The first house my husband and I lived in was a small, old house on 10 acres of land. We moved in November, just in time to enjoy spending Christmas with our family. The house really wasn't set-up for entertaining, however, so we hosted our first large scale party several months later on Memorial Day when the weather was warm and we could take advantage of the acres of hayfield surrounding around our house. What fun we had! Since then, we've lived in homes large and small, but most of our parties are still held outdoors with tents, bonfires, potato salad and a whole lot of laid back fun.
For Memorial Day this year, we had friends and family over to celebrate our son's birthday...Darby turned 16 this year. Tables and chairs were set up on the deck and out under a tent in the field near the fire pit. Adults were chatting and playing horse shoes (yes, we have a regulation horse shoe pit), while the kids were running around, riding bikes, playing music, etc. At one point in the evening, I noticed my now 16 year old son and a friend sitting around the table on our deck playing a board game. I was surprised, but I don't know why...Checkers, Dominos, Rook, and Crazy 8's have long been a part of our family summer tradition and game boards and card decks are packed along side the sunscreen on camping trips as well as our annual trek to Florida. Still, Darby's interests have been so diverse lately, and, at 16, he really is evolving right before my eyes into an amazing young man. In that moment, however, time seemed to stand still and I felt such sweet peace...to be reminded that no matter how grown up my children may seem, some things truly never change.
The green, hand painted game board is one of my own design...just a breath of inspiration as I watched my son have fun doing the simplest of summer things. Long ago we began loosing pieces to our game boards - two kids, two dogs, and two relocations have left me with a random assortment of game pieces, I'm afraid, so we began collecting bottle caps and using them instead...we've also used buttons, pennies, and pretty much anything lying around. Nothing complicated here, but as functional as it is funky. This board design really illustrates the simple, summer lifestyle we've embraced. So, grab a game board or pull out that deck of cards, pop off a bottle cap, and take a deep breath. Summer only comes around once a year...enjoy.
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