Lately, this is how I feel: Attempting to rest and re-energize while trying to keep one eye to work and life. This summer has been filled with long hours at work, graduation parties, family visits, planning for future trips and work retreats, and thankfully a recent week long vacation to the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

While away with family I read a Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I would not recommend this book if you are looking for something uplifting and peaceful. It is a wonderfully told story of tragedy, heartache, loss, and poverty in Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present. Although not non-fiction, this book really opened my eyes to the struggles of growing up a woman in Afghanistan, and the ongoing tensions that exist there. If you liked the Kite Runner, you will surely like this book.

Upon returning from a restful week at the beach I was excited to find that our tomato plant finally yielded one tomato. We also discovered that we have a peach tree and grape vine in our back yard. All very exciting!

I hope that you all are having a restful summer catching up on that reading list, preparing new summer dishes, and dreaming of projects for the fall.