Summer Fun!

We have enjoyed our weeks of summer vacation with no rigid schedules, homework or many extra activities.

Here are some of the highlights:

In June, we took two one night camping trips--one with several neighborhood families and one with A's Brownie troop. A enjoyed a drama camp, while J took some golf lessons. J went to boy scout camp the end of the month. We enjoyed our neighborhood 4th of July parade.

July kicked off with 4th of July parties and my grandma's birthday (on the 4th) and our annual viewing of the fireworks at a local country club. The next afternoon we got on an airplane and headed to California for our annual trip to see dh's family. We were gone 10 days and the kids had a blast. We visited our favorite beach went to Disney and California Adventure where I went on California Screamin! Wow, that was fast!








We spent lots of time playing and swimming with grandma, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins. Grandma also took us to the Long Beach Aquarium and we enjoyed the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival.

We were able to see special neightbor friends who now live in San Diego and enjoyed a night watching dh's brother and SIL perform at a local taco restaurant in Dana Point. The time always goes much too fast and we miss our family a lot.

The end of July we took in two county fairs, pooltime, BBQs with friends. J enjoyed 3weeks of band camp to get ready for middle school band class and the two girls went to farm camp for 5 mornings one week. We also enjoyed lots of playdates and sleepovers with friends.

August brought a trip to a friend's lake house, trying to learn to waterski (J) for the first time, a beach day with a night-time beach bonfire, back-to-school shopping, more playdates and a last hurrah trip to Michigan Adventure.

Of course, we stayed up later at night, often playing with friends, the crickets and fireflies outside way past our usual bedtimes. We then "slept in" and cuddled all in bed in the mornings. We love summer and it went by way too fast.

Lordy, lordy, are we really 40?

Lyndon B Johnson was the President. It was the height of the Vietnam War. The Summer of Love set the stage for the hippie/flower children culture rapidly forming across the country. The top 4o list of songs were sprinkled with artists like the Monkees, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Van Morrison (with one of my all time favorites, Brown Eyed Girl). Bell bottoms and polyester were staple fashion items.

It was 1967. It was the year I, along with so many of my dear friends, was born.

Fast forward to 2007. The years have gone fast and have taken us through elementary school, high school, college, first jobs, weddings and babies. We have experienced the excitement and happiness of life's joyous times and the sadness and despair of the difficult ones. And, here we are now at the year that we are all turning 40.

I went to a 40th birthday surprise party this past weekend. I've been involved with and have attended many over the past several months (a few of us did turn 40 in 2006), including my own, and have loved each one. There have been a lot of walks down memory lane as the old photo albums have come out because of course no 40th birthday party is complete without a banner with your high school senior picture on it and several other life size photos blown up of you in your "awkward" years or with your ultra big hair or with your rainbow colored prom dress. There has been much laughter!

I am lucky to live near many of my childhood/high school friends and it was been so much fun to celebrate with each of them. It has also been fun to hear about all of my college friends and their celebrations as they turn 40 across the country. We will be having our own 40th birthday girls weekend in the future.

When I was 25, 40 seemed so far away, and now it is here. As I look back and reminisce and think of days gone by, I realize how blessed I am to have such special, wonderful and life lasting friends.

Happy birthday to each of you and to all of you turning 40 this year!