Life Lately- Together

Summer Edition

Well, somehow July AND August came and went without a Life Lately post. (Ope!) But honestly, summer was FULL.

Our neighborhood won the Neighborhood Star Award at the 4th of July Parade, a tornado touched down about a block and a half from our house (WHAT?!), Blake and I snuck away for a little mid-season recharge, and we celebrated my sister and her growing family at the sweetest baby shower. 🤍

There were a lot of really good moments packed into these last couple of months, but two in particular left me thinking…

It All Goes Back in the Box 🇺🇸

For the second year, our neighborhood came together to build a float and walk in our local 4th of July Parade, and WOW, it was FUN. From getting everyone together to pack candy beforehand to walking the parade together on the 4th, these are the kinds of memories I know we’ll talk about for years.

And this year, we won the Neighborhood Star Award!

But here’s the funny thing…

We spent HUNDREDS of man-hours dreaming up ideas, building, painting, tweaking, perfecting and collaborating with friends to bring this float to life.

And when it was all over?

Five guys took the whole thing apart in about two hours. 

All that work. All those details. All those hours.

Back in the box.

It was such a simple reminder that so much of what we spend our time building, perfecting and stressing over is temporary. Eventually, it all goes back in the box.

But the people we built it with? The neighbors sitting together packing candy. The kids walking down the street together. The conversations, laughter and memories we made along the way?

That’s the good stuff.

The float was fun. Winning was REALLY fun! But getting to do it all alongside people we love was by far the best part. : )

When a Tornado Comes to Town 🌪️

And then… there was the tornado.

Thankfully, it was only an EF-0, but it still did a surprising amount of damage in our neighborhood. Trees were down everywhere, and our own yard was covered with massive branches that were really more like entire sections of trees.

We weren’t home when it happened, and before we even made it back, THREE different neighbors had already stopped by our house to check on things and give us updates.

Community. Again. 🤍

Blake and I came home early, surveyed the damage, put on some gloves and got to work.

And something that could have felt completely overwhelming… just didn’t.

We worked on it together. It took a couple of days, a LOT of hauling and some serious muscle from Blake, but eventually we got it done.

And yes, Blake absolutely did the heavy lifting. BUT I would like the record to show that I dragged an impressive number of branches to the front yard. : ) 

#TeamWatsonForLife

Final Thoughts: It’s All About People

It was another little reminder from this summer that life is just better when you don’t have to do it alone.

Whether we’re building parade floats, cleaning up after storms, sneaking away for a couple of days together or celebrating a new little life joining our family, I keep coming back to the same thing:

The people are the best part.

And this summer gave me a whole lot of reasons to be grateful for mine. 🤍

Much Love,

A few little snapshots from Life Lately…

1. Photographer meet up- Got to check out a fun Chicago wedding venue together. : )
2. Spider-Man with Blake!
3. A little more golf with Blake. My favorite way to catch up with him.
4. Small downpour with a friend while golfing. Yikes!
5. Mammoth Cave with Blake. It really was HUGE!
6. & 7. Our little weekend getaway to KY. The dome was really unique and the view as beautiful!