There's just something nice about being up early when you don't have to be. The house is quiet. The neighborhood is quiet. The sunlight is streaming in and bouncing off of unexpected objects around the living room. I sit here with a soft blanket and a cup of chai.

Chai.

If you've never had chai, make it a point to do so. I was hesitant when I tried my first chai back in my college days. I had had quite a few opportunities to partake of it but always declined. At that time I was not a tea drinker so I had no interest in trying chai. However, a friend was certain I would like it. He started describing it, naming some of the spices in it. Some of the details started appealing to me, and I thought "Maybe it's not that bad." He got me a mug of hot homemade chai, I tasted it, and I've never regretted it.

Considering chai is my topic of blogging thus far, you might be able to sense there is nothing urgent to report. It is summer break in our house. The first and probably last summer of being essentially commitment free. Throughout the school year when Husband and I would discuss the upcoming summer, he was turned off by the idea of not working a part-time job. But I was somewhat insistent, stating we never know how many other times we'll have this chance to be so free. Of course this was even before we knew I'd be carrying our child throughout the summer, most definitely solidifying the committed fate of future summers and all other seasons as well.

I don't think I even have a clue how much our lives are going to change come fall. I don't believe there is anything that can truly prepare you for all the aspects of parenting. You can hear tales about it. You can catch glimpses of it. But you just have to personally experience it firsthand to fully understand it.

Kind of like chai.