I’m officially at the part of summer where I really need the weeks to slow down. I still have things to cross off my list, and I guess I will need to start reading school emails soon.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
I’m really loving this romper from SSYS. I love that it’s forgiving, has a flutter sleeve and is easy to dress up or down. I wore it last week when we went out to dinner.
The runners had to “carb load” before the Bluegrass 10k on the 4th of July, and we went to a fun pasta place. If gnocchi is on the menu, I usually order it! This definitely hit the spot.
I had some pool time over the 4th, and that was nice and relaxing.
Fireworks are always a fave, and the ones at our usual spot were 10/10 this year!
Hadley arriving home from camp is always a fave, but this year, given the devastation and loss of lives in Texas, I was just ready for her to be home. I think she was ready too. She had fun, but I know she was happy to sleep in her own bed.
Last weekend, I took a stroll through my favorite book. I went there to buy Kristy Woodson Harvey’s newest book since it’s on my summer reading list.
While I was there, I picked up a birthday gift for my Gma. Also, I spotted a few cute finds like this “book lovers journal”…
…and these cute playing cards that look like the book check out cards from the library. I resisted the urge to buy both.
Travis and I have been watching The Waterfront. To me, it’s Outer Banks meets Ozark, and we’ve really enjoyed it.
On Monday, we celebrated Trav’s birthday. We went out to dinner, gave him a few gifts, and had some Bundt cakes for dessert. Since Hadley was gone, and then Hayden went to camp, Monday was the one day we could all have dinner together…and it was Trav’s actual birthday.
The past few days, Trav and I have been in Michigan. We wanted to take some time away to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, and neither of us have been to Michigan. I’m sure I will do a recap, but here are a few favorite photos from our few days here:
Well, I think this past year I’ve felt a little more sentimental than usual. I guess with the closing of the middle school chapter for my kids and knowing (fearing?) the next four years of high school are going to fly by, I’d like to capture a few more memories on the blog.
Like my “Summer Sunday” posts, I had hoped to start a Throwback Thursday post earlier in the summer, but never got to it. Now is the time 🙂
Hadley just got back from camp this week, so I thought it would be fun to have some of her camp experiences in one spot.
The first year Hadley went to camp was the summer of 2019 after her 3rd grade year. It was for six days and six nights. She went to a camp about an hour and a half from Lexington. Many of her friends had been to the same camp, but the previous years, for their age, it was just three days.
I remember being so nervous for her as she prepared for camp. I did take comfort knowing she was excited, and she would have friends there too….I had just wished that we had “tested the waters” for three days before jumping in to a week! When you registered, girls could write down one roommate, so again, I knew she’d most likely have a good friend in her cabin.
We all went to drop her off, and I left a “care package” for her to receive mid-week.
I did give the camp address to family, so she received lots of mail that week. The camp would post photos on Facebook every night, and those first couple of nights I would stay up late to see her smiling face. I just wanted to know she was having a good time.
I had told her that when I picked her up, I’d probably be there early because Hayden had a baseball tournament that weekend. We could pick up starting at 9:00, and I was there by 9:15. Once the counselor went to get her, she came out smiling, and the first thing I noticed (besides her smiling face) was all the bug bites she had. haha!
She immediately asked that I sign her up for the next year, and also told me she hadn’t brushed her teeth since Tuesday since she’d lost her toothbrush! haha
Once I got her packed up and in the car, she told me all about her week at camp before falling asleep for most of the ride home. I was so happy that she’d had such a great time.
We’d signed her up to go the summer of 2020, but that session ended up getting canceled. She was really bummed.
She proceeded to go to the same camp in 2021 and 2022. Both times, she had a blast, and I was definitely less nervous about sending her. I’m so grateful she’s had those experiences.
Hayden never seemed interested in going to sleep away camp, and since he’s a home body like me, I never pushed it on him. His first camp experience was running camp last year…and he loved it.
