If there’s one thing I’ve learned this summer, it’s that time really is the greatest gift.
Losing a job is hard. There’s uncertainty, stress, and plenty of moments where you wonder what’s next. I’ll need to find another job soon, and that’s a reality I’m very aware of. But in the middle of all of that, I’ve been given something I might not have had otherwise: time with my kids.
And for that, I am incredibly grateful.
I’ve always loved planning little adventures for them. I enjoy looking at the calendar, figuring out what we can do that week, packing snacks, loading everyone into the car, and heading out to make memories. The best part isn’t even the activity itself. It’s watching their faces light up when they realize where we’re going or seeing them laugh together while we’re there.
So far, we’ve packed a lot into our summer.
We spent time bowling at Main Event, where the competition gets serious for about five minutes before it turns into complete chaos and laughter. We also enjoyed bowling at ShowBiz Cinemas, which has quickly become another family favorite.
Somehow, we’ve managed to make Topgolf one of our most frequent stops this summer. Whether we’re actually improving our golf swings is debatable, but we’ve definitely become experts at cheering each other on and celebrating the occasional great shot.
One of our favorite educational adventures was visiting Science Museum Oklahoma. It’s one of those places where everyone can find something interesting, and Austin can spend hours exploring without realizing he’s learning along the way.
When we wanted to slow things down, we headed to Arcadia Lake. There’s something refreshing about spending time by the water, enjoying the sunshine, and letting everyone simply be kids.
We’ve also made several trips to Mitch Park, where we’ve walked the trails, checked out the skate park, and even challenged ourselves at the outdoor workout stations. It’s amazing how something as simple as a walk together can turn into one of the best parts of the week.
And of course, we’ve burned plenty of energy at Sky Zone, where jumping, climbing, and laughing seem to happen all at once. I usually leave tired just from watching them.
Looking back, none of these outings have been about spending money or checking boxes on a summer bucket list. They’ve been about being together.
One day, my kids probably won’t remember every score at bowling or every golf ball they hit. But I hope they’ll remember that we went places together. That we laughed. That we explored. That someone took the time to plan fun days just for them.
This season of life may be temporary. A new job will come, routines will change, and schedules will fill back up. But for now, I’m choosing gratitude.
This unexpected chapter has given me something priceless: a summer full of adventures with my kids and memories I’ll treasure long after summer ends.