Pen to Page

  Who knew that an unremarkable Tuesday evening could be so enjoyable?  Last night after dinner, Mom, Little Sister, and I curled up in a great big bed with mugs full of warm mint chocolate chip pudding to watch an old film.  The best part of the evening, however, was the chance it gave me sit and catch up on a few letters that were waiting to be written.

  Surely, there aren't many things in life better than pouring your heart into a few old-fashioned letters.  It's one of those things that makes me sigh and ask myself, Why don't I do this more?  Forgive me for sounding a little like your grandmother (more on that later), but what is sweeter or more cherished than a handwritten note? 

  My affair with correspondence began long ago. As children, my grandmother required my sisters and I to promptly send handwritten thank-you notes after every gift we received from her. (No thank you note meant no present on the next special occasion - not an empty threat.)  And because my grandmother lives far, far away, these thank-you notes slowly morphed into chronicles of what was happening in life.  Thus, my letter-writing proficiency was born.

  The story continues after I completed the third grade. At the time, I lived in northern Italy and there I met some of the my sweetest friends.  When we moved away from one another that summer, we began a long catalogue of mail back and forth. Those girls are still some of my closest friends, and I fully believe that the letters we wrote kept us together. I still have the notes we sent to one another, kept in a box positively bursting with evidence and mementos of one my greatest friendships.

  Throughout most of that post-filled time, I revered being a sender of letters.  I loved filling a blank page with flowing cursive, stamping the envelope, running out to the mailbox before the postman arrived.  It was only in the past year- my first year at college- that I truly learned of the joy that being a receiver of letters brings. While I was away at school, Little Sister faithfully wrote me letters throughout the entire year.  I learned, from her, to appreciate the tangibility of letters- vessels of home that could be held, loved, taped to the wall. 

  And so it is an accumulation of these occurrences that has made me the letter-writing advocate that I am today.  Fortunately for me, many friends are spending their summers working at camps and are in need of new pen pals.

  
 It looks like I'll be needing to stop by the post office to pick up a few more stamps.


 

Notable Moments

Snapshots from life lately-

Army Aviation Museum

Filling a journal- one of the best things

Sweet baby and sweet treats

Downtown hometown

The loveliest little sister

Delicious homemade pizza- sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, avocado, hummus, mozzarella  

Shopping for antiques

Trip to the movies

Another beautiful day at the beach

Seriously noteworthy nachos

Warm summer nights

Hope you're enjoying the long days!

Intent

Congratulations to me, I am now a working girl!  Big, scary life in the corporate world starts for me next Tuesday, when I will begin my job as an elementary school secretary.  I'll line up with the ranks to punch my clock and and join the force drudging away nine to five (eight to three).

In the meantime, I'll conclude my little miniseries of musings on summer (parts one and two can be found here and here).  After worrying over the fact that my summer needs some sort of purpose, and feeling only a little peace about its current state,  I have finally decided to just accept this time.  The earth will keep revolving, heedless of how I am dealing with my trivial days.  C'est la vie, what can I do but embrace every moment?  To do this, I've laid down some intent for the summer. Nothing major - just a reminder that I am still burgeoning, still flourishing, though it may not always be in an overly obvious way. 

Intent for the Summer

In three months time, I will be closer to my family and closer to my God.  

I will be able to say that I have enjoyed the sunshine.  

I will not have let days go by without giving them a chance for adventure.  

I will have taken advantage of the time that I had to be still and rest.  

I will have cherished old friendships and created new ones.

I will have experienced something new, even if it didn't turn out as I expected.

I will have gained knowledge and perspective. 

This summer, I will use the days that I have been given to grow.

Deep Blue Sea

 In my last post, my thoughts about summer were slightly lacking in luster.  To cure this, a self-prescribed remedy was in order: a trip to the beach.

 The beach is absolutely one of my favorite places.  There is nothing more therapeutic to me than a day spent lying on the sand, soaking in the sun, and cooling off in the unending ocean.  Something about the waves rolling in and out, about the sun streaking silently across the sky reminds me that life is still propelling onward.  Standing out in the water, looking out over the vast blue invigorates me like nothing else. 

 I was infinitely thankful to have my friend Britt along with me.  We had a lovely day- the sun was warm and bright, the water crisp and cool, and the company couldn't be beat.

 The little excursion was just what I needed.  After all, what better way to welcome summer with open arms than to enjoy it in the most classic of ways?

Summer Thoughts

 All my life, I have been the classic summer lover.  I eagerly count the days each year until school is over, I make buckets lists to fill the long days, I stay up late with the lingering summer sun and then wish on the stars as they come out.  My skin turns a deep brown, but my hair turns impossibly light.  Summer is when I thrive, and every year it gets better and better, leaving me hoping that it will never end.

 A few months ago when I was caught in the bleakness of February winter, I assumed that this year would be no different.  Summer still seemed a long way off, and therefore had that shiny luster of things unattainable.  However, as the year neared closer and closer to its end, I realized that this year was different.  Summer meant that I had to leave my new life at school, which I had come to love so acutely.  Rather than happily counting the days until summer began, I was reluctantly counting the few days I had left of my wonderful freshman year. 

This brings me here- a little more than a week into being home.  I am slowly finding a routine for my days, but still searching for an overall direction.  I have decided that in order to make these months the most that they can be, I need to live very purposefully.  If I had put this three month break right here at this time by design, what would I use it for?  If summer had been completely my idea, rather than something purely circumstantial, what would I plan for it to be? 

Summer is just beginning, but I have a feeling that it will be gone in a blink.  I am committing to finding the joie de vivre that complements this time so perfectly, and when I do, I'll be sure to let you know.

"Then I began to notice how wonderful the breeze smelled.  It smelled like... sunshine.  Like sunshine and wild grass and pomegranates and rain!  I couldn't stop breathing it in, filling my lungs again and again with the sweetest smell I'd ever known." 

- Flipped

Notable Moments

A look at life lately through my Instagram filter-

Last day of lit class included a trip to the special collections archive in the library

Finals week is over- thank goodness for no more studying

Red bridge in the arboretum

The last night at the greatest university

Bracelets (so seventh grade summer camp, yet still perfect)

Beautiful friend

The road home

Back for the summer

Dad's old glasses, my new lipstick

Miss you already, Aubs

 Still figuring out how life will be for the next three months at home.  I'll keep you posted.

Play Ball

Being that my home state is made up entirely of college sports (football), friends and I decided to take a road trip last Friday night to the great state of Georgia to enjoy some professional baseball.  After donning our red, white, and blue, we set off for Atlanta, excited for a night of cracker jacks and Braves baseball in Turner Field.

There was dinner at the Bullpen, the game at Turner Field, fireworks over the stadium, and a late night snack at the Varsity.  All in all a wonderful night with great friends.