I feel like we’ve gotten pretty good at packing Hadley for camp. Last year, I wrote this post sharing what Hadley usually took to camp.
The camp she went to last year and this year provided a packing list, but she put everything in a suitcase since that is easier to load into the belly of the coach bus, and put other odds and ends in her backpack.
Last year, was Hadley’s first year going to Young Life camp in Missouri. There is a YL branch at her school, and she’s been involved in it all three years of middle school. She’s made amazing connections and has been provided great opportunities to grow in her faith with wonderful leaders.
This camp experience is different compared to what she did the previous three years as she packs a little differently, I don’t have to drive her to camp, and I don’t get to see the facilities (in person).
She boards a bus at a local church at 5am, and rides a coach bus the nine hours to camp. As they arrive at camp, the leaders take their phones for the five days they are there.
The leaders do send the parents emails with photos, and sometimes there are videos. Of course, I still want to see her smiling face, but I know she’s having a good time and worry less about her now that she’s older.
The camp is on a lake, so they have the best time boating, tubing, swimming, playing games, attending small group, cabin time, and club (for daily lesson/scripture) as well as journaling, playing volleyball and pickle ball, meeting other kids and more.
They don’t leave the camp until 1:00 PM (central time) on Sunday, so they don’t get back to the local church in Lexington until 1 or 2 am. I know she’s tired from camp, but I’m tired from the late pick up! haha
Last year, she was gone over the 4th of July, but they had a blast.
This year, camp was mid-June, and of course Hadley was excited to go. The packing list and logistics were the same. Travis dropped her off early last Wednesday morning, and after about eight hours, she texted us that she was handing over her phone and she’d see us in a few days.
Like in years past, I appreciated getting a few pics from the YL leaders.
For “theme” night for their group…they were Nerds. We didn’t have to provide anything for this costumer so this was a cute surprise picture to see. (Hadley is bottom row, second from left)
They had time on the lake…
…and enjoying the amazing setting.
Once she got her phone back on Sunday afternoon, I was excited to see this text from her:
I picked her up at 2am on Monday, and I was excited to see her of course. She filled me in on all of the activities and fun she had with her friends. I think this year felt a little different for her. This is a big group of girls, and a few of them are going to a different school for high school. They’ll all still see each other, but it will be different.
Hadley said on the final night, there were tears and they stayed up extra late hanging out.
I’m glad she’s had such wonderful camp experiences through the years. Each year has provided lots of memories, but going to camp has allowed her to spread her wings a bit, be independent, and navigate life a little out of her comfort zone.
We miss her when she’s gone, but I know she will look back on these camp experiences with fond memories.
Friday afternoon was a fun one. I went to summer school for a couple of hours, but I left early to tag along with Trav and Hayden for their road trip to Louisville go to the races at Churchill Downs.
It wasn’t a fancy day at the track, but I still wore a pretty pink dress!
We got there around 1:30 and stayed for a few races. One of Trav’s clients had horses running in two different races, and they were fun to watch.
I usually am just at Churchill on Oaks day, so it felt very different being there with far less people. It was a hot day, but we were mostly inside.
I did get to see the new paddock area up close, and it was really neat to see.
We left around 4:30, went to Trav’s mom’s house for a bit before heading home.
I had some pool time on Saturday. I typically want to work out and run all my errands before doing anything fun, but I knew if I went to the pool earlier in the day, it wouldn’t be as hot, and it would be less crowded. I went from 11-1:30 which was the perfect amount of time.
After the pool, I got Hayden some lunch, did my workout, and then took Hayden to his basketball game.
We’ve been watching a lot of baseball, and Saturday’s walk off win for the “Bat Cats” in the College World Series was an exciting one.
Photo c/o UK baseball
Saturday evening, I read my book and watched the Royals game. They won too.
