Summer Lovin’

I deactivated my facebook account for the summer. I generally use facebook from my phone, so I’m not spending oodles of hours on my computer. I check updates frequently, and it only takes me a few seconds each time.
But I gotta be honest: the other night as I was lying in bed “next” to my husband (how close can you really get when you’ve got a giant pillow between you? Pregnancy, you rule the day), I kept imaging the people who wrote the status updates snuggled between us in bed.
“Jogged four miles today,” one said. Then they disappeared and another on reappeared.
“Ugh, is it possible to be any more annoyed than I am right now?” they said.

And the cycle went on and on. Every time I laid down in bed next to my husband and opened my facebook account, I was inviting friends, family, and general acquaintances into bed with us! And it wasn’t just that: it was lunchtimes and break times as well. When I should have been spending time visiting with my kids over lunch, I was scrolling through updates. Facebook friends were there again: sitting at the table with the kids and I.
“Hate the new time line,” they were saying.
“Happy Anniversary to my husband,” they were saying.

On Sunday, I had a heartfelt conversation with my husband about love. In the past year and a half, I’ve learned a lot about love (the hard way). And I think the most important thing I’ve learned about love is that LOVE is WHY we’re here… a big part of why we’re here, anyway.
Humans have so many irritating limitations: we can only run so far, read so much, laugh so long… but love? Our capacity to love is limitless.
Are we perfect at loving? Of course not. We’re here learning how to love each other the same way our Father in Heaven loves us. Some people are naturally more loving -some are having to learn the hard way (me!). But in the end: love is what it’s all about.
Love your neighbor.
Love your friends.
Love your family.
Love yourself.

This summer, I’m going to focus on my family: no more facebook in bed. No more facebook at my kitchen table. No more facebook… for the entire summer. Once the summer is over, a small kind of era in our family will also be over. This is our LAST summer before the school system infiltrates our personal schedules.
This is also our LAST summer with just the four of us. Next summer, we’ll have one more person in our family: while I’m mounds of excited, I’m also aware that I need to bond the CRAP out of what we’ve got now while I still have the chance.
I want to focus on my kids.

Yesterday we spent and hour and a half at the pool, and then we went for Dilly Bars. That night, as Daddy got called into work, my kids snuggled up with my and My Big Fat Pillow and we watched “The Cutting Edge” through Netflix on my phone. We had to get REALLY close to see on the tiny screen, and it was glorious.
That was how my husband found us when he got home: all three together in one gigantic bed. No separation anxiety for us last night.
May the rest of the summer be just as grand… it’s all I’ve got before our lives change for good. Facebook does NOT need an invite to this party. After all, it will still be there come August.
But I will be honest: I’m going to miss posting status updates. I love composing them.
Here’s the one I thought of this morning but couldn’t post: I love being up in the morning… it’s the GETTING up that tans my hide.

On that note: I didn’t wake up until sinfully late this morning and I’m running behind.
Until tomorrow, then.