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The Summer I Chose Presence
"Sometimes the best memories come from simply being present."
Summer, You Were Everything We Needed
Somehow summer came and went, and I honestly still don't know where the time went.
This summer looked a little different for our family, and I wouldn't change a single thing.
One of the biggest highlights was taking Asher on his graduation trip after finishing elementary school. As his gift for graduating fifth grade, we packed our bags and flew across the world to the Philippines, with a long layover in Taipei, Taiwan.
It wasn't just another vacation. It was a chance for him to see where our family comes from, meet relatives he had only heard stories about, and experience a little piece of the culture that has shaped me.
Watching him meet everyone for the first time was something I'll never forget. Seeing cousins instantly become best friends, hearing everyone laugh together even with language differences, and watching him experience life in our family's hometown reminded me just how important it is to know where you come from.
Life there is so different from what he's used to here in California. Things move slower. Families spend more time together. Kids are outside playing until the sun goes down. The streets are busy, the food is incredible, and there is always someone willing to pull up another chair around the table.
I loved getting to see the Philippines through his eyes.
Even during our long layover in Taipei, we made the most of every minute because one thing about our family is that we're not going to waste an opportunity to explore somewhere new.
When we came home, the adventures didn't stop. We found ourselves in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Oxnard throughout the summer, visiting family, seeing friends, and making memories wherever we could.
And if there was a beach nearby, you can almost guarantee we were there.
Whether it was the ocean in California or the beaches in the Philippines, we took advantage of every chance we had to be by the water. There is just something about the ocean that feels like home to me. It slows everything down, reminds me to breathe, and somehow makes life feel a little lighter.
The Best Kind of Summer
One of my favorite parts of military life has always been the friendships it creates.
It also means your people end up living all over the world.
This summer we spent time with friends who were back in town visiting, met up with friends in different cities, and celebrated several PCS moves before everyone headed off to their next adventure.
Military goodbyes never really get easier.
You hug a little tighter, stay a little longer, and promise you'll visit each other again. Sometimes those visits happen months later. Sometimes they're years later. But somehow, you always pick up right where you left off.
Those friendships are something I'll always be thankful for.
Summer Wasn't All Easy
As beautiful as this summer was, it also carried some really hard moments.
We experienced losses and said goodbye to people we loved.
It's strange how a summer can hold some of your happiest memories and some of your hardest ones at the same time. There were days filled with laughter, trips, family, friends and celebrations, while there were also days filled with grief.
I think those losses made me appreciate the ordinary moments a little more.
The phone calls. The random visits. Sitting around talking after dinner. Taking the picture even when nobody is ready. Hugging everyone a little longer before saying goodbye.
Those are the things that don't always feel important while they're happening.
Until they are.
This summer reminded me that life doesn't have to be some huge adventure to be worth remembering. Sometimes the best memories really do come from simply being present with the people you love.
And Just Like That, School Started
I swear I blinked and summer was over.
I officially have a seventh grader, sixth grader, a fifth grader, and a TK kid.
HOW?! 😂
We went from summer vacation straight into school, back to school nights, sports, activities and all the social events these kids somehow have.
One plays soccer and runs cross country. One has dance classes. One does Eskrima, which is Filipino stick fighting.
And somehow I'm exhausted and I'm not even the one participating. 😂
Seriously. Why am I this tired?
Oh, and because apparently our house wasn't chaotic enough already, we also added a new dog, a new cat AND another turtle to the family.
Because clearly we needed more animals. 😂
At this point, I don't even know how many pets qualify as "too many." We passed that number a long time ago.
But here we are adding more, because apparently none of us know how to say no to another animal that needs a home.
So between the kids growing up, trying new things, and our house slowly turning into a zoo, life definitely looks a little different than it did at the beginning of summer.
And as crazy as it can get, I love it.
I love seeing my kids find the things they enjoy and watching their little lives become their own. They're making friends, trying new things, figuring out what they love and making memories that don't always include me anymore.
That last part hurts a little. 😂
But it's also pretty amazing to watch.
And apparently we're going to do it all with a dog, cats, turtles and the rest of our little zoo along for the ride.
Why Mermaid Kove Took a Summer Break
If you noticed Mermaid Kove was a little quieter this summer, now you know why.
I intentionally pressed pause.
As a small business owner, that's not always easy. There is always an order I could be working on, something I should be posting, an email I need to answer or another idea in my head that I want to start immediately.
But this summer, I wanted to give myself permission to step away a little.
I wanted to enjoy our trips. I wanted to spend time with the people who were here. I wanted beach days with my kids without worrying about what I should be posting or what I should be working on when I got home.
And after the losses we experienced, I think I needed that even more than I realized.
Mermaid Kove is important to me, but so is the life I'm building outside of it.
Thank you to everyone who continued to order, recommend me, share my work and support my little business while I took some time to enjoy summer.
Mermaid Kove Is Back
Now that school is back, Mermaid Kove is officially back too.
I have missed creating and I'm excited for everything coming up.
School shirts, teacher cups, name labels, coach gifts, team gifts, classroom gifts, spirit wear, custom apparel and all of the random ideas you guys message me with that somehow turn into some of my favorite projects. 😂
I've also started something new this summer.
I officially started designing and selling banner mockups, and it has been so much fun getting to work with other small businesses and help them bring their ideas to life.
And don't forget, Funcles and Funties is officially up and running too!
Getting to build something new with my best friend has been so much fun, and we have a lot more coming.
Apparently taking a break just gave me more ideas. 😂
As always...
All you need is Mermaid Kove.
Hello, September
And somehow we're already heading into September.
Which also means my birthday is September 1st! 🎉
I feel like it completely snuck up on me this year.
Birthdays always make me think about the year that passed, but this one feels a little different. This summer alone brought so much. We traveled across the world, spent time with family and friends, celebrated milestones, experienced loss, said some hard goodbyes and came home with a lot of memories.
So going into another year of life, I don't have some huge list of things I need to change or accomplish.
I just want more of the good stuff.
More traveling. More beach days. More time with my family and friends. More random adventures. More laughing until my stomach hurts. More saying yes when we have the chance to make a memory.
And maybe more sleep.
Definitely more sleep. 😂
I'm excited to see what this next year brings.
Let's Talk
Now I want to hear from you.
What was your favorite memory from this summer?
Did you travel somewhere new? Spend more time at home? Reconnect with people you hadn't seen in a while?
And for my fellow parents, how is the school year treating you so far? 😂
Maybe your little one started school for the first time. Maybe you sent one off to middle school, high school or college. Maybe you're watching your kids discover completely new interests. Or maybe you're the one starting something new.
Tell me about it.
One of my favorite parts of Mermaid Kove has always been the community we've built here. I love hearing your stories, celebrating your wins and getting to know the people behind the orders.
Thank you for following along with my little corner of the internet. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you're just discovering Mermaid Kove, I appreciate every order, share, comment, referral and bit of support you've given my small business.
Summer was exactly what I needed.
Now bring on September, another birthday and whatever comes next. 🌊✨
Waves of love,
Tiffany | Mermaid Kove
I love your writting an how real you speak. This summer my family went on a Mexico Cruise. The kids loved it! Iy was so expensive and there were many times i was going to cancel it but im glad we went. TIP: bring a grandparent to watch the kids for night time exploring on the ship!