"What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."

One of our favorite go-to's this summer was the swimming hole/waterfall/stream. We hiked there with a picnic lunch or dinner over and over and it never got old. I love the hike down, with the scent of the pine needles warmed by the sun, it instantly brings me back to my childhood in Big Bear. And the freezing cold water that we wade in reminds me of our favorite camping spot, where we spent hours fishing in the streams, where we dammed up the water with rocks to keep our bottles of cream soda icy cold, and where I searched for pretty rocks. I still love pretty rocks. We are so lucky to live close to such beauty in nature, this spot in particular is only about 6 minutes from our house. And I love seeing our kids play wild and free, just as they should. Where screaming loud is not only tolerated but encouraged, partly because we don't have to worry about neighbors, and partly because the rushing sound of the waterfall drowns out their obnoxiousness. We made our last trek down there and I told the kids as we made it to the first crest overlooking the wildflowers and water that they should say goodbye till next summer. Dawson said "God has blessed us with a lot of special times here" and He has, with memories that warm the soul.

A day at the lake is worth a month in town

I have a bit of catching up to do on summer festivities, and no summer would be complete without some time at the lake. The L's {and their gracious parents!} were sweet enough to invite us out a few times to play. Chips and guac, ice cold Coke, feet and fishing pole in the water, friends, wet sand, crazy kids. And even though chasing a bunch of kiddos around a large body of water isn't necessarily relaxing for us parents, it's refreshing for the soul. The lake is just good, clean fun. Here's a mix of lake memories from those smokin' hot summer days that already feel like a distant memory. How does it come and go so quickly?!