The worst part of the summer break is here... the end of it. I am happy to say that we got a lot done though. Our Alaskan adventure, our trip to Solvang, visiting with relatives and cousins we don't get to see very often, our visits to Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, and Zoo, and of course our lazy days by the pool, and the list continues. As I think about all the stuff we crammed in, I couldn't help but think about last year's summer vacation. Twelve short months ago we had a very different Jaycee, as the pictures illustrate. We have a mouth full of teeth, words, and a lean mean running machine (to name a few things). Since I have become a boring adult, it seems like each year that passes just means I have to remember how old I am and nothing really changes except that. But as I look back on this year, I see how much life really does fly by us. I hate all those silly clichés that every parent says: "Enjoy them while they are young", "They grow up so fast", "You'll never get these years back" and a whole bunch of other one liners. The thing is they are true, but the other thing is that even with all that knowledge, you can't stop time. I guess even if I could stop time, I probably wouldn't. Part of the fun has been watching these changes and enjoying new discoveries.
So, as this life clumsily tumbles down the road, I watch our little baby turn into a big girl and prepare to welcome a new baby to do it all over again. I picture my life something like a train ride along the coast. As we steadily climb hills, I stick my head out the window and feel the cool breeze in my hair. I look ahead and see plenty more hills along the windy tracks, but then I turn my head to look behind us and I see all the ground we have covered and those big hills look like little speed bumps and those windy tracks look more like subtle curves. Its time like these when a man just has to sit back, take a deep breath and say "Life is Good"...
