Here's to Summer! Thank goodness it's almost over!

I love summer. I really do. I love hanging out at the pool or Schlitterbahn, I love being able to sleep late and having endless hours of daylight to do all the fun things I can't fit into the day when it's winter.

But as much as I love summer, I love the end of summer even more. My kids groan and complain when we go into a store at the end of July and see back to school gear. And I moan and complain with them to assure them that I'm sorry to see our freedom slipping away, (but I'm secretly pumping my fist and saying "yes").

You see, I'm a fan of summer, but I believe there is too much of a good thing and summer is just that.

A lot of people get married in summertime. A lot of them. So I continue to work in the summertime, but I no longer have the quiet hours of 7:30 to 2:30 Monday through Friday like I do during the school year. There are no quiet hours at my house right now. I get to hear the sounds of children squabbling over the Wii. The sounds of children playing the Wii. The sounds of children watching "My Little Pony" or that mermaid show from Australia that I've memorized every line of every episode yet the name of the series escapes me.

I get to feel the mommy guilt that creeps in after several hours of watching my children turn into zombies in front of a television/laptop/Nintendo DS screen. That's when I grab the towels and head to the pool. Or grab the bowling passes and head to the lanes, or the mini golf course, or the jumpy place, or the playground, assuring myself that I'll finish the job after they're in bed but I'll be damned if they're going to turn into couch potatoes.

As a result, the midnight hour has become my friend. I've never really been a night owl -- nor a morning person for that matter. I prefer to call myself a "sleep person". Yet I've grown quite accustomed to working late into the night to do my editing so that I can spend the days with my darling children.

We've had a blast this summer so far. We made a trip to Florida and Universal Orlando, visited with friends, spent some time at the beach, lots of time at Schlitterban thanks to our season passes, the kids have enjoyed several summer camps. The girls enjoyed their time with the swim team again this year and the boy tells me he got to the highest level on the Ben 10 PS2 game (I'm so proud). But now I find myself counting down the days until school starts again. Summertime, I love you, but you're days are numbered.
Lisa On Location Photography