Preserving Summer

I was looking at our family pictures from our recent trip to the Outer Banks. We went to Kitty Hawk, NC. It's a place I've been going to since I was a child. Now that we are taking our kids, it's like déjà vu.

I remember coming here with my family...running from the waves, getting sand in my swimsuit, laughter, games, and good food. The memories....that's what they'll have. Our middle daughter is fascinated with license plates so it was pretty neat being in the actual place where the Wright brothers were "first in flight." One of the things our girls look forward to the most is going ghost crabbing with my aunt Tamara. You have to wait until it's dark outside which adds to the excitment. You need: flashlights, nets, and buckets. My aunt has the best laugh when she gets all excited when she's spotted a crab or caught one. We must of caught twenty or so before letting them scurry off. It was so magical.

We brought our sweet Natalie to Nags Head when she was just a month old and it just so happened to be her birthday while we were visiting again eight years later. Instead of doing a birthday party, we decided to do a family experience birthday by going on a dolphin boat tour. I think it was the highlight of our trip. My grandma even came with us. She'll be 89 in September and it was so special sharing this experience with her. We even got to see a baby dolphin swimming next to her mama. Unfortunately, I didn't capture many close ups of the dolphins and I mostly got videos, so you'll just have to take my word that it was amazing seeing them up close.

This was Emily and Katie's first time on a boat. It was such a neat experience and I hope the memory lingers. I thought it was sweet that the whole boat sang Happy Birthday to Natalie at the end of our tour and sent her well wishes. I think she walked away feeling special albeit a little shy amongst the group. I love how the tour included fun activities as well for the kids such as checking the direction of the wind and the temperature of the water. If you're ever in Kitty Hawk be sure to check out the dolphin boat tour.

Our kids thought it was really cool when they turned the boat around to get a plastic bag out of the water that will essentially save a sea turtle's life! On that note, later on while we were at the beach, I took part in picking up litter. We can each do a part no matter big or small to take care of our environment!

Although it was a short visit, it was such a wonderful way to say goodbye to summer.

It can be a challenge to get a family picture, but silly faces sometimes make the best ones. 

My Mamaw hasn't aged a bit. She still lives by herself and drives! My great aunt Nancy and great uncle Bill are always a hit with the kids telling silly jokes. My Uncle Russ makes the best sausage gravy and biscuits. After we ate breakfast, he was wiping Katie's face and he pretended to wipe Katie's freckles off her nose. Needless to say, she couldn't stop laughing! Laughter is the best medicine indeed.

All that to say, coming back home and after washing the ninetieth load of laundry, vacuuming out all the sand in our van, it caught me: the girls are going back to school. Pretty soon the house will mostly be empty. I know that sounds like a vacation in itself. I suppose, in a way, I'll miss the noise and daresay the chaos even. They are such a big part of my life. They fill my days with such an energy. Sure, I have projects I want to do and to
have a clean house finally, but it's like I miss them already. Today, I was watching them dig in the dirt with their shovels, making mud or rather "chocolate pies with herbs." All the while, slathered in mud, swimming in a basil bath, and the cackles of laughter. The messy beautiful day/life.

It's my motherhood that is slipping into a yet a new season. Our girls are getting older. They'll need me less. Katie is even starting Pre-K. Emily was telling me what she wanted to be when she grows up while we were going for a walk in the Wesley Heights historic neighborhood in NC. When she's grown up. I am excited to see what she'll become. What they'll all become. Life's a journey we must keep walking.

I decided to harvest the basil to make pesto while they were immersed in mud and creativity. I noticed the bees busily pollinating the herbs flowers. I trimmed the flowering buds off the plants. I gathered bunches of basil. I washed, dried, plucked the basil and added other ingredients to the food processor. I preserved summer into mason glass jars to freeze. Preserve means "to keep alive or in existence; make lasting." So, when I'm sitting at our table on a cold winter day, I'll think of this very day that was so green with life as well as the summer we had and the new season that is beginning.

To make this recipe: simply gather 2 cups worth basil: wash, dry, and pluck off the stems (a hands-on activity to do with kids). Add it to a food processor along with 2 cloves of garlic, 1-2 Tbsp nuts (pine, walnuts, or I used smoked almonds), 1/2 EVOO, 1/2 freshly grated parmesan, and a dash of salt and pepper. Enjoy now or preserve some for later.