Summer 2026 has begun!

 We are officially in the throes of Summer.  The girls have been out of school for just over a week, but we have already packed in lots of fun.  These pics are, of course, in reverse order because Blogger hates me.  :)  

What better way to celebrate finishing Day 1 of a lacrosse tournament?  A huge dessert cookie!

And nachos, of course!

SA and I enjoyed the most beautiful tour of the University of Delaware.  Our friend Meradith went to college there and was a great tour guide after a morning of travel lacrosse games.  

The first night of the tournament, SA and I enjoyed the peaceful, rural setting in northern Maryland.  We even stayed on a working Amish farm in the tiny town of Rising Sun.  

After driving into town, we had the best time exploring their little local zoo.  

Plumpton Park Zoo is a non-profit organization that specializes in rescuing exotic animals illegally purchased by private citizens.  

The animals were clearly well cared for, and we loved feeding them!

One weekend earlier, we were in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania for SA's first summer tournament.  Susannah was a good sport about spending her first weekend of summer on a lacrosse trip.  This picture was our last stop on our day in Philly that we tacked onto the weekend.  We had dinner at the country's oldest bar, hidden in this little alley.  

And of course, ran up the famous Rocky steps.  

We toured Christ Church, which was the site of worship for many of our founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin, who sat in this pew.  

And George Washington and John Adams, who sat in this special presidential pew.  

SA opted for the world's largest slice of pizza while the rest of us sampled a true Philly cheesesteak.  

We had a wonderful guided tour of Independence Hall.  This room was where the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were drafted and approved. 

Seeing this historical landmark was especially meaningful, given the 250th anniversary of our nation.  

The city was gritty, but had been cleaned up significantly for the World Cup.  

We learned a lot about the historical significance of the Liberty Bell, as a symbol of progress for people of color and women.  

Independence Hall from the outside.  

The night before taking the train from Conshohocken to Philly, Susannah and I drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to see The Indigo Girls.  Brian Dunne was the adorable opener.  He signed an album for Susannah.  

We had fantastic seats.  

We got there in time to stroll the main street of Hershey, complete with the famed Kiss streetlights.  

Susannah made a T-shirt with her favorite lyrics to wear to the show.  

The main reason we were in Pennsylvania, though, was to watch these athletes play lacrosse.  They did fantastic.  

Traffic on Friday afternoon was not fun, so we were all ready for a relaxing dinner and a toast to the official end of 9th and 6th grade once we finally made it to Conshohocken.  

That same morning, we had to take the obligatory last-day photo. Susannah had a wacky schedule with finals, so we missed this tradition with our big high-schooler.  :( 

On one of the last early release days of school, SA and I headed to GO APE to finally use her gift card.  (She has had it since 3rd grade.)

We had the best time doing all the courses.  There were no crowds, so we sailed through! 

It was such a fun memory with this almost 7th-grader.  

The weekend before that, I was with these ladies in Rehoboth Beach.  We had lovely weather. 

Reconnecting with these friends one weekend a year is such a gift.  

The week before, I was privileged to be invited to Richmond for the Episcopal Preaching Excellence Program.  This was the chapel where we met for morning and evening prayer every day of the 5-day conference.  

Before I left for the week, we celebrated Peter turning 46!  

And we watched this singer perform in GW's Spring Chorus concert.  We were so proud because she won the 6th-grade Chorus award.  

Earlier in May, Peter and I were lucky to spend a long weekend in Cape May together.  

We had awesome meals in the sunshine.  

Rode our bikes everywhere,

And were so happy to reconnect and relax after a crazy school year. 
 

And now we are looking forward to having Susannah return from her mission trip to Spirit Lake, North Dakota.  Coming down the pike is one more lacrosse tournament, a trip to Nashville for Susannah and me, SA heads to sleepaway camp, and later in July, we are off to Montana for our family vacation!  Lots of fun to come!  We love and miss you all!