kissing it goodbye

it's still hot in arkansas, but fall is creeping in.  we live a block from the university of arkansas and all summer long it feels like we have the campus to ourselves.  my minivan bolts through deserted campus streets.  i can jog without passing guys yelling from frat houses and without stares from hipsters because of how loud i'm huffing and puffing up these hills.
then...they all return.  and believe it or not, this is equally exciting.  we hear the marching band practice from our back deck, neighbors prepare yards for football parking, athletes are on their scooters with nike backpacks, girls walk to class in what is apparently the arkansas college girls uniform:: chacos, nike shorts and an oversized t-shirt or tank top.
(this is an enigma to me.  i'm sure as a sorority girl at the university of alabama, we had our own version of a uniform, but i don't remember it being so frumpy.  if anyone can explain this to me, feel free to comment)

when the college kids invade, we know summer is on it's last leg.  so, we gotta live it up.  sprinklers & a terrible tiny plastic pool can be as fun as you make it.  and that's what i love about the 3 mooney rascals...they are gonna love anything you talk up as fun.  maybe this is a season or maybe it's their personalities, but when i say excitedly "get your suits on! we're turning on the sprinklers!"  you'd think they won the lottery.  so fun.

anders jumping

hazel dancing

lena walking

sibs

anders, being so anders:)

goodbye, summer, you were good to us.