Our 1st Day of Summer

I'm an Autumn girl through and through, but there is something about summer that really gets me excited. Here in Arizona, even up here in Northern Arizona, June 20th doesn't feel like the first day of summer at all- it kind of hits somewhere in early May. But it's still a day to celebrate because really, why not? It's funny because when I was a student and later a teacher, summer always had such a feeling of freedom and always held such promise of adventure. I can still remember that excited feeling of signing yearbooks, teachers letting us act a little crazier than normal, and then that glorious, final bell at the end of the last school day. And even when I was a teacher myself, I can recall finishing my grades, closing up my room, and getting in my car, driving away with the windows down, looking ahead to a wide open summer. Well, that's kind of a romanticized version. In reality no matter how much I had loved the past year, I'd rush to turn my grades in as quickly as possible, literally run out of the school, throw off my confining, tattoo-covering cardigan, breathe out a huge sigh of relief I didn't have to deal with the occasional annoying student anymore, and get the hell out of there. And my windows were actually probably rolled up so no one would want to talk and slow me down. Truth.

But really, besides thinking back to that sweet post-school freedom, to me summer is about family and friends. We always seem to slow down a little more, want to take the long way home, make time for downtown walks and try to eat outside as much as possible. I love it. And since Wednesday was the first day of summer Henry and I decided to enjoy it with a little picnic with friends and ended the night downtown with Hank, eating Mexican food on a park bench and people watching for awhile. Perfect.

Happy summer!

The Best Kind of Saturday

This past weekend was wonderful. And it wasn't just Father's Day that made it so great- Saturday we had another fun family day that still has me smiling. It was our town's annual Tsunami on the Square, which is an all-ages, outdoor performing arts and culture festival. It's always so much fun and there is a ton to look at, which was great for Henry. There were people on stilts, people in costume, fire eaters, hula hoopers, and live music everywhere you turned. It was truly a visual treat for Henry, and he spent most of the day eyes wide, staring at everything around him. 

It's days like this that make me fall in love with this town all over again. When I was younger I always imagined myself living in a big city, people and culture and things to do at every turn. But I somehow ended up here, in this small town, and I couldn't imagine a better place to raise a family. It's not for everyone, but small town living is definitely for me.

Here are some photos from our day. And for those who asked on the last post and via Twitter, I use a Nikon D60 and almost always use my 35mm lens. I also tried out a friend's Photoshop action set on these images that I'll share more about later in the week. I might say this for awhile, but again, I am SO happy I'm been bringing my camera out and about. It makes me so much more excited to blog, and so much more inspired to stop and notice all the pretty little moments in life that are so easy to skim over. 

Here are some bits and pieces from our Saturday:
 

An Afternoon with Friends

Today a few of my girlfriends and their little ones made the drive up from Phoenix to come hang out with Henry and me. We had big plans: a pizza lunch at Bill's, running around the square, and hopes of ending our afternoon with cupcakes. We somehow managed to accomplish everything on our to-do list and also fit in a stop for some coconut iced tea (my favorite).

The kids range in age which is a lot of fun- Henry is the youngest at 18 months, Layla the blondie is 21 months, curly-headed Lola Birdie is 2 1/2 and then handsome Dillon is 3 1/2! They're all so cute together but Lola and Dillon are especially darling and hold hands everywhere they go.

Today's weather was absolutely perfect- it was sunny and a bit breezy, around 70 degrees. I couldn't think of a better day to have my hot-weather Phoenician friends come up and escape their rising temperatures! I always wish all of my girlfriends lived in one place, but for now I'll settle for frequent visits like today's- we had such a great time.

Here are some photos from our afternoon -

An Afternoon with Henry

Yesterday was one of those days where things everything we had planned fell through, so I took my little gentleman and myself out for tea and treats and an afternoon stroll, just the two of us. I like to pretend that Henry knew that we were on a special mama and son date, even though I know all of his concentration was fixated on the peanut butter and jelly bar we shared outside, under a beautiful purple-blossomed tree. The weather was just right- not too sunny for walking and not too cloudy where you feel like it might rain at any moment. It was beautiful. Spring is just starting to show itself around these parts and I couldn't be happier.

We walked and talked, Henry a little less coherently, but still understandable at times (up! Mama! I want!), and we enjoyed looking at all the dogs and the people and the almost-green grass. It smelled like rain and felt like spring, and Henry was all smiles and scrunched-up-nose laughter.

After an hour or so we headed back to the car, packed up, and headed home so the little guy could take his second nap. When we got back, I put Henry down in his crib and sat on the couch for a moment, thinking about how much fun we had, and imagining how much more fun these days will be the older he gets. Have I mentioned lately how much I love being the mama of a boy? Because I do. It's the very best thing in the entire world.