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Bittersweet Summer...

 

Then end of the school year seemed like a lifetime ago. Summer is well underway. There's definitely a feeling of bittersweetness. Summer means freedom, relaxation, pool time, playtime, and more. But our summer started a little rough having to say goodbye to one of our beloved family dogs, Delilah. 

Delilah is really the first dog all four kids had. We got her in 2010, just after we moved into this house. Everyone loved and adored Delilah. She was a large designer breed called a Matweiller, half Rotweiller, and half Bull Mastiff. She was a gentle giant but could scare anyone with her protectiveness of her family. She honestly lived well past our expectations. Her large breed had a 10-12 year life expectancy. She was 12 years, 8 months when we decided it was time for her to pass over the rainbow bridge on June 10. She had been struggling to move her ample body, spent most of her days sleeping, and had begun to lose bladder control. She was urinating blood in those last few days and we knew it was time to let her go. What a hard decision to make. Savannah came home from Austin and Bailey came over too. We spent one last night with her before taking her to Angels of Mercy. 



Wednesday and Dianne were by her side all day as if they knew she wasn't doing well. 







It was definitely a challenging decision to make because she was still an alert and happy dog. Savannah said it best when she said it was bittersweet. Of course, we weren't ready to say goodbye to Delilah, but we were happy she had such a full and wonderful life with us. She was spoiled!

She will be greatly missed by everyone.

~~

Summer for the most part is much like other summers with the Boyen Bunch. Our days are filled with hanging out at home, doctor's appointments, pool days, shopping, cooking, parks, the gym, and games.

Jonas and Lorelei helped me wrap up my classroom for the school year. All they required for their hard work was lunch out! 





Lorelei has had a few doctor's appointments. She really is quite the little warrior. Last month she received a new diagnosis that explains all of her medical congenital anomalies (except the narcolepsy...that's a bonus!), called MRKH Syndrome Type 2. She just keeps smiling. She really is my hero. The orthopedic surgeon was super pleased with her spinal fusion revision and gave her the full go-ahead to keep on diving and even hit the higher platforms. Well...he said she was free to do whatever height I could tolerate watching! Ha! I told him I'd just close my eyes. She does want to at least try the 5-meter. 

Summer diving started which means a new suit for this silly girl. 



A triple synchro dive with friends! Pretty cool...


We've got a great gym routine going, as well as park days, and of course the pool!








Savannah came home for a week, especially to celebrate her birthday! The big Golden birthday of turning 21 on the 21st of June!

We squeezed a whole lot of fun into one week.

Coffee dates...


Shopping...

Games! Bananagrams is our new favorite. Much like Scrabble, but with a twist. 




We started her birthday celebration right at midnight!





Her birthday was FUN for all of us. We had brunch, the pool in the afternoon,
and she went to her first bar, Little Woodrow's. 







We came home after a few drinks and played some more games. I don't think it was quite the wild night we were planning on. No one got stupid drunk! Which I guess is a good thing. 

The rest of the week included more hanging out, creative fun, and helping Jonas study for the SAT. He's trying for a 1600 and is scheduled to retake it in August. He's currently sitting at 1390, which is pretty darn good, but not when you are number two in the class striving to get into Harvard. You need more. GOALS!


We made a trip to IKEA. Savannah is moving from an apartment in Austin to a cute rental house in the Hyde Park area in August. She's going from a furnished place to an unfurnished one. She was hoping for some inspiration and ideas. 


We also squeezed two other birthdays in that week. Brieley turned 15 and we went to Grimaldi's for pizza. 



My sister's birthday was Saturday so we headed over to her house and I made her sushi bowls for lunch. 


We also invested a lot of time into finishing this puzzle. Savannah, Lorelei, and Emily busted their tails on Sunday to finish it before Savannah headed back to Austin. But they did it! Jonas and I helped a little too. 





It's missing two and a half pieces, thanks to a few pups! But I'm going to preserve it and hopefully hang it in my classroom or reading room. 

June is practically over. We are heading to Austin this weekend and starting to plan a trip to Boston so Jonas can visit Harvard. I definitely have some house projects that need attention too, but the lazy days of summer are just too tempting! I saw this quote recently and am trying to embrace it. We don't need to plan and fill every moment. 



This was one of my favorite moments in June. This amazing sunset took place on Father's Day. We had a simple day with John. Nothing fancy...but we all loved the moment exactly how it was.

Happy summer...savor those moments. 



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