I hope you are enjoying these summer days…The last two weeks of our lives have been both full and relaxing!
Here’s a peek:
I knew that while Mom and Dad were definitely ready for extra rest (especially the first few weeks), our younger children would find this b-o-r-i-n-g. So, we signed them up to participate in a few different all-day camps, which made them happy! It made us happy too. 🙂
Our rising Kindergartner, 4th and 7th graders dove into sports camps — basketball, soccer and lacrosse — and really liked the experience. This gave my husband and I extra time with our teen girl, time to be alone, and time to plan for our summer road trip.
A win-win for all!
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Two weeks ago, my husband and I also had a hours-long mentoring session with a wonderful couple trained in the Ennegram test.
We had not heard of this personality assessment before. Both of us eagerly looked forward to our meeting as part of our personal development goals for the Sabbatical season.
Wow — just wow. Not only did we gain MUCH perspective about how we each experience life, stress, work, one another, etc., but the accuracy of the evaluation and meeting simply blew us away!
It was more in-depth and more helpful than any other personality test we have completed (and we have done many over time).
Our next step is to slowly yet deliberately pay attention to our way of doing life (by reflecting, journaling, praying, sharing with others), and to invite God into those places. There was SO much more to our meeting than this, and I’ll be pondering it all for a long time.
We hope to share again with this couple before summer’s end.
After a week of sports camps, we headed to Philadelphia to celebrate another family reunion — we’ve had three in May & June. All of my father’s siblings, all of their children, and nearly all of their children’s children were there.
What a wonderful time of catching up! A great weekend of introductions, story-telling and remembering family members already gone.
Just a note that I completed the Whole30 journey in FULL! Only days 24-28 were tougher (I was at a family reunion after all). But I did break sugar cravings, which was my biggest goal.
Now? I want to still maintain a primarily Whole30 diet over the next month. Then, I think another (deeper) elimination diet will make an appearance. We’ll see.
In other news…alongside of time to read plenty of books, which I have sorely missed the last few months, I have also appreciated time for crafting and some thrift shopping.
My teen and I headed out to the nearest Hobby Lobby 45 minutes away to pick up craft supplies. A fun date with my girl!
A highlight of last week definitely included a three day getaway for my husband and I. Yes, we’ve done this a lot recently!
With gift certificate in hand, we headed out to a new-to-us bed and breakfast. Our days focused on making some great memories as a couple — and we enjoyed such a special time. Find more pictures and details on Instagram.
Our getaway time also included reflecting and remembering. Last July, a family in our church lost their husband and father in a tragic accident. Truly, it was one of the most difficult and strenuous days (and week) of ministry life we’ve experienced thus far.
For us, it was meaningful to pause and visit Dan’s gravesite, recall special memories, and to remember his family.
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So far, and as much as possible, the experience of summer has been a slow one for me. But — the pace is changing soon with travel up ahead! 🙂
How is your summer?
[…] a group we enjoyed the extended family reunion last June, but wanted more time without distraction to catch up and […]
Such beautiful pooths! I love them all! The b&w of james and noah in the leaves reminds me so much of the classic hot dog pic of Ethan & Aaron . And the pic of Aaron & Tally is so sweet. I know that smile that my brother has in that photo same smile when he hugged Tally in the foyer after their wedding .love.