat all the fries in sight if I really wanted to…with extra ranch for dipping, of course!

Seriously, though, it was so nice to just sit outside, eat lunch and shoot the breeze with my mom — and feel the summer breeze! I’m usually not one for eating al fresco because of a very, very unfortunate incident on our Arizona vacation involving me, the desert sun and one too many garlic potatoes. But in the Midwest, the conditions just seem to be right! Whew!

We came home, played a game of Yahtzee and then…that’s when I noticed it! My arm. A growing patch of RED. Ahh, I knew exactly what was brewing under my pasty-pale skin. A sunburn! I knew I should have invested in a sunhat this year!!

Oh, well, at least there was some good news that came with said sunburn — I’ve never drank so much water in my entire life! I didn’t suffer from dehydration, that’s for sure, which, if you know my history, can happen at the drop of a hat! But it was all aces, so crisis averted!!

And, finally, we’re nothing if not creatures of habit: We realized that we went out for lunch at this exact same restaurant almost exactly one year ago. Right before we bought my new shower chair! So, yeah for random anniversaries, right?!?!?

What have you been doing to welcome the summer and its glorious weather, friends?? Been eating outside? Going for a summer walk at dusk? I’d love to hear all about it!!! xoxo