I got a little stressed out about the beach meet-up this year. The stress was caused mostly by the many points of view related to the event. People's opinions differ when it comes to time, place, and since I like to please everyone (I know that's impossible), the differences stress me out a bit. No matter, the event was fun. I love seeing my family members and friends, and I love the beach, so the day was a win.
It has been an eventful summer so far. The season began with my dad's illness and eventual death. I'm glad that I could be present for that since he was nearby. I miss dad, but his illness had progressed to a deep degree, and life had become very difficult for him, and death was inevitable. His funeral was a wonderful testament to his life since so many family members and friends showed up to honor dad and comfort us. I am grateful for that.
After his death and before the funeral, we had our annual Mt. Washington weekend with my family. It gave the family a good chance to think and talk about Dad's death while we gathered in a place that Dad held dear, a place where our family had gathered almost every year of our lives. It's a tradition that seems to have stuck, and we're already planning for next year's adventure in The White Mountains.
Next we hosted our sister-in-law and nephew for a few days which prompted us to visit several local tourist spots--we had a great time.
After that we had the chance to spend some good time with my husband's brother and his wife--we rode bikes, had some great Mexican food, played at the beach, watched soccer, talked about a wide array of topics, attended a Fourth of July party, went to a Farm Stand, scoped out our summer rental, and had a nice seafood dinner. It was a very nice time.
That led to the next weekend and a trip to Scarborough State beach which we had never visited before--it's a beautiful beach. We had a nice seafood dinner that night near the beach and then headed home to spend the next day catching up at home.
The following weekend was our trip to Maine to watch my son, daughter-in-law, and other friends and relatives compete in a half-iron man. We stayed in a rustic, lakeside cabin and spent the day before the contest, kayaking up and down the lake and then having dinner with friends and family at their rental.
Then it was the trip to Cape Cod where we camped at the lovely Wellfleet Hollows Campground and joined family members for a day at Herring Cove Beach. We also went to my brother's traditional happy hour, cheered on the Pan Mass bike riders including my son, my daughter-in-law, my daughter-in-law's brother, and a friend at White Crest Beach in Wellfleet, rode our bikes, and had another seafood dinner with my sister and her husband.
During the week, I did the usual childcare, tutoring, house chores, cooking, gardening, and meeting up with friends and family.
Now that it's mid summer, what's next. This weekend we are taking advantage of the gift my children gave me for my birthday which is a visit to Tanglewood--hopefully the weather cooperates. After that, is my brother-in-law's art show in Connecticut, then my husband has a date at a Red Sox game with family members, a trip to our friends' house in New Hampshire, our summer rental, and a babysitting jaunt out west. It's been and will continue to be a busy, eventful, and fun summer.
There are several takeaways so far from the summer. First, I like to do things and I like to have a plan for summer fun. Next, summer is short and my family and friend group is growing and changing at a rapid pace. As always I wish things would stay the same and change at the same time, but you can't have them both, so you do the best that you can.
As I think ahead, I think next summer will be dictated by three main events including the family mountain trip, the summer family/friend beach meet-up, and the August/September intimate family vacation. In between we'll hopefully plan and enjoy adventures with family and friends while keeping up with the chores and gardening too. Onward.
