Summertime, Summertime

I'm not a summer person. I much prefer fall and winter with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, not to mention leaving daylight savings time behind! But I try to make the best of it. Short of moving to Alaska, I don't have much choice! haha This summer has been a bit of a trial, however. It's been 18 months since my company stopped paying for time off - that means no paid vacation, sick days or holidays; therefore, I have only been able to take off 1 or 2 days a year, and I really miss being able to take off the occasional work day in the summer to do fun stuff with the kids. Plus, it has been in the high 80s/low 90s temperature-wise more often than not, and our streets look and feel a war zone with the new sewer system they are putting in. This all means I have been cranky, short-tempered, burned out, bored and not very joyful. In fact, there are days when it's been hard to see the joy in anything.

So it's time to count my blessings. Actually the summer hasn't been THAT bad. We have central air to escape from the heat. We've gone to the Columbus Zoo (on one of those 90+ degree days!); seen Despicable Me in 3D with friends; spent a weekend in Cincinnati with friends there, where the guys went to the Cincinnati Bengals training camp while the girls went outlet mall shopping and pottery painting, and then we all went to a Reds game, followed by a MercyMe concert; DD and I volunteered for VBS at church this summer; and my kids have gone to church camp and recently (today actually!) obtained their temporary driving permits. No, we didn't spend time in a hotel, and we didn't go anywhere real fancy, but we have made a lot of memories nonetheless. My job has plenty of work available; I just have to get motivated to do it.

Technically we have 6 more weeks of summer. School starts 2 weeks from today, OSU football kicks off in a month and there will be advertisements for Christmas sooner than we think. Time will fly by, and hopefully with the change in seasons, my attitude will improve. In the meantime, I'll continue to pray for a change of heart and look for the blessings wherever possible.