Honey, I'm Home (I've always wanted to say that) (more added)

My Sweet Baby,

I just got home and wanted to tell you I Love You. I saw your photo while I was at Pearl's. Is that Lake Mendota, or another smaller local lake? That's just a guess on my part, because in all the photos I've seen from you of Lake Superior, the shore is rocky. This one is sandy like a beach. I agree with your comment, it does feel like the Summer has gone by quickly, but maybe that is because it is our favorite season and we want it to last forever. But we both had a lot of neat experiences this Summer, I think, and I know for sure it is a Summer we will remember for the rest of our lives, just like last Summer! Also, even though the upcoming days will include school, and will therefore be less carefree, there is something to be said for the magic of Autumn, and this Fall will be especially magical because this time you and I will be together. Last year it was not so (well, we were sorta together, but you know what I mean). So even though the Summer is coming to an end, we will find magic in all the seasons, in all of our days.  :):)

I also liked your Calvin & Hobbes cartoon of this morning. Life is indeed a fragile and precious thing, but there is also much to find strength in, and as you and I know - we find it in the noticing of the details. We also find it in the promise of permanence, of togetherness. We have faith and we know things, all kinds of things - big things, little things, interesting things, indescribable things - special things .

There is so much that gives us strength, and we notice it all, we take it all in.

That is us in the cartoon, sitting under the tree, watching the birds take flight.  :):)

I am gonna go for my walk in a few minutes, and I may stop by the Oviatt, just because I wanna see the new remodeled first floor. I haven't been there all Summer. If I can find an open computer there, I will check in to say hi, and either way I will be back to write more at my usual time later tonight.

I Love You, Elizabeth. You are My Angel. All of our Summers, and all of our Seasons, will be special.  xoxoxoxoxo  :):) 

10:50pm : I did stop by the Oviatt, and I did find an open computer on the second floor, but it was running slow, pages taking forever to load, so I didn't post. The first floor now looks like a lounge, with a coffee shop in the lobby and modern looking couches where the public computers used to be. The Oviatt was my computing home for a long time (and Northridge Libe, too), so I am sure I will stop in now and then, but I really love having my own space, at home, to be online.

Because you said that Summer is "almost" over, I take it that you still have a week left, so just enjoy each day, and remember as always that any type of structure - be it school, work, whatever - does not define you. Cement in your mind that your life is your own, and I know you are already thinking that way. Nothing is programmed into your life except what you choose. We have talked a lot about these concepts, and I have pledged a while back to never try and influence you either way where school is concerned, not so much the classes and the educational process but the overall, cumulative influence of a University education and the resultant degree on a person. 

I am a person with a fair degree of resistance to unwanted influence, so for what it's worth, because I see what you love to do in your life, and what you love about life, you can always know that I am right here as a source of support - of every kind - to help you in any way as you navigate the course you want your life to take. I say this - well, I say this because we have been through so much and said so much already - but I also say this because I know, from experience, that trying to navigate an independent course on your own is not always easy, but it can be a whole lot easier when you know that you always have someone in your corner that you can count on in any situation, at any time.
We've already said so much, and Elizabeth, you know how much I love you.

But also remember that I think about you, too, meaning that I consider your situations, and always from a point of view toward your happiness. And I have always had an independent spirit just like you have, so just as I told you in the beginning, I can and will always provide reinforcement for you, whenever you need it. I also know how intelligent and strong you already are, so I will never be obtrusive, just always here for you.

And now, I say, go to school when it starts, but keep living your real life, your bigger life, because it's your own life. Watch the day turn from Summer to Autumn, and pay attention to all the things we always do, the magical things, the qualities in the world.

I am right here with you, as always.

And I Love You!  Sweet Dreams, my Darling.   xoxoxoxoxo  :):)