Where is Summer Going?

My guests left last Saturday. Once they gathered up all their things, packed the vehicle and got on their way, I turned to survey the remains of a fun week with the cousins. Surprisingly, the house didn't look bad at all. It was hard to tell before, because the kids spent the week going through hundreds of water balloons and towels. When all the towels were gathered and put in the washing machine, all that was left to do was a quick tidy of each room.

Now the kids are starting swimming lessons, my oldest daughter has started her summer job, and I am trying to catch up on my word count. Next weekend will be our annual town celebration which we always look forward to. Our next set of guests is my best friend from high school and her family. They will arrive on the 24th and stay through the celebrations. I'm looking forward to having them since I haven't had a chance to have a real visit with her in years.

It occurred to me that once they leave and the town celebrations are over, summer is half done and I can start counting down the days until school. Now I'm just trying to figure out where it all went. It seems in other years, we have had much more down time. I always look forward to summer coming so my husband and I can take long evening walks. I enjoy watching a few extra movies and going swimming with the kids.

This summer seems busier than usual. Rick and I stay up till at least midnight every night, working and trying to catch up, and there has been very little time for an evening walk, let alone two hours for a movie. I always approach the summer with lists of things to do that I don't find time to do during the school year. So far I haven't tackled any of those things.

So I'm trying to figure out which of the good things I do every day that can be cut. Unfortunately, the things I would most like to get rid of are the things that have to stay. Meanwhile the summer marches on and I'm just trying to keep up. I'm looking forward to our vacation in two weeks, when I can sit in the van for hours without any phones ringing, no kids to babysit, and no house to clean. And maybe I can even stay awake long enough to write a few thousand words.