Summer of the Scout

All the Shoves in the Scout!

Well, friends, it's officially summer. I know this to be true not because school is out or because the weather is sweltering or because white pants are abounding post-Memorial Day. I know this to be true because the top is finally off of Ryan's Scout!

To catch everyone up, a few years ago Ryan bought his dream car, a 1976 International Harvester Scout II. Its restoration was his pet project for about two years, and then I got pregnant and we had other things to worry about. When we began talking about our hospital plans, Ryan immediately got this dreamy-eyed look on his face, and when he snapped-to, he asked, "Could we drive the baby home in the Scout?" In June. In Georgia. With no roof. With no air conditioning. 

My response? Derisive laughter and a pitying, "No, Dear."

Since E.V. was so little and new last summer, I crushed Ryan's dreams of cruising around in the Scout with a tiny baby girl in his backseat. He eventually understood (especially considering Georgia experienced a day of historical, record-breaking temperatures while we were in the hospital with E.V.), but never really gave up his dream. Now that Emma Vance is a bit older and now that the weather is a bit warmer and now that the Scout top is off (a feat in and of itself since it weighs a bajillion pounds), the subject was brought back up, and this time me answer was a resounding, "Yesssss!"

Sunday evening was E.V.'s maiden voyage. It was warm and breezy, and cruising around the countryside in the golden hour was beautiful. (Plus, I must admit that watching Ryan strap E.V.'s car seat into his boat of a dream car made me swoon a little bit...) We turned up the music, drove with no agenda and enjoyed each other's company. It made me so thankful for my happy little family and the joy that simple moments offer. In the past we've joked about the "Summer of the Scout" as our friends have come over to enjoy sunset rides in summer weather with us, but Sunday night made me realize that this is the true "Summer of the Scout" because now we're complete with Emma Vance in our lives.

(Okay, these pictures have nothing to do with Scout-ing except for that they happened right before we left, but, man, talk about a golden hour!)

Thanks, Ivy Stull, for the hand-me-down jorts! :)
E.V. got lots of compliments on them.