An Abundance of Joy

Friday, August 14

Sweet Summer Week 5 and 6

The last of our sweet summer.

For the last double-digit number of years, LDC and I have carved out time each summer to make sure we get our required dose of Vitamin Sea.

And honestly, it has been a pretty great prescription.

Our Jekyll Island summers together have been filled with treasures and memories that, years later, still make us laugh. The days are sandy, sweaty, sticky, and ridiculously hot…perfecto.

There has been minimal bougie.

(Minimal)

That is exactly what makes it so special.

Because neither of us would want it any other way.

Over the years, the details might have changed, but the important stuff hasn't--like our little traditions.

There is something pretty wonderful about knowing that you can spend years doing the same thing with someone and still look forward to it…

Still happily choosing the heat, the sand, the sweat—and each other.

LDC, I love you.

And as our summers together start to come toward their end, I just want you to know how perfect they've been.

Not perfect in the polished, picture-perfect kind of way.

Perfect in the hot, sweaty, sandy, laughing-until-we-can't-breathe, wouldn't-have-it-any-other-way kind of way.

And really, what more could we ask for?

So, here is to the 250th

American celebration

and to shorebirds, swatting at mosquitos and avoiding jellyfish.

Here’s to all the Vitamin Sea we've already had—and...

to every last grain of sand still to come.

Saturday, July 11

Sweet Summer Week Four, Red-Rock Buttes

Nestled in the high desert

Five girls from Louisiana walked into the Arizona desert... and immediately started looking for shade, drinks, and a breeze.

Yep, my view from bed.

5:10am sunrise

Look at that paint stroke of colors

Guess the temperature

a) 86

b) 96

c)106

Correct answer

b)96.....mid morning

Although,

it was 108 in Phoenix when the plane wheels hit the ground.

Meb,

We made it back.

Thank you for the surprise immersion program with a broken-English stranger.

Next time we are at an Italian restaurant, it will be "bueno".

Please never stop making me fish tacos.

I'll charge your crystals any time, any day...not sure why I slept on the Smoky Quartz- but let's go with it.

KT,

Thanks for bringing the joy.

Life can sometimes shatter and that's okay—especially when those shattered pieces can put back together with peace and be more beautiful than before.

Hillary,

Thank you for proving that every mile hiked earns at least an hour in the pool with a Long Drink. By our math, we were right on schedule.

Chloe,

Thank you for helping me realize those old, discolored scraps of paper weren't junk—they were just memories waiting for a reunion. And one day, I'll proudly hand over $5 to hear you perform at an RV campground—front row, of course.

And one of my favorite pics from the trip...

We turned the driveway into a five-star observatory—minus the comfort and plus a few pebbles.

Friday, June 26

Sweet Summer Week Three, Camp NURSE LIFE

https://andersonuniversity.edu/news/new-camp-introduces-high-schoolers-to-the-world-of-nursing/ (front row, holding sign)

Her highlights from Nursing Camp...

proper PPE techniques, birthing simulator, and wound care

Although nursing turned out to be about as perfect a fit as flip-flops in a snowstorm, the camp was still an awesome opportunity for her to fuel her curiosity and keep exploring all the exciting possibilities in the healthcare field.