I came that they may have life...

And may have it abundantly. John 10:10b

That verse has crossed my mind a lot this summer.

This summer has been full.

Full of activities.
Full of travel.
Full of adventures.
Full of emotions.

Full of life!

And what a joyous, abundant life it has been.

Our Starr family reunion was a blast.  We spent the days chatting away with family, dipping our toes in the beautiful (but frigid) Lake Tahoe, and watching our popsicle stained lipped children giggle, run, and get dirty together.

Disneyland was enchanting- and not because of all the colorful sights, yummy smells, charming music, and general Mickey magic- although that was all wonderful, but because there is nothing better than watching wonderment in the eye's of a little child. The entire trip was beyond magical to her. She woke up every morning and popped up out of bed smiling and yelling "Mimi!"
And we were delighted to say "Yes, sweet girl, we get to go see Mickey today."And thus every day there began with excitement and ended in sweet exhaustion.

Since that big adventure, life just kept coming.

We recovered though another sickness. (The not-so-happily-ever-after ending to the end of our Disney trip.)

We got to see our new baby for the first time. (Cute side note- when I laid back and pulled up my shirt so the ultrasound could begin, Natalie, who was in Daddy's lap, laid back and pulled her shirt up too. So darned adorable.)

 I survived a single-mom week while Keith was in Ohio for work.

We went on an amazing trip to the beach with Keith's family where we packed biking, playing in the sand, a carousel ride, shopping, and swimming into a perfect weekend.

Natalie began sleeping (cough, for maybe the first 2 hours of the night) in her big girl bed.

We went to the drive in movie theater and Natalie saw her first movie on the big screen. She loved it! (Which coincidentally the baby liked too and shared his/her enthusiasm by kicking for the first time!)
We went berry picking (unsuccessfully as we hit it just between seasons.)
We splashed in the pool.
We saw friends from Canada.

And then began our 3 weddings in 3 weekends.

The first was for my longtime friend Jamie. It was beautiful and fun and perfect and lovely and everything I hoped for her. Natalie and I were both in the wedding and we were so honored to be part of such a special event. And Natalie only peed in her dress on the grass during rehearsal, not the real wedding. (Another story, another time...)

The second wedding was for Keith's cousin Marissa. The Callahan's (Keith's Dad's side) are a big family. And by big, I mean BIG. We got curious one night and started counting cousins. There are 14 first cousins. Many of which are married. And many of which now have children of their own. And this crew knows how to have a good time. So needless to say, it was a great weekend. (P.S.- This is just his Dad's side! I think when we counted cousins on both sides of his family we lost count around 21.)

The third wedding is for my cousin, Jessica. It's in Boise and we leave to drive there tomorrow. (I really should be packing...)

And then?

Well, hopefully, life will keep coming. (Hopefully a little slower?)

Because it's exhilarating.
Because it's what we were made for.
And mostly, because it's what He died for.


And this is just a glimmer of what He has in store for us? How could I not be excited for His return?!

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 

John 10:10b

Thanks God.