July at the Lake

My husband's family centers their summers around their lake house; it's been that way since before Ty was born. Last summer I met his extended family for the first time as his girlfriend; this summer I returned as family. A lot can change in a year. I love that I married into a family that has this place that is constant as life ebbs and flows. We are both fortunate to do work we enjoy and that suits us, but I think as long as we live in Texas we'll be purposeful to do summer the way we've done this one. We've headed to the lake every weekend that allows us, sometimes cutting out for an extra day when time permits. Days are full and rich yet slow. The rains in May and June created quite a few projects, so it's not all play. That said, the work is tangible, measurable. We wake and drink coffee on the porch. We run miles and see very few cars. We read a lot. We swim. Some nights every bed is full; some nights few bodies slumber. One weekend we hosted my super-sized family. I watched three of the kids learn to ski, the youngest of whom at 5 was timid about being pulled behind the boat in a tube at the beginning of the summer. It was such a proud moment to see her determined face announce she wanted to ski.

I pulled photos from July, and this is a long post. It captures so many moments, so many memories, so much of the goodness we've experienced over the summer. I share partly so you can see and partly to remind myself that the comings and goings to the lake during the summer are so worth it. Our lives are made better by a rhythm that makes time and space for these days. I am grateful. I hope the time spent there serves to refresh and refocus me as work picks up to a busy clip with fall portraits and weddings.

And we still have August.

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