Back From The Outback: It’s been a while since we have been to the beach. While we did spend some time there this past summer, we wanted to make sure we didn’t put too much chlorine in our bodies by a couple of days of being in the water. Driving through the mountains to Seaside, Oregon: While technically “in the middle of nowhere,” this one was an exciting time of discovery for us. We were on the hunt for one particular beach we had been to in California a couple of times – one of the many hidden gems – but decided we were going to stop at almost every beach on our way to finally get to the one. We found it! Our favorite stop was in Tekoa, Oregon. This tiny town has just a handful of visitors (most of us that don’t live there). I can easily recall the feeling of taking a dip in the water there and I am so looking forward to this weekend when the weather gets warmer so that I can swim at the beach again. So. How can you make the most of your time with friends this summer? Maybe go on a road trip to the beach. Or to the mountains. Or see all the hidden gems in-between. Maybe take an adventure. Or if you’re like us, a group of close friends in a random place, do what you can with the time you have! I hope you have an awesome summer, dear friends. I’ll see you in August. Have an awesome Wednesday! What adventures did you take this summer? PS – Don’t forget to check out how Mandy made some simple desserts and had a fun beach party with her girls. She’s still playing with the idea of a party next month, but I’m really excited to see what she does with that idea. Stay tuned! We’re getting excited. We’re talking about it. We’re even planning out what we want to wear. But the one thing I think I should tell you about, and I didn’t share last week when I told you about our list of our “must haves,” is that I’m really looking forward to seeing the guys more this summer than we have the last three years or so. That last part isn’t really what we are thinking…we just aren’t thinking about it yet. I’m talking about our friends. We’ve been apart from our group for way too long. And it’s not because we don’t get along or anything. It’s actually the complete opposite. We love them all so very much and miss seeing them! But this is the time of year when we love being together as much as we can. You know, with the big family vacation in the works for next summer. We’re talking a vacation at Disney World or maybe to Florida or another beach destination. That’s when we are all hoping to get together again. And before I knew it, we were at a beach that evening and I didn’t have to worry about not seeing my favorite guys there because you can’t miss them when they are all you can see and touch. And a whole lot more. The other part is that I’m looking forward to spending more time with my sister and another friend. A girlfriend actually. I miss her. We can hang out at the beach, the pool or just around the house. I love that she is a real sister to me. We have so much fun together – no pressure to take pictures and to go on group trips all the time. I’m not even going to say anything about how much fun it is to drive through town with my friend at the wheel. I look forward to a few more hours of laughter and smiles when we are at the beach, in front of the fire, on the porch or just hanging out on a Saturday night. I hope you have a great week and get to spend some time with your friends. You know the moment you’re about to be late for a party and you turn to the person next to you to ask a quick question? Just think of that person as a life raft when you need it. When I realized I was going to be about 15 minutes late for a church group dinner, I felt like I was going to sink in a way that I hadn’t in quite a while. It wasn’t like I needed to drive to that party on time. My daughter was with me so it didn’t matter and I just wanted to check in with friends for a few minutes. And I told her to stay by the car while I talked to my friend. When I got to the car, I realized she wasn’t there. Not only that but she was in the grocery store parking lot with a couple of my friends who were going to get a cake from the store for the dinner we had left. I thought about turning around and just driving back. I was close to the intersection and that would have been an easy way to back up. I knew that no one was waiting for me and I was already a few minutes late. Plus, a quick glance at my watch told me I wasn’t even going to make it back to my friend’s house until 15 minutes after the dinner started. You see, I tend to take a lot for granted. I love my friends. I love spending time with them. I love being together. And then sometimes, I just forget. But not this time. I wanted to be with them and my friends. And then I wanted to turn around and pick up my friend so I could give her a few minutes before I joined the dinner. And I couldn’t think of anything I needed to do on my own. I had no reason to turn around. A few days after this dinner, my friend reminded me of that conversation we had on the way to the party and how she’s like a life raft when I need one. And I felt very, very loved. Hopefully you have a relationship with someone you can depend on when you need to be taken care of. Maybe you do that for your kids or parents or other people who love you. Or maybe it’s someone you know that will help you out when you are having an emotional breakdown and when you are trying to get back on track. Whoever that is, be thankful for them. Because I can’t tell you how much I wish that for myself and my family. If you have a little moment of panic, a little tear or even a full-blown meltdown with your children or a friend… Ask them to go to the car with you and stay in the car while you do this. Let them play with a toy and make sure they aren’t going to get hurt by anything you have or the car. Stay there until it’s done and then ask them to stay for a few minutes of good snuggles with you. And remind them they didn’t do anything wrong. I’m learning this in the same way I’m learning so many other lessons these days. You see, I have a son who is now three years old. When I have the “terrible two’s” with him, he doesn’t understand why we can’t stay home or why we have to go through an episode in public. In fact, sometimes it’s easier for him to get angry at me than at my friend he had a fight with, even if he was the one being the mean one. When I’m trying to explain something to him, he wants to go and play with his toys and then wants to give up. He wants to watch TV. Or maybe it’s when he’s laying in bed and I tell him to put something in his room before I’m going to get ready to leave the house. And that’s when he gets a little stubborn. But I still love him. And I know that he still loves me because he didn’t do anything wrong. Even though it’s hard, it’s so very important to keep the little ones out of the “punishment” box and explain what they did wrong and why what they are being punished for isn’t something wrong. We have lots of conversations about the word “why” and what that means. I’m surprised at how easy this part is