7 Quick Takes: Count down to vacation! Chicken Ceasar sandwiches! The Civil Wars and more!

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Really, really, really tired this week.  I think the last 10 months are just catching up to me in a whole new layer of exhaustion.  Also, we usually feel this way a few weeks before vacation.  

Vacation is two weeks away and I'm hoping we can make it long enough to pack up our car, drive the 30 hours to New York and plop ourselves down on the dock of Canandaigua Lake.  Occasionally, I imagine we'll only get as far as north of Dallas, need a good nap and end up vacationing at a Holiday Inn Express.  

Who knows? That might not be so bad.

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Then, of course, we'd miss views like this...

the gorgeous Finger Lakes region

Canandaigua Lake at sunset (my nephew fishing off the dock)

--- 3 ---

My kids are busy with beautiful adventures so far this summer.  My youngest daughter served as a counsellor for Camp Nikos, a camp for Austin's at-risk children sponsored by Mission:Possible! Austin.  We are so proud of her passion for adventurous camping and wounded children.  As a parent, it's delightful to see our kids sync up with the exact sort of thing they were designed to do ; Natalie is undoubtedly wired to serve at-risk children in an active, creative environment.  

As a 14-year-old, she's also wired to need much more sleep than she got at camp so we've spent the week ironing out the difference between those two values. 

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Our sixteen-year old is leaving in the morning for a week of mission in Guatemala City.  She's packing, I'm sitting here in denial that my girl is flying out of the country without either of her parents to keep watch.  (this fact delights her, by the way)

I'm so excited for the her adventure and the stories we'll able to share together when she comes home.

--- 5 ---

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Tamara on Pinterest

Several people asked us for the recipe for the Chicken Ceasar Sandwiches we made for Alex' graduation party thanks to this sweet Pinterest find.  We've already made them again since the party so thought you all might enjoy the recipe too.  It's a perfect meal for summer potlucks.  (click through the link to get to the original post with recipe)

By the way, half of our family likes this recipe on a roll and the other half on a bed of lettuce, a variation on chicken ceasar salad.

--- 6 ---

The Civil Wars perform the National Anthem: It's been so fun following the starry path this duo has been making over the past year or more.  I so wanted to see them when they were in Austin, but the show sold out too quickly.  I'm pretty impressed with their version of The Star Spangled Banner at the Atlanta Braves opening game, aren't you?

--- 7 ---

This weekend we celebrate Brian for Father's Day on Sunday and for his birthday on Monday.  He's asked to be able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants and we've given the kids warning that they may not begin any sentences with the following phrases: "Can I...?", "Will you...?" or "I need..." for the next three days.  We'll see how that goes.

At the very least, I hope we'll be able to give him even a tiny sense of how much we love and appreciate him.

Enjoy a fun and beauty-filled weekend!

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