Teaming up with Patty and Holly for this little Thursday thing.

#1 – Summer Travel – If you read my blog, then you know we did a two week vacation out west. It was awesome and killed my bank account but so worth it! You can read about it here: Recap with inserted recap.

#2 – Fave things I’ve done this summer – Hmm, this one is tough because it’s been a summer of, well, just waiting for that vacation. We haven’t done much else other than see movies and drink beer on weekends and hang out with the kids. But isn’t that what summer is for?

#3 – Share your go-to outfits: OK so I am so not a fashion person but I can tell you I’ve been wearing the heck out of these shorts.

#4 – Summer Accessories – Again, not much into fashion. Nothing special here.

#5 – Go to summer shoes – ok this one I can do because I bought these right before vacation. They are super comfy. Not my typical style but I’m getting used to them.

#6 – Something Spontaneous – Hmm, well, we have been asked to hang out with friends a couple times on the fly and we tend to go. I think it’s happened a couple times with the neighbors and once with some friends who asked us to meet up at the pinball place.

#7 – Summer movies – Yes, we have. We saw Twisters and Bike Riders. We have tickets to Deadpool and Wolverine but if Ash isn’t home in time tonight we’ll see it Sunday instead.

#8 – Fave Summer Treat – I don’t think there’s anything specific; I guess I did make that berry cool whip thing for Isaac a couple times and lately, I’ve been making the heck out of deviled eggs.

#9 – Summer slow down or Fall Hurry up? – I get this way every summer; there’s a point at which I am ready for the kids to be back in school because they’re floundering. Even though my younger two are in camp right now, my middle won’t be next week but she will be. My oldest has had some day shifts but he mostly works at night so these kids sort of…sit. Sure, they’ll hang out with friends sometimes and they’ll swim but they typically spend time playing Minecraft or whatever other games they’re into now. And I start to feel like we need a lot more balance.

At the same time, when we are back in school, everything seems to frantic. We are always busy, tired, run ragged. We have sports and activities and less time during the week to catch up. Then the weekends come around and we have to jam in so much we can barely relax. Before we know it, it’ll be Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas! I like looking forward to those things but really try to live more in the moment now so holding onto the last tendrils of summer seems important.

Weather-wise, I get that way too. It hasn’t been too hot yet but August usually swelters and then bleeds its heat into early September so that’s about when I say, Alright, I think I’m ready for that first cool morning, please. I remember last October we took a trip up to Helen, GA for some hiking and the weather was great. I am somehow still thinking about that trip. I don’t foresee one in our future this fall, sadly.

August has always been the month of huge shifts; kids finish camp, start school. I have, historically, always started some kind of class to teach, be it online or face to face, and I typically worked jobs that revolved around the college calendar. So yes, this August will be rife with change and in that way, I am ready for it to start, to just tackle it and get going.

#10 – Ready for back to school? – Mostly. I took Dakota to get a couple clothing items and a new backpack, as well as most of her school supplies. Isaac got shoes and a new shirt. Elliot says he’s going to go buy his own stuff soon. I think I personally am ready, as I said above, for them to go back to school. There’s a lot of little x-factors rolling around in my brain about it all: Elliot will be a senior and will he really just give up? (he hates school). Isaac is going to be a freshman and I don’t know if he’s ready, though he’s the best student I have. Dakota is going to middle school and I am worried about all the girl drama that happens around this time. So while I am always ready to take on a challenge, I am also nervous!