A Summer Swept By… – Emily J. Jansen

Â Kisses Goodbye, to a Summer Swept By…

For whatever reason, this past summer was one of the fastest of my life. Â Remember the days when Street Lamps turning on at dusk were the only thing we watched as a measure of keeping time and tempo on our daily lives? Â We would play with friends in the streets until we couldn’t see each other anymore, and that’s how we knew it was time to go home.

Now, summer feels like the few-and-far between cool breezes that hit the humid streets of DC and give you that momentary relief, and then dances away. Â Where it goes? Â I know not. Â Perhaps it’s the timeless pulse of city life. Â Perhaps it’s the ebb and flow of bearing greater responsibilities, and not having enough time to accomplish everything we believe in and want to do. Â Perhaps it’s as simple as learning the lesson of rest, which is ironically a discipline in itself. Regardless, September has flown by too, and here we are on the brink of the fall season in all its glory. Â So, I thought I would finally wrap up summer.

Between May and August, my activities and travels serendipitously bore the theme of ‘South-Western’. Â I kicked off May with a Cinco de Mayo freak accident in the kitchen, resulting in 12 stitches on my right wrist due to a Cuisinart Food processor blade cut | in June, I headed out to Austin, TX in June to visit my brother, Peter, for a long weekend of great food, music, and outdoor activities | in July, I flew out to Santa Fe, New Mexico on a business trip with members of Meridian’s Council on Women’s Leadership to attend the 10th International Folk Art Market, where hundreds of women entrepreneurs showcase their goods and learn practical business skills during the weekend | Â in early August, I hosted a special event for my corporate members with the Ambassador of Peru Â |Â and, for the finale, flew down to Costa Rica in August with my best friend, Britt, for a week of surf and turf and hiking and rest, before ringing in the last days of summer at the Outer Banks with my family for a week at our favorite rental house, Gift by the Sea, in Corolla, NC.

Away from my tiny apartment, and in wider, open spaces, it was refreshing to get away and unplug from the intensity – and urgency – of DC. Â It is easy to feel like connectivity equals productivity. Â But, full calendars, while they increase quantity of tasks and activities, don’t always produce better quality in our lives…relationships do. Â I know I’m not saying anything that profound or new — but, it’s always amazing to me how easy it is to forget how it is our faith, family and friendships that enrich our lives the most, and reap the best rewards.

Â AUSTIN

Peter and I at Mumford & Sons

Good times with old and new friends

Swimming at Barton Springs

Shopping

Downtown Austin…growing at rapid speed.

Downtown view of Lake Austin

THE original Whole Foods
Day on the water…

SANTA FE

COSTA RICA

Our mountain home at Tres Rios in Coronado, about 3 hours outside San Jose to the South-East side. Â Being here was like being back in Kijabe, Kenya. Â From the ocean to the mountains to the rainforest to the afternoon thunderstorms, it uncannily felt like being back home at RVA…