I've been wading in the velvet sea....

...We've returned safely from our Summer Holiday with many memories, seashells, and sentiments...

W enjoyed some lengthy sand play and many walks on the beach...

I enjoyed impromptu swims far out in the ocean; throwing my sunglasses off at the last moment and leaving my sandals on the shoreline, only to find them much later; the increasing tide just inches away from pulling them out to sea...

These moments of spontaneity and the powerful waves above my head; tangling my hair, forcing salty water up my nose, stirred something within me...and I loved it!

...We slept late. We had very few plans. We got to spend time with our family; some whom we see only a few times a year.

...And almost all of us managed to fit on one huge bicycle for a morning ride!

Jay and I stole a morning for ourselves and ate brunch together at a Bed & Breakfast.

We sat together and watched the rain (yes, rain) pour off of the striped awning...

The rain later burned off and the sun gave us an afternoon that warmed the skin...

                                                         Cape May, New Jersey

Our Summer family photo. Ah yes, it suits us well and surely tells a story. W making his new infamous silly face (I overheard a boy asking him to do it while in line for communion this past week..haha!)...myself somewhat squeezed into a sundress that used to fit me in the chest area (note the open portion in the back!), and Jay and I both trying not to burst into laughter...and sort of failing. Yup, that's us.

The ride home from our summer holiday is always melancholy. I sit in the backseat with W and watch the familiar scenery fade from view. I roll down the window to take one more breath of the sea...I remember the excitement of arriving into town a mere few days ago; all of the possibilities, the fanfare of our car horn announcing our arrival. As W dozes off in his car seat, I close my eyes and play over the days in my mind as I drift into a strange kind of quasi sleep...I can understand how children need a few hours, even days to process even  "minimally" exciting events until they can verbalize them to us.

Upon arriving home, I take a few moments to stand in our living room. The familiar smells, our things where we left them. ...A purse I had excitedly emptied at the last moment to bring along; its contents strewn by the front door. W happily rediscovers his toys with vigor; the ocean now a distant memory in his dreamy mind.

                                    Crossing these days off on my calendar made me feel sad.

I listened to some nostalgic songs as Jay unpacked; glad to be home...

This song certainly never helps...

As the night drew on, I remembered a beautiful quote I had read in a book while sitting on the beach..

"When you share your life with young children, there is always something to look forward to....it's like gazing at a rainbow; when one color ends, another just as beautiful begins..."

I felt inspired to bring these feelings into a creation; a way I could share my love for the sun and sea and all of the life they sustain...how I feel its pull and beauty with every sandy step...the ebb and flow that is life!

I know that the next few weeks with the children will surely be inspired by the ocean and its treasures... each day will remind me of the joy of reminiscing:)