We’re actually down to our last two weeks of summer, if you can believe it. My kids are on a modified year-round schedule, and so they start school the first week of August.
Because of a combination of events–my husband’s busy job, my daughter’s five weeks at a ballet intensive, etc.–we actually haven’t been able to get away as a family for a vacation, but that’s not to say that we’ve been stuck at home all summer.
Just a few weeks ago, we headed down to Nashville to get our rental house ready for our new tenants. After a few busy, hot days of work, we were able to head up to Clarksville, home of Ft. Campbell. Because we were stationed there for nine years (and both of our children were born there), visiting Clarksville is always like coming home.
We got to eat lunch with one of my dearest friends, Becky.
The real purpose for our visit was to celebrate the retirement of two dear friends, Brett and Sal. My husband has known them and flown with them for years, and Sal’s wife Andrea is one of my dearest friends. I told you we’ve had a lot of retirements this summer! (see the other one here)
I showed this bracelet on Facebook, but this was the first time I’d seen Andrea since Sunny dog died {his story is here}, and she gave me this sweet bracelet in his memory. I wear it every day.
At the guys’ retirement party, Carolyn, Andrea and I were reunited. They’re two of my “bestest” friends (they even came to my house to oversee things when Better Homes & Gardens was doing the photo shoot of my kitchen the very same week we had tickets to Disney–see that here). Because our husbands have been assigned here, there, and everywhere since our years together in Tennessee, it’s hard to get us together for a picture.
We recreated our “meeting in the ladies’ room” photo from 2012, just for fun.
| Palazzo pants |
Here’s the 2012 version:
The nicest part is that Carolyn’s family just moved to North Carolina, so we’re neighbors again. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!
••••••
Then, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, last month I took a quick trip to Pennsylvania with my cousin Stephanie for our aunt’s funeral. When I say quick, I mean quick. Steph flew into Raleigh, and I picked her up and we drove ten hours to DuBois, Pennsylvania, slept, attended the funeral, took our uncle to lunch, and then drove ten hours back to Raleigh, where I put her on a plane back to Atlanta.
Since I’m an only child, Steph is the closest thing I have to a sister (read her amazing story here). Our moms were sisters; mine died in 2002 (her story is here) and Steph’s died last January.
This is going to sound strange, but I know you’ll understand–we enjoyed our road trip together so much. Of course, we were so sad to have to say goodbye to another wonderful woman, but the uninterrupted time in the car was precious and it’s increasingly rare as our kids get older and busier.
In the morning, before Aunt Jeanie’s funeral, we went to the tiny country cemetery where both of our moms are buried. We took a bottle of Prosecco and orange juice to toast our amazing mothers and the lasting legacy they created.
Because laughter has always carried us through life’s darkest times–death, cancer, heart transplants, you name it–we decided to call it “Mimosas with Mom.”
As I thought back over my summer, even though we didn’t manage to sneak away to the beach for a week, we’ve made memories with friends and family, marking the bittersweet milestones of life together. I can’t think of a better way to spend the precious minutes and days of life, can you?
Thanks for stopping by.
