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Summer is coming to an end, and I am mostly ready for it. I cracked open the first can of pumpkin earlier this week, and it was like, YES THIS IS JUST RIGHT AGAIN. We’ve been loving the summer, but let’s be real:: there really is nothing quite like the fall season with its crunchy leaves and pulling the sweaters out of the storage totes and sipping on hot drinks all day long.

The last few weeks have seemingly flown right by, and suddenly it became September. Earlier this week, we hosted a big backyard gathering for Labor Day with a bunch of friends from church, and it was such a fun evening with some of the funnest people we know. We hauled our dining room table out into the yard and strung some lights in the tree and set up picnic blankets and yard games for the evening, and the weather turned out beautifully after a very hot, humid day. We grilled chicken and sausages, and everyone brought a dish to add to the meal…we had such an great spread of food! I am so thankful for the friendships and community we have come to know and love here in Tennessee…in so many ways, it seems like we have lived here so much longer than twelve months. It has become home so quickly for us.

In other news, I’ve been working on getting a little home bakery business started the last few weeks, and that’s been a fun little venture. It seems like my house smells like cinnamon rolls almost constantly, which isn’t a bad thing at all. So far, I have about the right amount of orders per week to keep me busy enough, but not where it overwhelms my schedule. I’m working on setting up some separate pages and accounts for my little bakery, so stay tuned for that if you want to follow!

Here are a few interesting links::

I’m going to try this soon (today’s lunch?)
read this, dear heart
so challenged by these thoughts
yes, yes, yes
on my wish list because I’m on an organizing kick
and also this
this one on current repeat

What about you:: ready for fall?? 😀

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Friday, dears!

We’ve had a fairly low-key month so far and this week has basically just been settling back in at home after being away for almost two weeks. We took a spontaneous trip to South Carolina to be with my family for what was supposed to be only a few days, but then it turned into a much longer visit than planned so that was fun. Part of the reason we stayed longer was for a family wedding we were already planning to head to in Georgia the following weekend, so it saved us a whole trip back south if we just stayed in South Carolina for the week. Plus, Ben was busy working on some projects for my dad during the days so our extra week was full and went by really fast.

We spent a few days in Savannah, Georgia over the weekend and it was so fun to be there and explore the city again. I feel like Savannah is the quintessential (i love that word, hehe) southern city…so full of charm and character and the prettiest homes and cobble stone streets and shops and restaurants. I took a moment to imagine what it would be like to actually live in one of grand old homes right off one of the beautiful common areas that are scattered all over the city, and then I had to stop myself from thinking about it longer than two seconds because it sounds absolutely perfect and also absolutely unreachable. I’ll just settle for visiting old cities instead of living in them…for now, ha.

We took Ayla out to the beach on Tybee Island one morning and she loved it so much. She would literally just walk right up to the ocean on her own and walk into the waves, and then take off down the beach sing-songing on her merry way. So cute and I love that she feels comfortable on the beach because #beachlifeisthebestlife. Basically, I tell her that she has to love food and the beach and Jesus and her dad and me and a lot of other things and people too…but the beach is very important. So I’m glad she loves it. Besides hanging out in Savannah while in Georgia, we also got to spend time with Ben’s mom, who lives in Thailand for most of the year. We typically only get to see her once a year at Christmas, so to spend a few days with her in the middle of the year was great!

Anyone else keeping up with the Olympics these days? We’ve been glued to the women’s beach volleyball whenever Walsh-Jennings/Ross play, and why they have to play most of their games so late (eleven o’clock pm, sheesh) is beyond me. It was a bummer to watch them lose out to Brazil for the gold medal match, but they still got the bronze so that’s still pretty fun. And maybe now I can get to bed at a decent hour…

I signed up to join a women’s group in our church a few weeks ago and we had the launch meeting this week. And let me tell you:: it was a breath of fresh air to be a room full of beautiful women who love the Lord and who want real, transparent relationships and who are willing to share life and share struggles and inspiration and to hand you a tissue when the tears and snot are flowing. I feel like the Lord has opened my heart wide open in the past few months to a longing for real community and transparent connection with those around me in a new way. It’s been a journey over the past years to learn to let those carefully erected walls around my heart come down and also learning that it’s the true way of life to know and be known by others, without pretense, without fearing expectations and judgment. I’m looking so forward to this group and what God will do in my own heart in the next few months in connecting with some truly brilliant women.

I also have to confess that I’ve starting feeling those fall tinges just this past week. This summer has flown by and I’m not quiiiiiiiiite ready for September yet…but close.

What about you: what has been happening in your August?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!