So Long, Sweet Summer . . .

. . . I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays . . .

Summer will always be my favorite season and when you live full time near the shore, September is definitely still a part of summer.  Now, being just a few days short of October and being pestered by a few little someones about getting our pumpkins out, I’m coming to grips with the fact that fall is here and the summer of 2018 is, in fact, over.  It has never pained me more to return to school than it has this year.  It’s probably because my boys are older and more capable of taking care of themselves and not be walking danger magnets wherever they go.  They can make their own snacks and pack their own bags for the beach and I can breathe a little easier knowing they’re fairly capable swimmers, still needing a watchful eye, but simple enough for one adult to handle and not feel the need to hyperventilate every few minutes.  

Every summer seems shorter and shorter, this one in particular since we spent a good part of August on a wild adventure through Iceland, Germany, and Poland (more on that in a future post!).  I really wasn’t ready to give up the last warm sunny weekends of 2018 to soccer and baseball, but since it’s rained for what feels like the last 30 days straight, I guess that wasn’t happening anyway.  Like all summers, 2018 left us feeling warm with amazing memories and wanting to hold onto it just a little bit longer.  #summerforever  (All photos were taken on Long Beach Island, New Jersey)

So long sweet summer, I fell into you, now you’re gracefully falling away. -Dashboard Confessional