Fireworks & Wedding Flowers

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“We reflect the greater story
of our King and His bride.”
~ Bethany Barnard, Covenant

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These are the things that made me happy in July:

On the first day of July: watering the garden in a sweatshirt, walking in rubber boots around the pond, making granola, sewing a dress

Flying down the slippin’ slide on the big hill behind church

Pressing flowers on the front porch

Rain, rain, rain, and a running creek

Fireworks at the park

Jared weeding the whole garden with me

Work to be done before Joel & Natalie’s backyard wedding: trees trimmed, flowers planted, grass mown, garden tended, dresses pressed and hung

Cutting and arranging our bridesmaids’ bouquets in the church kitchen

A bright, cool, July morning for a wedding at Papa’s pond gate

Getting ready at home on the wedding morning, all the girls crammed into our room, bright dresses, curled hair, and praying over Natalie before we stepped out the back door and walked barefoot down to the ceremony

Joel bouncing

The bee who kept visiting our bouquets

Vows and rings and smiles and applause for the new Mr. & Mrs. Melton

Dancing Footloose with Elanor on my hip

Folks in the yard, kids on the swing, couples dancing under the trees or eating waffles and fruit, all just a taste of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb to come

A Sunday afternoon to rest down at the pond with a book

Pressing daisies, zinnias, lilies, & ferns from Natalie’s bouquet

Sunday swim

Touring the old buildings at the Daniel Boone Home, Jared and I; taking our time and reading the history of the schoolhouse, garden, chapel, and inn

A long, shade tree picnic

Walking downtown St. Charles and only stopping in at the bookstores

Corner booth at a Mexican restaurant while it poured rain, talking and watching lacrosse

The day the hurricane rains came and washed out all our plans, so we pumped water out of the basement, made tea, worked, and played Topgolf in the evening

How Jim always shows me pictures of his puppy

Visiting Crabtree Farms’ produce stand and waiting for the watermelon truck to come lumbering in from the field, visiting with neighbors on the porch in the meantime

Making fresh garden green beans and zucchini bread

Jared’s grandparents, friends, fellow beekeeper and pastor around the table for his birthday meal; French dip sandwiches, fresh watermelon, coffee afterward, and games until late

Visiting the hives

How the rows of soybeans fan open, then shut when you drive past them, like a moving sea

Blowing up balloons and helping with food for Family Day at Vesta Baptist

Good teaching from God’s Word, a meal together, family games, making paper airplanes, and all the kids wearing tin foil armor and playing with swords

Handshakes and hugs on Sunday morning

Kitchen table ping pong

Monday evening dinner date and Lowe’s run

“On Having a Neighbor” by Sarah Rowell, whose writing rings true

Setting up my VBS room with Esther, finding decorations, and making an afternoon coffee run together

VBS mornings to work out, prep lessons, grab coffee, eat breakfast with everyone on the gym floor, hug kids, dress in costumes, sing songs, memorize Scripture, eat flatbread, and answer kids’ questions about Jesus

Pulling tables together for an outside dinner at Sugarfire for Trent’s birthday; watching the trains blow past

Leaving at sunrise for a daytrip for Jared’s birthday: playing pickleball, visiting a big library, taking a walk, dinner out, and talking all the way home, until the sun set over the highway again — the kind of days we’ll remember

A garden bouquet of coneflowers; a handful of cherry tomatoes

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