Anna-made beds

When I went back to work full-time in January, our family had a lot of adjustments to make, and one of the things that has made a huge difference in terms of keeping my sanity was hiring a housecleaner. She comes every two weeks, and it is MAGICAL. I LOVE cleaning days. My family does not enjoy the tidying-up/prep the night before, but it's totally worth it! We all (well, not Kari, but she'll be away at college soon) have come to enjoy the luxury of an Anna-made bed. I have no idea how she does it, but it is just the most wonderful feeling to crawl into a freshly Anna-made bed. Knowing my house is clean and that I don't have to spend my evenings and weekends cleaning is the best! 

Rockaway Beach '22

Last Arnold family vacation before Kari heads off to college. I got choked up watching the kids run onto the beach together that first night with the amazing sunset. I love it when they're all together, and the thought of all the changes coming for our family in two weeks makes me cry. I'm excited and happy and sad all at the same time. It's a good kind of hurt, though, because it means we care about each other and enjoy being together. 

We played games, walked on the beach, drove to Cannon Beach one morning, went crabbing (some of us did), and I spent time just relaxing, napping, and reading. I read for three hours down on the beach one day! There was no wind, and it was warm and just lovely.