The Unofficial End of Summer?

Labor Day weekend hasn't really been  the unofficial end of summer for me since I was in high school.  College semesters always started at the end of August, and once I had a desk job, I really just looked forward to a long weekend.  Kids seriously start school so early now, I wonder why we even bother referring to it as the unofficial end of summer.  Over dinner tonight, we joked about the 'rules' of not wearing white pants or shoes anymore, but heck, we live in Southern California, so that doesn't even really apply either.  Other than a long weekend, I've decided Labor Day is two things to me.

1.  A great excuse to have a BBQ. We don't really grill ourselves, so we drive over to my parents and enjoy our free meal, limited clean up, and free babysitting.  Since it's a 'special occassion' it also means another excuse for a family picture.  :)  I decided the front porch was getting a bit stale, so we walked up the street to the park for a refreshing background change.  We need to do a bit of work on the positioning of the greenery in front/tripod placement, but...it's not a family picture with the front door in the background!

2.  The hope that fall is on its way so I don't end up with another  phone book sized electricity bill from Southern California Edison that I am terrified to open.  I'm not exactly a summer person, so I'm always anxious for fall (or what I pretend is fall here in the land of 'I wouldn't know what it's like to live in a place where there are actually four distinct seasons') to arrive.  I'm so ready I even have the date set for our annual Halloween party as well as the theme and costume ideas selected and handed out.

From the beach, to the BBQ, to the back to school, whatever it is - Happy Labor Day!