It's a lazy summer morning.  I'm sitting in bed with the delicious summer sun pouring in and a steaming cup of coffee beside me.  I've spent the last hour reading my book and trying to absorb every ray of sunlight deep into my bones.  In a few short months the ground will be white and the angle of the sun will not wake me up at 5:30 am - both a blessing and a curse.  Every summer I look out the window at the dark green grass and blooming flowers and wonder if the frozen landscape really will appear again, and then when it's cold and freezing I marvel at the fact that if I just wait long enough the snow will melt and the grass will show it's thanks by turning into the soft green carpet I see out my bedroom window.  The changing of the seasons really is amazing; the starkness of winter makes me appreciate the softness of summer even more.

I'm having a morning in which I'm trying very hard to just 'be'.  Enjoy the smell of the soft summer breeze through the window, the warmth of the sun, the flickering wave of the aspen tree I see in our neighbor's yard.  My issue today, however, is an underlying vibration of needing to be productive instead of just enjoying the moment.  We leave in 4 days.  Like many people, I work best under pressure and all of a sudden I've feeling it!  In reality the list is unimportant and I know I will get it done, just small things like cancel the newspaper and water delivery, download the stuff on iTunes that the kids want for the trip, print off the confirmation of all of our flights and accommodations, and try to eat what's in the fridge so that it can be emptied out before we go.   I also need to figure out the new phone we bought for the trip, a cheap Samsung phone with a U.K. number that we can use in Europe.  Every year we struggle with the phone situation - take our blackberries and worry about the exorbitant cost and the potential of losing them, or search for a payphone (which is like looking for a needle in a haystack except this needle also needs you to purchase a pre-paid phone card).  Last summer we stayed in a delightful small town in Spain which - literally - had a single pay phone which was a ten minute drive from our rented house.  When the shower backed up we all had to hop in the car, park on a steep hill and trudge to the phone to call the lady in charge.  Why we didn't buy a phone like this before is nothing more than thinking it's a great idea but never getting around to it.  Today I need to charge it and activate it; it's not the fanciest phone but it will do it's job and has free incoming calls and an extremely reasonable rate for making intra-Europe calls.  The amount of time we'll save from looking for (and using) grimy pay phones is more than worth it.

I'm also feeling encouraged by the two hours I spent yesterday in my closet.  I tried on everything I want to take and am pretty sure I have everything I need - and happily enough the pile is the right size!  Each year I'm amazed that we are able to manage with only carry-on sized luggage; I know it's possible but I'm still impressed every time I see how little we actually need.  I'll see how it goes when the kids become teenagers…!

Time to enjoy the last few moments of quiet before the kids get up.  I'm reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" to get into the Italian mood and it's more than working.  Fino alla prossima volta...