blessed beyond measure

We slept in on Saturday. A grueling week has its way of making one's bed feel like a cloud. One of us rose at eight, one at nine, one at eleven, and one at noon. Bedheads and ratty jammies, shuffly steps and snuggly morning hugs, squinted eyes as the shades were lifted. Brunch was Poppop's famous sausage gravy. Because it's our diet cheat day, and baby if you're gonna cheat, go big. It's one of my favorite things he ever taught me. To the garden, under mid-nineties blazing sun. Beans, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are today's meal plan, and all will come from this picking. The Lord again speaking to me of provision, the miracle and honestly of vegetation. Long it's been since drops of sweat blurred my vision and fell from my cheeks, and strangely enough it felt like healing. It's not been my best season. But maybe I'm on the upslope. Boys keep busy and frigid cold in the well water on the slippery slide. We battle summer boredom, cl...

In response to a dizzyingly busy June, we scheduled a family birthday party for both boys, as close to right in between them as we could get. Aden agonizing over the wait for his presents, Trey counting it all the luck to be celebrated early. It was great to be together so relaxed, cackling over the boys and their strange, new personalities. To indulge in a menu crafted by the birthday fellows themselves, to pass around hugs and delight in another trip around the sun for these two.

No sooner did school end than we set off on our family summer vacation, a trip to Myrtle Beach, just the four of us. As much of a relief as was the end of the academic year, I needed this trip, y'all. Out of the house, fewer screens, a break from work, and time together at one of my favorite spots on the planet. The last time the boys were in Myrtle was 2013. Trey remembered a little bit, mostly about riding the elevators at the condo where we had been staying. Aden couldn't remember anything. Brandon and I looked very much forward to this reintroduction, and showing our guys why we love this place so much. Riding down on Memorial Day, we noticed that there was heavy traffic on the opposite side of the road. Like, sometimes crawling for miles and miles. Poor folks trekking back home after a nice long weekend. They would walk in their stuffy houses, upend the suitcase over the washer, and drag themselves out of bed the next morning to go to work. My spirit tingled wi...