The stuff summer is made of (and a post where I actually make complete sentences)

From the first mosquito bites of the year to an afternoon of one liners mixed with haikus with friends while sipping pink lemonade along the river, the weekend screamed summer and it was glorious.

There is something about a clean house on Friday afternoon that makes me happy. Knowing that the kitchen and bathroom are both clean, the laundry is (mostly) folded and the yard looks wonderful (thanks to my hubby) allows any and all fun things to trump whatever is left on the to-do list.

And so we played.

We picinic'd it up on Friday, with a cold shrimp salad, Chris' "just what I had on hand" chilled avocado soup and cookies that were again baking when I got out of bed. If I'm going to work night shifts, there may as well be my husband with cookies waiting for me on the other end. So we drank wine at the park while the sun set and talked about the summer and the changes coming up.

Awhile ago we started training for a 5K which we ran on Saturday and while we are about two thirds the way through the training program it felt good to (mostly) run the race that motivated us in the first place. The rain stayed away til we were done and the trail around Lake Como in Minneapolis was a nice change from our usual. We ran the last bit with our friend Brandon (who organized the race, a benefit for Haiti) and the guys matched my slower pace as we crossed the finish line to cheers. Now, to lengthen my stride and ask my sister and brother in law to map out a 5K for us to run in Beijing, when we will be done with our training.

We spent the rest of the day at my parent's home, playing cards, eating goodness off the grill and from the stove, listening to my aunt and uncle from Idaho tell their love story (letters typed and left in a typewriter when they were in high school), and opening some birthday gifts. Clothes are on my list of things that I am no longer buying - a list that is growing and that I find freeing instead of annoying or frustrating. It does help though when my mom, and in this case my brother too, give me a few cute things. =)

And Sunday ... Sunday was for sleeping in, and still making it to church on time ... wearing a skirt and sandals and being warm enough ... and getting several compliments from my husband (because I changed outfits three times). Then we packed up our dog, a tube of sunscreen and some friends and went south to Lanesboro. We meandered around town and along the trail by the river. We tried each others ice cream and played frisbee on the soft grass. We watched the sun shine through the rain and listened to kids sing of the joy of Jesus in a nearby gazebo. And then we drove home, the audience of a beautiful sun setting over the trees in what my husband called "God's country."

Like I said, the weekend was made of summer.

Oh, and Loki (the dog), you ask, the weekend was also made for him. He made new friends and ventured to Quarry Hill, Lake Como park and all about Lanesboro. He drank water kindly given to him from the waitress at the outside restaurant and explored (was distracted by) the many sights and smells on the ground. He got many compliments and then, when it was all over, he curled up on my feet and slept the whole way home.

That is 590 - 617.

Happy Monday!