Hello, June!

It's time for that email where I cover first things first the first(ish) week of the month.

The summer season is upon us and I cannot begin to tell you how different this summer looks from our summer one year ago. I almost began this email with a flashback to those months in 2024—that is, until I realized there was a lot to unpack there (emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and still a little bit of actual suitcases we haven’t unpacked). Instead, I’ll give you the abbreviated version.

Last summer was when we made the official decision to move back to the States after spending 12 years of our life in Indonesia. It feels like such a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things, and yet, it’s also a really long time. Take a moment to think about what your life looked like in 2012, because that’s when we moved to Indonesia.

Last summer was when we had to pack up our whole house and decide what would make it into the allotted suitcase allowance provided by the airlines and what would be sold or given away. So that meant goodbye to the furniture we had custom built, the dishes we ate meals off of for years, the cookware I slowly collected, the homeschool desks my children learned to write and read at, the dollhouse my girls played with, the outer space mural I painted for my boys’ room…

Last summer was when we returned to the States and piled our suitcases into the living room of our 1984 home. We slept on mattresses on the hardwood floor my husband installed himself. We sat in folding camp chairs. We ate from paper plates.

Last summer, we finished the last chapter of the book that held all the stories of our expat life and we tucked it away on the shelf. It’s the type of book we were really sad to finish, because it was so good. It’s the type of book we’ll keep thinking about for years to come.

Then we picked up the next book in the series and opened to chapter one.

But all the details of that is a story for later. A year ago, processing all we went through during the summer would have been debilitating. Now, it feels like a good therapy session. My Substack piece later this month will be full of “then and now” photos, because my photo app has been a regular source of perspective for me. When it feels like there’s “so much left to do,” I’ll scroll back to photos from months ago to remind me of how far the Lord has brought us, how much He has provided, and all the ways He answered prayers (some we had prayed for years).

Until then, I’ll provide you with one “then and now” set of photos:

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Let’s switch gears to my “First Things First” for the month of June, shall we?
It’s “giving summer.”

Summer Snacks

• Alexia sweet potato fries + Chick-Fil-A sauce

• Pretzels + hummus

• Tortilla chips + pineapple salsa

• Pimento cheese flavored multigrain crackers

• Dried mango slices from Trader Joe’s

• Coconut Crème iced coffee
  (recipe: unsweet, bold and smooth Stōk cold brew + CoffeeMate coconut crème creamer)

• Marketplace chocolate chip and chunks cookies from Sam’s. They are break-and-bake and taste like they’re homemade. I’ve been making just enough after dinner some nights for everyone to have a warm, freshly baked cookie and it’s delightful.

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Summer Hacks

• summer reading bingo sheets || Our children’s school provided our kids with a summer reading bingo sheet and I also provided one to my own students. There are so many freebies out there on the internet, like this one or this one. It gives kids fun reading goals and helps them branch out a little bit from what they typically read. You might also check with your public library and see if they have any summer reading program/incentive going on. The other day, we had to leave the pool because of a severe thunderstorm approaching. While on the drive back home, I heard Lucy say, “well, now I can go home to read and check off the box for ‘read a book during a thunderstorm.’” There was also a box for “read a book in your swimsuit.” I’m telling you, bingo sheets are the bomb (or fire or gas…or whatever we say these days).

• make-up brush for sunscreen application || Long gone are the days when my kids scrunch up their faces, flinch, and lean away from me while getting sunscreen applied to their faces. Bust out one of those make-up brushes and suddenly they can handle it.
  Bonus perk: the sunscreen gets applied nice and even.
  BONUS bonus perk: now my kids (minus my teen boy) want to apply each others’ sunscreen on their faces instead of needing my help.

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Other Summer Finds

These are just a few of my favorite finds so far this summer. Most of the items are related to what I put on my face every day. I especially love the “on-the-glow” stick and liquid blush. It gives my face a fresh pick-me-up with very little effort.

1. Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen // 2. High-Waisted Two-Piece Ruched Swimsuit* // 3. Pixi Glow Tonic Serum // 4. On-the-Glow Highlight Moisture Stick (Ice Pearl) // 5. e.l.f. liquid blush (dusty rosé)

* I’ve been on the search for a swimsuit I feel comfortable wearing out in public when I take the kids to the pool. After living in a very conservative country for a really long time, it’s been a while since I’ve let more than the skin below my elbows and knees show. This particular swimsuit feels very classic/timeless and I really love the high-waisted bottoms with the ruched detail of this swimsuit.

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Summer Reads

1. The Wild Robot series. I love these books so much. While I was reading aloud the first book to my second graders, I convinced my own children (my 13-year-old included) to read the book, too. I said we could all watch the movie together if they all read it. Before I knew it, all my children had finished the first book before me and went on to read the other two books in the series. My youngest son read the Wonderbook version (which are regular books with a plug-in for the audio). Highly recommend checking those out if your public library has them. And by the way, we ended up watching The Wild Robot movie on Mother’s Day and I cried.

2. Crazy Busy. As the cover states, it’s a (mercifully) short book about a (really) big problem. Kevin DeYoung gives some very practical advice regarding how to correct and/or harness the state of busyness we always seem to find ourselves in. DeYoung gives seven diagnoses regarding our busyness and finishes with a focus on the one thing we must do: sit at Jesus' feet and learn from Him in the word and prayer.

3. The Anxious Generation. I know I’m late to the game on this one. There’s probably nothing I could tell you about this book you haven’t heard already—whether through book recommendations or podcasts that had Jonathan Haidt as a guest. If I had been reading my own copy, it would be full of highlights and sticky note tabs. Instead, I have a note in my notes app full of quotes from the book. It is a must-read for those who are currently shepherding the next generation of young adults. If you’re wanting to know what a phone-based childhood is doing to children based on extensive evidence and research—this is the book for you. If you’re worried that it’s “too late” to do anything about it—this is the book for you. I love the quote Haidt shared in the book by Henry David Thoreau: “The cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”

Up on deck for my next read is Perfected, written by my in-real-life friend, Bethany Broderick! It’s about trading shame and striving for wholeness in Christ. Yesss, please.

And on the note of books, I’m currently looking for some more book recommendations for this summer. I’d love a little more fiction, so please give me your favorites in the comment section and support my good habit of reading (and finishing) books.

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Pages from My Meme-oir