The orchards are officially open, pumpkin spice is back on menus, and we’re wearing jackets to school in the mornings.  With the leaves changing (and falling) early this year, fall is undeniably here.  While I am more than ready for the Back 40 Acres at Tanners, the 80 degree highs we’ve been having the past couple of weeks have me oddly nostalgic for what was.

This summer was perhaps my favorite.  It was riddled with craziness, including two Midwest–> East Coast road trips that literally had us questioning our sanity (I mean, really, who plans four 14+ hour road trips, with two tiny humans in tow?); it had some unforeseen viruses (hello hand, foot, and mouth- who knew that was even a thing); and it was often way hotter than I could have ever imagined a Midwest summer could be (I thought we left that behind in Atlanta!)… but without a doubt, our first summer as a family of four was one for the memory books.

There are many things I’ll miss as winter rears it’s beautiful, but oh-so-cooooold head, but perhaps the greatest thing I’ll miss is the spirit of summer.  Summer is the season of endless possibilities.  The days are long, the sun shines bright, and every day is truly a new adventure.  It’s a season of lawlessness in a way.  There aren’t many rules.  How you’ll approach the day is often directed entirely by you.  There is no school, there is no structure, there are just playgrounds and parks and RVs and beaches and BBQs and watermelon and corn growing as high as can be.  It’s an open air, take on the world, fun, adventurous time of life.

As the trees change around me, and my cozy fall scented candles burn, I daydream of the memories we made together, and plan feverishly for the memories we have yet to make next summer.  The boys a little older… us a little wiser… and so many new, unchartered discoveries to be had.   Only eight more months to go.