Hey there friends!

Welcome to the time of the year when kids begin to go back to school and we all pretend that summer is coming to an end. Ha! You know that’s not even close to true. Summer will no doubt linger right up to mid-September or longer for most of you.

But as long as we’re in a season of pretending summer is almost over, I’d like to turn your reminiscing attention to the special delight of motel swimming pools before summer goes away. There’s a story spark in my new book all about those fun memories.

I’ve included the story prompt in this issue so that you can have some fun remembering today. You might even want to write some of those memories down. Who knows? 😎

Who’s going to watch the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics on Sunday? Me! I saw this online - “With Tom Cruise widely predicted to engage in a death-defying stunt on the roof of the Stade de France, Sunday's Paris Olympics closing ceremony promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles.” (Source) For some reason I can just hear the Mission Impossible theme music playing when I think about this happening.

If you’re interested, the ceremony will be broadcast live Sunday afternoon starting at 2:00 (CST) or you can watch a replay at 6:00 (CT) - both will be on NBC and Peacock.

Happy weekend!

Motel Swimming Pools

In my new book (find out more below) “The Simple Guide to Writing Family Stories,” there’s a story prompt about the joy of motel swimming pools. Enjoy this excerpt from the book and use it to spark your own pool memories.

No matter what generation you are in, I’m willing to bet that if your family traveled in the summer you experienced the joy of swimming in a hotel or motel swimming pool. It was just so different from a city or neighborhood pool - not nearly as crowded and just a few steps from your room.

Whenever the summer temps hover in the 90s, my heart and mind go right back to when my family took our annual vacation to visit my cousins in Texas. Motel stays were always necessary because of the long drive. I loved every minute of taking an after-dinner swim and begging my Dad to let me stay in the water until it got dark. That’s when those cool interior pool lights came on!

I don’t know why, but it seems like summer memories linger so much longer than others do. I think it must be because we often tried new things when school was out. I hope you find some fun memories to share about this topic.

STORY SPARK

Write a story about your summer experiences with motel or hotel pools or something else you loved about summer travel. Did you stay in the water until your fingertips were puckered up and/or your eyes burned from the chlorine? Did your parents like to swim and play in the pool, too? Did your mother have to “protect” her hair until her next weekly salon appointment like mine did?

ENHANCE YOUR STORY

I know you must have at least one photo from a summer vacation that has you in a motel or hotel pool (scroll down to see one of mine). If you can find one, don’t forget to add it here. I can just hear the giggles when your kids and grandkids see what you were wearing.

Woo hoo! My book is now available for Kindle and in print on Amazon. But I decided to keep the link open until August 15 for you guys to download a free digital edition if you haven’t yet. It can be read on your computer, iPad, tablet or phone. If you have any issues with downloading, please let me know.

Please help me spread the word about the book to anyone you know that needs a nudge to start collecting their family stories. I’ve made the process of getting started as easy as I could so that more families can enjoy the rich heritage of family stories.

Things that delight and inspire me ✨

I'm delighted today by a slide I scanned recently of my Dad hoisting me into the air at a Texas motel pool in the summer of 1966. Oh my. There's a flood of happy memories sparked in my mind and my heart. Don't you love how trendy I was in my "mod" swimsuit with it's groovy pattern? When I see photos like these I'm inspired to keep working through my family's treasure trove of slides and photos until I get them all digitized for security and easy sharing.

✨What is delighting and inspiring you these days?

#delightedandinspired

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