Summer is officially kicking the bucket

Its officially here.  One of the most dreaded weeks of the year for me.  The one that marks the end of summer.
All of a sudden, schedules start to pick up and I feel like I need to start adulting again.  No more late nights and missed days of work.  It's time to get back to the grind and start school.

Right--school.

While the rest of America is well inserted in their algebraic equations and spelling bees, we are just getting our school shopping done. Around here, we start school late, and I'm fine with that.

Because I don't just love the summer, I LIVE for the summer.

Summers in New England are short and an experience like no other.   Our summers feel like a long lost friend after we've been shoveling snow well into May.
Time comes to a still as we reaquaint ourselves with the feeling of the sun beaming on our bare face again.  Sun. Warmth. Beauty.  The ocean.  It's heaven.

"Boats", Salem Harbor, Salem MA

To top it off, when you have children, there is something extraordinary about summer.  Most schools close, and it is suddenly common to hear shrieks of laughter in the park during the day again.
One of my favorite things in this world is watching the tiniest of human beings just take it all in.  Experiencing the joy of baby's first time playing in the sand, splashing in a tiny baby pool in the backyard because the temperature has reached a sweltering 100 degrees with 90% humidity.

That is summer in New England for you.  I adore it.  I want to take it all in. Savor every last summer that I get with my children.  18--they say we only get 18 summers with our children out of our 80 or so on this earth.  Taking them in is a must.

"Sandy feet" The Willows, Salem, MA

So every year, I take on a summer photo project to capture these moments of summer.  Because I believe joy should be documented and re-lived.  The past few summers, I have done "100daysofsummer".  1 picture for every day of summer that captures the joy in that day.

I started this after I went through one of the most difficult bouts of depression over a miserable, cold winter.  We were going through some crazy stuff.  We were out of the woods with our HLHS'er, but dealing with the emotional back-log of it all. Our wonderful baby #4 was just born, and we were still crammed in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment.  It was rough.  But amazingly, I did find at least one joyful moment in each day.  Looking through those pictures reminds me that I can get through anything when I find a reason.

This summer, we undertook a summer "photo bucket challenge" to switch it up a bit.  We all had a blast trying to fit it all in and looking for those tiny "aha" moments.

I get the feeling we'll look back at this as "that summer I spent chasing sunsets, camping in the mountains in NH, then on the beach in Maine."

"Blue skies" Nubble Lighthouse, York, Maine

We shared tons of laughs with our longtime friends, and stole a few moments to be alone. We captured tiny pockets of joy packaged in coffee cups, sweet treats, and silent moments.

"A perfect morning " White Lake State Park, NH

See, a bucket list is more than a list of things to do or see before you die. It's a list of things that remind you how to LIVE.

"Fearless"