My house is a mess and I love it. We’ve been catching up with friends, hosting play dates, roasting s’mores, noshing on BBQ, and watching our kids run through the sprinkler and speed down the slip’n’slide. Breezy mornings have turned into hot afternoons  that have turned into balmy nights as we’ve talked the night away on the back patio. It’s been delicious. While stories have been shared and hearts have been heard it’s been refreshing for our souls. The dishwasher has been working over time, the bbq grill is smothered in sauce, remnants of s’mores are baked onto the patio, and my floors would make you think I’ve given up mopping. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jericho’s enjoying backyard BBQs as much as we are.

I remember a friend telling me that when her kids were little she would gather them up and head to the beach with other young families and spend precious time sharing laughs, changing diapers, playing cards late at night, and picking sand off hotdogs. It was bliss.

Making memories with my family and friends won’t happen unless I’m intentional, and I’m happy to pay the cost if it means a dirty floor and an extra box of dishwasher crystals. This is the stuff life is made of. I know it takes time to build kindred souls but when you find them, when you pour out your life for love, for your family, for your friends, for your village, you find you are living a life you always dreamed. It is beautiful.