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Joshua and I are not having an eventful summer, but we did not expect to have one.

I have been very busy at work, bringing work home most nights, and Josh has been working in a Summer Associate job, which he mostly likes.

My boss has been very ill of late, suffering through a series of stressful health issues. He has been out of the office a great deal, which contributes to my heavy workload, and everyone at the office and within his family has been very worried about him.

On weekends, Josh and I have been handling many routine tasks for my boss and his wife, such as maintaining the lawn and cars, helping out with food shopping, housecleaning and laundry, and assuming responsibility for emergencies, such as a recent last-minute purchase of a new refrigerator, which was urgently required.

Everything has been too much for my boss’s wife to handle on her own, and Josh and I have been happy to be able to lend assistance. My boss and his wife have been very good to Josh and me since we arrived in Boston, and we are pleased to return their many favors. My boss and his wife have children, but the children are scattered throughout the country and cannot travel to Boston as often as they would like in order to keep tabs on their parents.

Josh and I will spend Independence Day Weekend in Oklahoma, visiting Josh’s family. Josh’s brother and sister are home for the summer. Josh’s brother is working as an assistant in a veterinarian’s office and Josh’s sister is working as a receptionist/file clerk at a small law firm. They say they are enjoying their summer jobs.

Everyone in my family will be at the lake house from July 3 until July 11, enjoying the traditional week at the lake. I regret that Josh and I will miss the annual week at the lake this year, but there is nothing we can do about the situation.

My niece and nephew, whom Josh and I have not seen since the Christmas holidays, are growing and thriving. According to my mother, my niece can walk like a pro now, and has reached the point at which she freely walks around and explores things, frequently trying to open cabinet doors and cabinet drawers in order to see what’s inside and satisfy her curiosity. My nephew occupies himself with his indoor games and his outdoor games, whether he is at his own home or at my parents’ house, absorbing information like a sponge no matter what the activity. He will not turn five years old for another four months, yet he already knows the alphabet and numbers, and he has moved far beyond puzzle games suitable for most four-year-olds. My brother and my sister-in-law intend to begin sending him to Sunday School in September.

As he has for the last several months, my middle brother travels to Omaha once a month or so to visit his new girlfriend and her parents. No one in my family has met her yet—but no one says anything or asks anything. We are simply waiting for him to inform us when the time is right for us to meet her, that being the genuine signal that he is indeed serious about her.

My father is thinking about retiring in another year or so. He has talked about retiring, on and off, for the last several years, but for the first time I believe he is now serious. My mother very quietly jokes that the summer of 2011 may be filled to the brim with activity: the return of Josh and me from Boston; a possible retirement in the family; a possible wedding in the family; and the final summer before my nephew begins kindergarten.

The dog is happy with his summer. He has already enjoyed a few weekends at the lake this year, and he gets to play with my niece and nephew four or five times a week. That, along with plenty of good food and plenty of naptime, is more than enough to keep him content.