All good things must come to an end.......

Summer! I know it officially started in the middle of June. There were a few days that led me to believe that yes! it was summer...but they were few and far between. My fellow Alaskans tell me that "this truly has been an 'unusual' summer", that "it is never this cold in the summer", and that "it will be better next year!" The weather or temps really didn't bother me too much until I flipped the calendar over to July and realized I was wearing the same clothes I had on when I stepped off the plane in March to this new 'homeland'. But, we got over it, made the best of it and learned that you can still wear shorts when it's 50 degrees (you just won't get a tan), you don't need sunscreen when you are outside, the sun really will stay out until midnight, and the mosquito has honestly earned the honorary nickname of "State Bird" for good reason (these BIG buggers are plentiful and persistent and bite often.)!
There are many highlights of our first summer here.
We went to Seward for a scenic drive and picnic (it was very cold and rainy, but we picnic'd and played anyway), we went to Hope, in acceptance of an invitation we received from friends within our new church family and enjoyed greatly the time we spent with them at their cabin (thank you to the R's:), we went to Whittier (see 4th of July posting), we went on vacation (hooray for WI and MI!!) where we enjoyed our dear dear loved ones for a few days that went by way too fast, (A and G) participated in and we attended the wedding of dear friends, we made new friends, visited new parks, completed the library's Summer Reading Program, slept in the tent in the back yard (actually on the back deck:), took many walks, discovered new walking/climbing trails, played baseball in the yard, learned a lot about our local bear population (very local! :-), finished the summer with fun shopping and related preparations for school and purchased a second vehicle. Certainly, I didn't hit on all of our fun, but these were just a few memories that come to mind. There was a lot that we couldn't do this summer because of a lack of time and resources (mostly,me starting and orienting full time to a new job for several weeks, going on vacation and saving up for that 2nd car!)...but next summer we know that we need to fish and camp (2 of the many Alaskan MUSTS!). We missed those things, but look forward to enjoying them next year.
The days are getting shorter ( I know I shouldn't be sad that it is getting dark at 10:30 pm and stays that way until 6am!, but I've grown accustomed to it staying light for most of the 24 hour period..and I have really enjoyed it.) There is a touch of 'nip' in the air that you will feel if you are out early or late in the day - you know the nip of Fall I'm talking about, right? My flowers are slowly losing life and my sweet girl starts school TOMORROW! Autumn is right around the corner!
I am slowly learning the need to really make the most of our moments while they are here...time goes by so quickly. The seasons pass by before I've fully taken all I felt I needed from them. But as these great times and moments come to an end I know a new season is upon us. It will be a season where the weather will change and so will our schedules and routine, and hopefully our hearts will change a little as well (you know, those areas of heart that deperately need it). In the midst of all of this, I'm grateful to my God who does not change, Whose goodness NEVER ends.

Thanks God for all the growth and goodness we experienced this summer - it is ALL from you. And thank you for the changes that will come our way as we approach this new school year this Autumn. We trust You as You go before us. We seek Your grace in the midst of the work that we know You will do. I'm oh so grateful for Your unchanging love and presence in my life. Amen

I know I have been really bad about blogging, especially when I promised in my last two posts that I would share more about our vacation. Things have been crazy. And though our vacation and all the fun we had are still fresh in my mind, they are still being 'grounded' into my heart. I'm processing all the good that we got out of going away for awhile....and so much has been happening here since we have been back - it's been a little distracting. But, I'll enjoy looking through more pictures from our trip in the weeks (maybe months) to come and will blog as I find fitting...it will be fun to re-live those moments! Thanks for reading!