Just a Little Bit Corny

My son Nathan has a friend named Luke. They have been friends since elementary school. It is one of those great friendships that has been through all different types of stages and ages. Not only are they great pals, his mother, Barb, and I go back about that far and always try to steal some time to sip wine and catch up on life, love, take a yoga class and just be girlfriends. I share this with you because Luke has been calling me “Corn” for years. I guess it is easier to say than my full name and it is mostly hilarious to be referred to as something that grows in fields and tastes good with barbeque. But, Luke is adorable and says it with such a cute smile on his face he has gotten by with it for years.

Barb and her son Luke

So the story of Corn begins…

My husband is from the “land of cornfields.” Illinois to be exact. A tiny town called Staunton. We usually travel there by car during the Spring or Christmas holidays. So this year when we pulled into town and there was actually corn growing in the fields, it was breathtaking and so exciting for us (maybe Hallie and I are the only two that found it enchanting, actually). Hallie wanted to stop the car immediately and just run through the fields and get lost….I, of course, wanted to see bracelets growing in the green stalks like little stacks of corn. So we stopped every chance we could. We even forced Grandma Pat to join in. For a local girl it was a stretch to see why anyone found the fields anything more than the usual summer fare.

Hallie in the corn!

Corinne, Grandma Pat and Hallie

But for those of us that have lived in big cities our whole lives seeing something as large and green as a cornfield in the summer it takes on a magical space. Being in this small town has always felt so sweet and relaxing.

Lightning bugs 

The water balloon toss in Staunton

For Bob, it is home, but for me and the kids it is a slice of life that is so foreign and different from the fast-paced world we come from. This trip was extra special because we all got to feel the slow patterns of summer in a place that still feels like the summer I remember from my childhood. Our time in Staunton was filled with memories that were so familiar. We walked home from dinner one night and lightning bugs filled the yards. The bright yellow lights dancing like fairies to celebrate another carefree summer night. We had a water balloon toss. And half of us ended up dripping wet and all of us were cackling.

Hallie and Grandma Pat reading the book of fables

Hallie and Grandma found an old book of Fables and spent the morning reading on the back porch. The afternoons were shady and breezy. We played cards with the grandparents on the picnic table while the birds chirped and the trees whistled.

We even ate popsicles outside when it was dark! So refreshing and so summer!

How simple summer days use to be….and how much fun it is to just be with people you love just hanging out.