each day

it's hard to believe that labor day, the end of summer, is already here.
i am off to enjoy a fantastic weekend at the lake my mom lives on.
sipping on as many frozen fruity drinks as i can handle.
dipping my toes in the still warm water.
wearing my favorite white pants one last time.
enjoying sunsets watched from the pier.
taking our pup out on the speedboat & teaching him to swim.
enjoying the 2nd annual corn-off {who can eat the most ears of corn} w/ family.
and gleefully untying the ribbons of these last few days of summer.

photo of lake wawasee via a family friend.

it was a perfect day

i'm quite a fan of country music. there's a lady antebellum song that goes:
it was the perfect day/what I'd give if I could find a way to stay/
lost in this moment now/ain't worried about tomorrow
when you're busy living in a perfect day.

yesterday {& today} was that perfect day.
the puppy let us sleep in.
we rewarded him with a 4 hour boat ride.
complete with a free boat-in country concert that we stumbled upon.
sampson loves being on the boat.
he stands up on the bow of the boat. looking so handsome. king of the world.
we camped out & spent the night at the state park.
it was sampson's first camp out, but he was too tied to experience it all.
passed out by 10pm. we weren't far behind him though.
we had a few beers by the fire & admired the stars before calling it a night.
a whole day with my 2 faves - boating and camping.
it was a perfect day.

after packing up camp the next morning we were back out on the water.
we pulled our boat up on a shore & coerced sampson into swimming a bit.
the weather was perfect & the sun was shinning.
it was a perfect day.

one of those perfect summer nights

the other night was one of those perfect summer nights.
there have been a few of them recently, actually.
in which a few hours are spent on a lake with my husband & puppy.
on a speedboat from my childhood with the sun setting on the lake.
there’s something so soothing about those nights.

a happy puppy letting the wind blow in his face while demolishing a bone.
a happy husband driving us around & playing our favorite songs from his ipod.

and a happy me.
sprawled across the bow of the boat listening to the waves lap up against its side.
remembering back to my childhood
& all of those hours I spent on that same spot on the same boat.
soaking up the sun. reading my favorite books.
daydreaming about the years to come & how life would be.

life is good.

a boat. the sun at sunset. a puppy. a husband. good health.
& a good beverage. yes, life is good.

photo by Jennifer Hogan of Ever Whim Photography
from this amazing wedding feature on grey likes weddings.

when the sun sets

as a child growing up on lake wawasee,
i always looked forward to the fourth of july fireworks.

i always brought my fireworks notepad.
before the fireworks started i would make a list of all of the possible colors.
during the fireworks i kept a tally of how many times each color appeared.
{it seems i was destined to be an accountant, doesn't it?}

in case you were wondering, red and blue were always the most popular.
and the "weeping willow" fireworks have and will always be my favorite.
there is always a furry of excitement & anticipation for the fireworks
as the sun begins to set on the lake.
after the fireworks, as the sky returns to it's dark blue hue,
there's a sense of sadness in the air. that summer is half over.

we start to look forward to labor day & sending summer off with a bang.
and then to memorial day to welcome summer with open arms.
and then, once again, to the fourth of july. waiting for the sun to set.
so the fireworks can glow.

i'm alive & i'm free

there's no other way to see the 4th of july fireworks at the lake...
than being in a boat on the lake yourself. with friends. & some cold beverages.

we had a spectacular fourth of july. and it wasn't just because of the fireworks.
we went to the frog tavern & the sandbar, channel tubed, ate too much,
applied sunscreen liberally, played skip-bo, wakeboarded, laughed too much,
watched a corsica attempt to trailer a pontoon out of the water at 1:30 am,
& rode a jet-ski from the 1980's. not to mention my mom was the perfect host.

i'd say we celebrated america's birthday quite perfectly.
"i'm alive & i'm free. who wouldn't want to be me?" - keith urban

ice up that old igloo

the weekend is here little ones.
and per the advice of brad paisley we're going to
grab our swimming trunks, ice up that old igloo and drive until the map turns blue.
because all you need this time of year is a pair of shades and an ice cold beer
and a place to sit somewhere near the water.
it should be fabulous as chris and i & 4 of our friends are making the trip up to the lake.

86 degrees and sunny all weekend? yes, please.

i see lots of boating, sunning and cans of beer in our future. {just being honest}

and if we're really adventurous, we'll hit up the frog tavern. the people watching can't be beat.

whatever you're doing this weekend i hope that it at least includes enjoying a few rays of sun.

photo by nicole green the summer of 2008.

july 1

can someone tell me why and how it's already july 1st?
for some reason, the july 4th weekend always marked the beginning of the end of summer.
perhaps because august always brought the rush of back to school shopping {which i loved}
and then, before you knew it, school was back in session.

so the july 4th weekend has always necessitated an extra dash of tequila in our margaritas.
an extra boat ride around the lake, even if the sun has already gone down.
one last dive off the end of the pier.
and hoping that the fireworks show over the lake lasts just a little longer.

so here it goes. tomorrow starts a 4 day 4th of july weekend for me.
and i intend to make every second of it last as long as i can.
because if this is the beginning of the end of the summer, i'm going to milk it as long as i can.

p.s. speaking of july...my birthday is coming up. july 16th, if you wanted to know.

photo by nicole green. taken the summer of 2008 at lake wawasee.