Summer 2018

Perhaps it's a little early to be inducing summer nostalgia -- or maybe it's late to share what I did over the summer. Either way, I don't really talk much about my life on the blog, so I thought I'd share some experiences I had to let you know I'm human. ;) Also, this is for future me to look back on and remember.

So how did my summer go?

May

My summer began in May, when I completed the Spring semester near the end of the month (Freshmen year was a success!). I didn't do much during this time, except play around with a yellow shopping cart and visit a few parks. The time off from school made me want to get out of the house, and the more I was out of the house, the more I realized how much I enjoy being out in the world.

June

My two-week break straddled the end of May and the beginning of June, and before I knew it, I was back to school again. I took 3 accelerated classes over the summer to stay on track. Thankfully the course load wasn't too heavy, and I was able to spend much of my time writing, editing, or hanging out with friends.

My sister's grad party also happened this month which was super exciting! I carried over 50 pounds of meat and 6 jugs of sweet tea through the store but it was a good time. (No really, it was! I only say it like that because looking back makes me laugh at the whole experience. So many weird looks from fellow shoppers and the kindest meat counter lady in the world.)

(Also, TPP launched!)

July

A very school-focused month.

I took a week to volunteer at a church's kids camp. I love kiddos but that was probably the hardest five days of my life. My fellow counselors were drained of life and I was basically a verbal and emotional punching bag but it's fine...?

August

I finished the semester off early (by a week!) due to the timing of my exams, and spent week 1 of my break vegging out. I binge read lots of manga, binge-watched tons of The Office, and finally deleted Snapchat. #freed

The week after that was Wonder Week (aka family vacation). My family prepared months in advance for this trip. In fact, the day I got off from the Spring semester, we were planning for it. And we were not disappointed!

Here's what we did:

Sunday

This was the prep day. Lots of driving, cleaning, packing, and worrying over how the dog would cope with us being gone for so long. *

* She was going to stay with someone else but she has super bad anxiety and whined like a bird until she was brought back to our house. So she stayed there for the rest of the week, roaming free and checked on daily by our neighbor friend.

Monday: Cedar Point

The sibs and I are roller coaster lovers -- my sister especially. She calls herself an "adrenaline junky" but we won't get into that. It was a fun day, and the first time I went with my parents to an amusement park. It was interesting to know the experience of going in a friend group and then going with family. I found it was a lot more relaxing.

Tuesday

Ohio State Reformatory: My sister (adrenaline junky) practically begged that we go. It was that or working together to eat a huge pizza, and though I love me some pizza, I'm super happy we got to go. It was amazing to visit what once was a prison and has been used for multiple films. The antique vibe and the "haunted" atmosphere of the place was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced.

After a quick trip home we drove to Cincinnati, arriving at our hotel room near midnight.

Wednesday: Cincinnati to the Creation Museum

The next morning we met up with my mom's older sister (my aunt) and walked around for a bit. We saw lots of cool art, my sister made friends with all sorts of locals, and we got to swing by the river. It was cloudy, but the flowers were in bloom and I felt super cute that day.

After a Wendy's stop, we visited the Creation Museum. It was huge! Full of information about the Biblical origins of the world. It was weird because I caught myself a few times comparing my knowledge of what the world thinks to what the Bible says. It was nice to finally get it all straightened out and understand what the Bible said without having to dig through it all myself. Ehe.

If you follow me on Instagram, this pic may look familiar...

Thursday: Ark Experience

Our last big trip was to the Ark Experience. Let me tell you, it outshone the Creation Museum in more ways than one. It was absolutely HUGE and just beautiful, inside and out. It was stuffed full of information, as well as a cafe, snack stops, and llamas! Talk about a great experience.

Then on our way home, we stopped at a rest stop. My sister and I really wanted to take photos in a sunflower field and our family almost made a special trip but decided against it because the flowers weren't quite in bloom yet. However, there were a few we could take pictures with. Ironically, across the highway, there was an entire field of sunflowers.

It was a good way to end the day.

It was raining and this wonderful employee gave us a ride in his golf cart. 

Did you think blue and yellow were a branding thing? ;) No my friend, I'm obsessed with these colors in real life too!!

Me realizing I have to go back to school soon.

And that's about it.

That was my summer and I am thankful for all the memories I created. I discovered things about myself that have made me more confident. I learned more about other people, and how beautiful or cruel they can be. It was also a very emotional season, full of anxiety and dread, so I am happy to finally transition into the freshness of Autumn.

What did you do this summer? Are you ready for fall?

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