Thunder.

Have I mentioned how I'm having a hard time letting go of this summer?
I'm having a hard time letting go of this summer.
Summers not even over, and I'm still having a hard time saying goodbye.
I've never been one to miss a summer.

I absolutely love Autumn, and for all the cliche reasons. I won't even try to be original.  I love the colors, I love the smells, and I love pumpkin spice lattes. More than anything I love that my daily yoga pants are now more acceptable and how perfectly they fit into every single pair of my boots.  I love carving pumpkins, corn mazes, and spiced apple cider. I love sharing these things with the people that I am close too.
Here I am facing a season I historically hold much excitement for, and now I'm waiting with bated breath. How is this fall going to change me?

As fun as this summer has been, it's a real one.
It's been so real; it feels surreal.
This season changed me.
I'm more me than I've ever been brave enough to be.

Let's flashback a few years ago.
i'm 18 years old, and dating the boy that I am sure I'm going to marry. We have a plan. We've talked about it. We've prayed about it. We're sure. We even have a 'promise ring'. I think that 19 year old me, would hate 22 year old me, as much as 22 year old me hates 18  year old me. Thing between me and this boy were on the fast track to serious, and then I received some sound advice from a very wise man... Hey Dad.
Dad's are always smarter than we give them credit for, and I think at this point my Dad saw exactly where things were headed.  He sat me down and begged me-- not to get married young.
Granted, these words were shared with me years ago, so I can't claim for these words to be verbatim, but the ideas still remain the same.
'Ann, I know that you think you are in love, and you could be.  You guys might work well together now, but let me tell you, this won't always be the case.  You think you know who you are, and deep down you probably do, but let me tell you, I've been there, and you aren't even close to becoming the person you will become.  These next 5 years of your life-- these are the years you will find out who you are. If you get married to someone tomorrow, you might be compatible for now, but as you grow in the next 5 years, it's highly possible, and even more likely, that you might grow into two very incompatible people. Neither of you will have done anything wrong. You just grew up.'

This summer more than ever I am thankful for my Dad's advice.
In these 2 years that I've been living in Seattle I've grown more than the first 20. And in this past Summer I feel like I've grown more than in those two years combined.

I guess my biggest concern is that this summer almost hasn't felt real.
I'm so pleased with who I've grown to be, but I'm worried about how 'Summer Annie' will fit into real life.

There's not much of a an organized thought to this post.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I am estatic for puddles and rain. For boots and blankets. For doggie sweaters, and human scarves. I'm dreaming about brightly colored leaves, and fragrant fall air.

But, I think I might have mentioned, I'm worried about saying goodbye, to this miserably hot summer.
This sweaty, sticky, perfect summer.
The summer that helped show me, who I am. who I want to be.

Wednesday. A few wednesdays ago.

This last week has been so full of good.
Sometimes when I'm having a rough week, I feel like God sends me these days to remind me to hang in there, and that greater things are yet to come. Lately, my life is only good days, so when a particularly good one comes along, I can hardly hold it in. My heart is so full to the brim with warm fuzzies, and its one more drop before I pour over with joy.
If life were a video game, I've be on a winning streak, and on Wednesday-- I beat my high score.