- Lunch with my high school bestie - Kelly moved to Seattle years ago and we are literally never in town at the same time. I think the last time I saw him was right after his oldest daughter was born. Earlier this summer, when he and his family were visiting his parents, I got to meet up with him for a long lunch, catch up on our mutual lives, and get some awesome hugs. It was much needed.
- Time with my doggos - I have had a lot of time at home with my dogs which has been awesome. We also got to take Max to the dog park several times and even took all four dogs over to Shawna's for a puppy play date. There were six dogs running around the yard and one who never left my lap. Oh and did I mention that Martha made me my favorite birthday cake?
- Getting to see my extremely talented friends - I have seen my talented musician friends perform under the stars and see shows at the Station, CUTC, and Wheaton Drama. It has been so good to watch my friends do the things they do so well.
- Running into people I know - This isn't usually something I enjoy, it's one of the reasons I live in a city with so many people that I blend into anonymity. However, it has been enjoyable to run into high school classmates, friends, and family I haven't seen in ages while out and about.
- Goat watch and chicken cam - My lovely wifey Val has had new chickens and ducks and two pregnant goats. She regularly goes live on Facebook with videos of the animals and is definitely something that has made my summer more enjoyable.
- Not paying rent - There has definitely been a financial benefit when you don't have to pay rent for three months. My temp job means that I'm not letting all of my bills lapse and I've also been able to invest a little in upping my wardrobe game for work.
- Weekends in Chicago - I've had some lovely weekends at Badgerly Hall full of LARPs, wonderful dinners with friends, getting to catch up with the people I love dearly, and even getting my very first birthday picture colored by my wonderful Ivy.
- No research - My brain has been exhausted for months and it has been amazing to have three months without any homework or research that needs to be done.
- Mom time - I've only seen my mom a few times over the past two years so it's been nice to spend some quality time with her over the summer. We have been to see movies at the drive in, drank lots of wine on the porch, binge watched Queer Eye, eaten so much Jarling's, cooked and baked our favorite things, started back to our C25K training in prep for the Hot Chocolate 5K, not to mention that she has helped me shave my head, dye my hair, and kindly sat up with me all night in the ER when my gallbladder was kicking my butt at the beginning of the summer.
Overall, I have been lucky to have this summer and it's time to head back to real life.
