I’m already second guessing my title. I just realized for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, June is literally a short(er) month with long days. My title was meant to be more abstract. Surely you’ve heard the expression, “the days are long, but the years are short”? It’s most often used to describe parenting young kids. However, it summarizes our June perfectly:
Endlessly long days, but over before we could blink.
June 1st and 30th were the only days all month that the four of us were together on the boat. How crazy is that? The first day of the month we woke up in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The highlight of the day was a dinner visit from some best friends.
On June 30th we picked Mary Grace up from Beach Week Church Camp in Destin, Florida. Most of that day was spent driving back to Light & Salty, docked at Midway Marina near Tupelo, Mississippi.
To recap all the days in between, I’ve decided to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to break the month up by family member. It’s new for us to go in so many different directions. But I fear we’re on the brink of this becoming our normal. (Cue tears!)
June belonged to Mary Grace.
Looking back, the biggest reason for our chaos in June was fulfilling a bucket list experience. Earlier this year, our friends asked Mary Grace to crew on their new boat. They needed to sail across the Gulf of Mexico from Kemah, Texas to Key West, Florida.
Eventually there will be a post shared about the crossing, but for now I’m letting her tell the story. She was asked by Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine to write about her experience. The issue comes out very soon. It will be on newstands, but it’s a fraction of the price if you subscribe (here). We love this quarterly magazine- I don’t think you will regret the purchase! Not to mention, you’ll be among the first to see Mary Grace’s article.
Other highlights of Mary Grace’s June include:
- Making salsa with Aunt Brenda in Houston
- Finally visiting Dry Tortugas National Park
- Quickly touring The University of Miami (a top school of interest)
- Busting her tail for 2 days in Louisville as the AGLCA Intern
- Baking dozens of cookies in a “real” kitchen
- Attending Beach Week Church Camp in Destin, Florida
Brent did it all in June and made it look easy.
I am becoming increasingly convinced that Brent has more hours in his week than the rest of us. I honestly have no idea how he does as much as he does. The most amazing part is that he does it all with a calm, casual attitude. I stress out just thinking about his schedule. He can even sleep soundly (as evidenced by his snoring!) with a million things on his plate.
That said, Brent was everywhere in the month of June. Prior to accompanying Mary Grace on the 10-day sailing adventure, he ran over to Jacksonville to show a boat. Then Brent went straight from sailing in the Gulf to working the AGLCA event in Louisville. The highlight of that event was Great Loop Yacht Sales hosting a docktails aboard a paddle wheel on the Ohio River.
The next day Brent celebrated Father’s Day by grilling his dad’s secret recipe chicken. And taking us out on the Pontoon boat. (If anyone doubted Brent’s love of boats…he truly can’t go a day without being on the water in some fashion!) Father’s Day was the calm before the storm!
Brent spent the next week flying everywhere to list and show boats. He was in 9 states that week with stops as far apart as upstate New York and South Florida. Our family could not be more grateful for the abundance of work- it is an answered prayer. And Brent is absolutely in his element and thriving!
Then there was a big twist in the month that no one anticipated…
June’s weather was spicy in the Panhandle. A series of severe storms came through and the tropics began to get colorful. Additionally, the rivers started to flood with no end in sight. Light & Salty needed to be moved when the weather window presented itself.
While it wasn’t ideal or desirable for any of us, the safety of our boat turned into our top priority. Timing was terrible, but fortunately our friend, Charlie, agreed to help Brent move the boat. In 5 days they went from Gulf Shores to Tupelo. Brent finished his crazy month with a few boat showings and packing bags for the Bahamas!
Miller thrives as an only child.
For the first time, Miller experienced the beauty of being an only child. And he loved it.
June was Miller’s month and I was just around to chaufour him and make snacks. For 10 days we squeezed out every ounce of fun (during some very long days) in Gulf Shores. Miller did ropes courses, Go Karts, water obstacle courses, a visit to the zoo and all his favorite food places. He played on the beach, stayed up late watching baseball, and attended a VBS.
We also traveled to PCB to attend his baseball closing ceremonies where he was named league MVP. Of course his talent played a large part, but his coach pointed out that Miller’s leadership was the true gift.
Miller also spent a week in Knoxville and soaked up every minute of fun with his cousin, Reed. The grand finale of his month was getting the opportunity to operate a lock. As Charlie and Brent brought our boat up the TennTom Waterway, a lockmaster offered Miller the opportunity to do it all. Miller loved being in charge!
Reluctantly, he returned to the role of little brother on the last day of the month. He plays that part well. Overall, I think he would say the highlight of his month was not doing school (go figure!) or visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum.
Sarah’s Long Days
When I think back to June, I think about some really long days. Mary Grace can share all of the amazing details of her big Gulf crossing, but I will paint the other picture. I spent 10 days watching a snail go 700 miles. It was such a blessing to have a link to track them. But it was also a huge distraction. I woke up all hours of the night and refreshed the link over and over.
Did I mention I had ZERO contact with them? Cell phones obviously don’t work offshore. In my head, I knew they were having the time of their lives. But that didn’t make my days pass any more quickly.
The true highlight of my month was my annual Marist Girls trip. It started out a little rocky with monsoon-style rain. And then we arrived to our lakehouse and found out there was no lake. (We can laugh about that now!) Fortunately, for the next 3 days we had gorgeous sunshine, a pool, and the best time. There’s nothing like being with friends that have known you since Kindergarten.
I am never one to wish time away, but admittedly I was thrilled when June came to a close! It was nice to have everyone back together on our boat…even though it was short lived.
My goal was have this post written before July ended. And look at me, 4 days to spare! As always, thanks for keeping up with our family’s crazy adventures! I know these website posts come less and less frequently these days, but I am very active on Facebook and Instagram. Check those out, if you haven’t connected there already:
You may also enjoy reading:
The One With The Tennessee River Side Trip
25 Questions to Ask Kids on Your Next Road Trip
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