Travis and Hayden chose dinner on Saturday night, so we went to one of our favorite pizza places. It was a really nice evening to sit on the patio (in the shade)
The best part of the weekend will be being reunited with Hadley since she’s been away at camp this week.
As I type this, her ETA home is 1 am, but I can’t wait to pick her up.
Of course, Sunday was Father’s Day, and that’s something to celebrate! I made Travis breakfast (just the Krusteaz coffee cake and microwave sausage…only the best, for T-rav…haha!), and then he and Hayden went and played 9 holes of golf.
We plan on celebrating him a bit more tonight now that Hadley will be home.
Ahh…Mondays in the summer are the best, and I’m afraid to count how many we have left. No many.
I’m linking up with Holly and Sarah to share about our weekend.
Here’s a peek at the weekend:
Well, Friday was the first day I left the house since Monday. I kind of unintentionally stayed home all day Tuesday just to tackle things around the house, and I had an online PD most of the day. Then…
We seriously can’t catch a break around here. From earlier in the summer when I had Covid and then before our vacation Hadley had strep (again) and the stomach issues…well, on Wednesday, I woke up having what felt like a pretty mild stomach bug along with being really tired. I made it through Wednesday, but hardly slept Wednesday night because then I felt like I had the flu. I never did have a fever, but I was achy, chilled, tired with a headache. I’ve taken a couple of Covid tests and they were negative, so I guess I caught some kind of bug. Thankfully, no one else in my family got it.
Flash forward to Friday, and I needed to (continue to) get caught up on life. Hayden and I stopped by the library for books for everyone….While I’ve done a great job reading this summer, my kids need to hit the 7th grade summer reading list!
Then, Hayden and I headed to the mall because I had an Aerie return. We stopped in a couple of places for him and then got lunch at the food court. Hayden and I had quite a bit of time together this week because Hadley was at camp.
When we got home, I headed to the pool by myself for two hours. I was panicking because I felt my tan fading! 😂
Y’all, I couldn’t resist and bought this Amazon cover up again…I now have it in blue and navy. I wore the blue one so much on vacation, that I knew I’d want it in another color too.
This stage with my kids is both great and bittersweet. They hang with their friends quite a bit in the summer which is wonderful…and then that means that I have time to run errands or read by the pool for a bit. With Hadley gone and Travis at work, Hayden hung out with friends, and I went to the pool solo for a bit.
Then, I came home, showered and headed to Hayden’s basketball game. It was his best game of the season!
Then, we went to a favorite restaurant for dinner with friends.
Then, Travis and I sat on our back patio for a bit before going to bed.
I guess I still needed the rest because I slept until 9:00!
Hadley caught a ride home from camp and headed straight to volleyball camp that was from 9-5.
So, last Saturday, we got home at 10:30 pm from our vacation, and then Sunday morning Travis headed straight to the horse sale. So, I got Hadley ready for camp and drove to and from. I was running on fumes by Sunday evening!
Here she is in her cabin at drop off.
Needless to say, she didn’t miss us one bit. She had the best time. The camp posts photos late every night, so every morning, I searched for photos with her smiling face. We missed her, but I’m happy knowing she’s happy.
When I finally saw her Saturday night after volleyball camp, I asked her if camp was for two weeks would she have stayed, and she said, “yes!”
Next year’s age group is boys and girls combined. I think I need to convince Hayden to go at the same time!
Anyway, while she was at volleyball camp, I did my workout, when to dance team meeting and then had a nail appointment. I usually do gel nails when I get them done, but this is my second round of SNS. I do love that they last longer, but I just hate having to get them soaked off.
When I got home, Trav’s brother was over with his boys, so they were all busy. I was able to read for a few minutes, but Homer was trying to convince me to take a nap! I resisted the urge.
We picked up Hadley up from volleyball camp and headed straight to meet the cousin crew for pizza dinner.
It hit the spot.
Once we got home, I had to tackle all the camp stuff. There’s always lots of laundry and then re-organization of supplies to be ready to roll for next year.
