lately, life

hello.

how are you?

we've been doing more of the usual summer stuff,

 and trying to squeeze it all in before it's over.

we're already buying school supplies,

we registered for 1st grade today, be still my heart,

still staying up really late,
lots of time in the water,

spraying tons of mosquito spray,
hanging out with my beautiful friends at the mission,

cooking enchiladas with friends. 

really good,
and not so great stuff.

i recently had to take things to a more serious level with the neighbor whose dogs bit me.

i don't like it at all, but we felt like it was the right thing to do, and i feel strong.
i don't believe that love your neighbor involves legal action, and it sucks that we had to go there,
but i hope that god knows my heart.

boyd is the sweetest thing. he always sees my scars and asks me if it hurts, and i tell him not at all.

he tells me if the dogs come at me again to not act scared, because dogs can smell fear.

sweet boy, watching out for his mama.

{he's also said he would kick their butts. that's my boy}.

 my stepdad is spending as much time with his brother john as he can,

as john was given a terminal cancer diagnosis a few weeks ago, and is fading quickly.

it breaks my heart for my mom and stepdad, but they are spending some amazing time together right now.
thank you jesus for that blessing of time.

a local pastor is fighting for his life in liberia,
from a deadly infection,

and all he wanted was to go there and do god's work.
don't even turn on the world news before going to bed.
some days this world seems to be going crazy.

and we are still swimming and popping popcorn.
because that's what you do.

life is weird.

it is truly a mystery.

we've got to love what we have, 
where we are at this moment in time.

that's what we're trying to do at this house.
all we really have is this moment.

i bought this talavera mug in port aransas, and i love it.

sidewalk chalk art.

boyd drew a turtle, with a huge tail.
an alligator, with 5 feet.
and a hammerhead shark, with 2 heads apparently.
and i adore it all.

i cooked enchiladas with friends on sunday night.
i love these friends of mine!
we made a total disaster of becky's kitchen, but we sure did have fun.
i contributed pan dulce, salsa, and wine, among a few other things.

this boy loves his popsicles.

when we were in port aransas, boyd saw a restaurant named moby dick's.
he asked us who that was and we told him about the whale.
we were driving around the other day and he said, mom what is the name of that whale again?
i said, moby dick.
he said, that's pretty neat that he has his own restaurant.
i just smiled and kept on driving.

love,
nicolle