Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

Summer has come to a close. Some people can tell by the onslaught of football season and back to school hullabaloo. Me, I can feel Fall in the air. Yep, I am one of those geriatrics that can feel it in their bones. Time to pull out the warm sweaters and retire that itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini that never made it out of the drawer (Maybe it will fit next year- HA! I've been saying that since '96). Before I start to fantasize about jumping in piles of leaves, Halloween costumes, and hot chocolate, I must say good bye to summer.

What a few months! We had 1 graduation (R got his MBA- woohoo!), 1 family wedding, 3 new baby cousins (1 set of twins- yikes!), 3 family members move, the passing of our beloved Cleopatra (family dog), and our first camping trip with our girls (when they say don't pee in the wind and pitch your tent on a hill, listen!). The girls, Jack & I hit the road and spent part of the summer on the Lake in Montana. We gave R a road map and invited him to visit. Afterall, someone had to be responsible (and water the plants). Huckleberries, waterskiing, trips to Yellowstone National Park, red cowgirl boots, extended family and bats kept us quite busy. I even started running. If you are ever thinking of taking up running, I suggest you start in grizzly bear country. It's quite motivating. Other highlights were nightly trips to the snoshack, painted toe nails, killer croquet games in the front yard, swimming lessons with G-bean's cute teacher (waterskills for the kids, man candy for the moms), family bike rides, fireworks, inflatable water slides, campfires in the canyon with smores, afternoons at the pool with friends, and so much more. It was a good season. Without even knowing it, we created an end of summer ritual. R ran over G-bean's flip flops with the lawn mower...thus putting an end to the mower and summer apparel. So with that, goodbye Summer, bring on the Fall!