1 Image, 1 Minute - Kaci Mitchell

My brother and I spent most of our summers in Oregon, visiting our family. Our cousins (on the right) easily became our best friends. This photo says a lot about the time. From my brother's SpongeBob swim shorts to our happy kid smiles, I can tell it was a perfect summer day. We spent hours running through sprinklers in my Grandparent's yard. The side of their house was covered in my Grandma's proud roses, ivy, and other shrubs. When we flooded the grass with water, we decided to put the sprinklers under the trampoline. Lily and I played water fairies while the boys picked blueberries for Grandma. Her garden thrived in the corner of the old wooden fence, and the trampoline sat next to it. She said she'd pay us quarters if we picked a bowl for her, and we took advantage of that offer. Along with popsicles, we had frozen gogurts, otterpops, and cherries to eat. The smell of fresh rain, the sweet taste of ice tea, the snails, moss, and pine trees all give me childhood nostalgia. I miss giggling with my cousins late at night. I miss a care free world full of adventuring. I miss being taken care of. Now, my cousins are growing up, like me. William is getting married, and I don't believe it. Life carries on faster than you think.