Everyone showered (Hadley went first!), and then I hit the hay early.
Sunday morning, I slept in a bit again. Travis and I had our coffee and watched some shows while the kids slept in. Hadley slept until 10:00, and we had to wake Hayden at 10:30.
We spent most of the day in Louisville with family celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday.
What were you up to this weekend? Summer seems to be flying by!
Hello! Long time, no talk! How’s it going? My blogging break has been much needed, but I sure have missed posting!
Today, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.
Here’s what we’ve been up to the past couple of weeks along with some of our favorites.
These bracelets are one of my favorite things to wear lately.
My friend, Amy, sent these to me. She hand makes these custom bracelets. She has so many cute and fun options. Check her out on Instagram (@soulshine.kc)! I know you’ll love anything she makes!
Hadley went to sleep away camp and had the best time! She was so sad last summer when camp was canceled, so she was so excited to go back this year! We were one of the first in line for drop off, and she had a great time with friends, old and new. Camp was definitely a favorite for Hadley this summer.
I loved seeing the photos on Facebook. I missed her, so it was nice to get daily updates and see her smiling face!
Hadley at camp was one of Hayden’s favorite parts of summer (haha!). He also went to golf camp for the first time, and he loved it!
One things that wasn’t a favorite…poison oak! It’s never good when your kid wakes you up at 3 am to tell you he’s itching all over! We aren’t sure where he picked it up, but it sure did spread quickly. Thankfully, we got into the doctor the next day and the steroid meds helped immensely.
We’ve also continued to have lots of baseball this summer. It’s always a favorite watching Hayden and his team play. They have lots of fun together.
Another favorite…we FINALLY got our new basement floors. I shared that our master bath shower leaked down to the basement bathroom and living space in early May, so the floors had to be ripped up. What we had put down when we updated the basement a few years ago was no longer being made, so we found something pretty similar and are really pleased.
The original floors after Travis ripped up the damaged flooring vs the new finished product:
Then, I found this pretty rug at Home Goods to replace our previous area rug. It’s super soft and I love the gray tones.
Another favorite is my new messenger bag. I’ve been wanting one for quite some time. I stopped in a favorite boutique that I hadn’t been to since before the pandemic, and saw this gold toned bag. It was my summer gift to myself for teaching summer school 😉 They had some fun straps and I liked the one it came with, but I got this one (in pic below) from Amazon!
Another favorite is dinner al fresco! The kids were having too much fun playing with friends, so Travis and I ended up having dinner on our back patio by ourselves on Sunday night. Steak and asparagus by Travis…and microwave Bob Evans mashed potatoes by me!
Once July hits, I start thinking about school. I always feel better after I get my room unpacked (which will maybe happen next week?…they are still cleaning my area of the school), buy my desk calendar and lesson plan book.
I decided to try the Happy Planner teacher planner. If you know any teacher, you know we are picky about our planners. I’ve used a variety through the years, and I just thought I’d give this one a try. I was close to ordering one online and then realized Michael’s has some and they were 30 (or 40?)% off…+ my teacher’s discount at Michael’s! I love a good deal.
We are soaking up these last days of summer. We’ve had a couple pool days this week after a three week hiatus. June is our big pool month, then we had vacay, camps, and lots of rainy days that took the pool off our fun list for a bit. The kids have had lots of fun with their friends this summer at the pool. It’s definitely a favorite part of our summer.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Me…all summer long trying to keep up with my kids…vs. my parents in the 80’s (Although, the Major was pretty strict about knowing our whereabouts!)
BonusFave: Flashback Friday
One of my favorite vacation photos popped up in my Facebook memories recently. Siesta Key in 2017…sunset and the kids playing in the ocean.
I still hope to post intermittently over the next few weeks while continuing a little break.
I will share my Sentence a Day for July and what I’ve been reading this month as well once we get to the end of July.
I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer! See you back here soon.
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