Summer Rewind
sUMMER REWIND
As I am sitting writing this blog I am in one of my happy places, Old Forge, NY looking out at the lake surrounded by trees. This place is where I have spent summers my entire life. It is where my dad was born and raised and he comes from a very big family. We all used to gather and spend weeks here in the summer. No one had a lot of money; we used to cram into a bunch of small houses whether it was my grandparents or an aunt who lived here. Sleeping on air mattresses, sharing bathrooms that constantly ran out of hot water, eating meatballs and macaroni sitting outside or wherever you could find a place to sit. Going to the Enchanted Forest (which was a very nice water park and amusement park), going for boat rides, building forts, playing hide-and-seek in the forest or my grandparents' basement, picking wild blueberries, baseball games, golf tournaments (The Gaudin Open and yes, we had trophies and a full DJ catered party for the award ceremony), canoeing and kayaking, fishing, hiking…. you name it we did it and we all did it together. It wasn’t glamorous but it was THE BEST! So, it seems only fitting that I would end the summer, this summer in particular, in this place love that holds countless memories for me.
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DAILY TAMARA
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Now sitting back and taking time to breathe and reflect on this past summer there have been many highs and lows. The lows are obvious with the wedding being postponed and struggling to find a place to live. But Erik and I have made the most of this time not only by having our adventures but also through working on our relationship. We have both grown so much over the last several months in learning even more about each other and working to prepare for a life together. We have been stretched in different ways and have had to lean into each other. We have learned to fight for unity and not to be right and to purse oneness. It has not always been easy but it has grown us as people and made us better. We have consistently met with our counselors who have helped us see our faults and work to love the other better. Through a lot of disappointments, we have finally found a place to call home, for now. This isn’t our long-term place but is a place for now until we figure out more of what the future looks likes. And an intimate ceremony will happen sometime soon followed by our big wedding with all our family and friends next summer back in Santa Barbara!
Work has continued to be a struggle for me. Fashion is just not on the top of anyone’s necessity list. And while I have had some work it has definitely been a struggle for me. I should be gearing up for my busiest season of the year but that will not be the case this fall. I do have a project coming up in a week that I am excited for and will have some clients to work with and help for the fall season but not like a normal season at all. I have been thinking through some other options and ideas for the future not knowing how COVID will affect my business in the short or long term. So, having back-ups may be just what I need for now. We are also talking through some other ideas for Erik and he is looking at going back to get his doctorate (big gulp!). We have some projects we would like to work on together so we will see what opportunities the Lord provides for us.
Thinking back through all of our adventures we have had some really great ones. We have experienced new places, fell back in love with the northeast (not that we ever fell out of love of course), have been very active from bike riding to running, hiking and beaching from one coast to the other. I have always had the adventurous spirit that is up for trying new things, traveling and has a hard time just sitting still (although I do love my lazy days when I have them). And now that I have a partner who likes to join me in all my crazy it is even more fun! And while I have brought out more spontaneity in his life he has also helped me to slow down and take time to chill. Which makes us a good balance for one another.
Looking back, I kind of see this as the longest summer ever. It feels like it really started in March and is still going. From weeks spent in Texas and California to our many east coast adventures, we have really taken advantage of time with family and friends and making new memories. All while working to better ourselves and our relationship. And please hear me say there has been a lot of good but also a lot of hard. There has been laughter but also tears. It has not just been this blissful perfect time no matter how something may look in photos. It has truly been several months of peaks and valleys but all of it has been for our good. Enjoy these last few days of summer (before we enter the unknown of fall).
XO!
Tamara