Summer...

June is finally here. Happy Birthday to my friend Rachel in Cincinnati!
She is probably out on the town salsa dancing with friends. I miss you, Rachel, and I can't wait until our Colorado road trip later this month. Happy Birthday!

I am so excited for summer. Tomorrow is my last full day of teaching. My grades are already finished. For the first time in a long time, the weight of stress is almost non-existent in my life. As my schedule winds down, I am already beginning to enjoy more quiet evenings at home with Ryan. I'm in the middle of a novel by one of my favorite authors, Chaim Potoch. My favorites of his are My Name is Asher Lev, and The Gift of Asher Lev. Now I'm reading The Chosen. It is very decadent to just be able to read, without feeling guilty about something else I should be working on. Monday, we spent the whole afternoon in the sun, just reading, talking, and relaxing by the pool (not in the freezing pool) with the David, Marianne, Daniel, Andrea, and all the kids.

I've even had a few beautiful mornings at home--like today when I had no classes until 1:00! This morning was spent sleeping in, running to the beach, slowly eating breakfast, reading, and anticipating a summer full of days that begin just like today.

Even though I'm feeling more freedom, I know Ryan feels a lot of stress right now--with school and work. He's been running like a maniac, taking care of our lawn, spending lots of time with me, going to all kinds of school and family functions, and somehow earning his master's degree while working full time. He is amazing.

Tonight, we picked up a pizza from Greek Tony's, our favorite local pizza place, and drove to the beach to eat our dinner. I love moments like that with Ryan. Just enjoying spontaneous pleasures, good pizza, warm yellow sunlight reflecting on the water, laughing together. I'm trying to soak in the beauty of right now. I know the freedom of this stage of life won't last forever. But I don't dread changes that will come eventually. I just want to enjoy where I am now. I love having a best friend that is always waiting for me at home, that likes to just be with me. He usually knows how I feel about things before I even express them.

"(S)He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time (s)he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his/(her) eyes and mind those virtues which it possesses."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)