Enjoy the small moments

We load up the summer around here, looking for peak experiences and great stories to tell our grandkids.

Last summer we went to Texas, hiked and kayaked, and the kids attended numerous camps, like Floral Street School Enrichment programs and others in the area.

We sampled the ocean and the desert.

We got our stories including a rogue mustang on the streets of Fort Worth and a soccer game with cactus goalposts, but we came home needing rest and some medical attention.

Funny thing is, when I asked my kids what they enjoyed the most about the summer, they responded with strawberry picking. What they crave is seeing their friends and hanging out in local hot spots together.

This morning, our third rainy day of summer vacation, we all slept in and decided to eat a late breakfast.

We spent a quiet hour reading in bed—stories of gnomes, cowboys and Buddhist nuns, respectively. Our reading led to chatting, which led to laughter, which led to an even later breakfast, which led to being late.

My first goal this summer is to allow my children to be in the experience they are in without rushing them into the experiences I think they should have.

My second goal is to create some space in our days for old-fashioned fun; sprinklers, sidewalk chalk; bug-chasing, and plenty of visits to Shelly's Deli for moose track ice cream.

We'll also head to Vermont, Maine, Bermuda and even Texas.

But remember, it is in the spaces between the notes that the melody is fully formed.