Wednesday, August 17, 2011

"My First Grown-Up Summer" by B. at ThreeYearsDown

This summer marked the first time I did not experience a “summer break.”  It was also a rather emotional one. 

My summer started off with the death of an uncle who had battled cancer for several years.  The news was rough, but it gave the family an opportunity to reunite.  My father’s side of the family knows how to throw a party, and the reception – which was supposed to last two hours – didn’t end until 8 hours later.  My hometown is about 4 hours away from where I live now.  My dad sister and I didn’t get a hotel because we thought we’d be on the road by 4.  It was a good bonding time with my dad while my sister slept in the back seat, and without anyone on the road, we pulled into the city in record time.



The summer, obviously, went up from there.

I have spent most of my summer locked up in an office, drafting memos and motions.  For some reason, I thought it would be fun to be a lawyer when I grew up.  Now I mostly get to enjoy the sun by watching it move through the sky through my office windows.  Because my Monday – Friday is so mundane, I made sure to go out on weekends and hang out with friends.  I tried an outdoor concert at a local pool with some girlfriends and my sister.  We learned very quickly that outdoor concerts that start at 7:00 are for old people, but we still had a blast laughing with each other while a man in his late 60s gave his wife a lap dance (This image will forever be ingrained in my head).



In April I had to move back to where I graduated from high school.  So right now I’m smack dab in the middle of a long distance relationship.  In true summer fashion, this has required several road trips.  Luckily, I just bought a new car and get almost 40 MPG.  I tried to do several things to make the time pass by quickly.  Nothing seemed to work, and I’m not sure it would since I’ve never wanted to travel any faster than when I’m on my way to see my love.  The most failed idea I’ve had so far is audiobooks.  I got through the first five chapters in one, gave up, and turned on my iPod.  My roadtrip playlist includes the cool and embarrassing combination of Adele, Florence + The Machines, Taylor Swift, Britney, Ke$ha, and Tenth Avenue North.

I drove up to Small Town for Fourth of July with the Boyfriend.  We celebrated by watching a parade with his family and drinking mimosas with expensive champagne.  There is nothing like being outside, soaking up the sun, laughing with loved ones, and drinking champagne mixed with orange juice.



Then, when he came to visit me, we drove to the beach and took a stroll at the Santa Monica Pier. (Don’t worry, I have nagged him like crazy for this bizarre “I’m kind of a bachelor” rebellion facial hair he has right now.)



I also rediscovered my local library.  I checked out all kinds of cheesy, summer, chick-lit reads and spent time on outdoor patios and next to my apartment complex’s pool.  I drank a lot of wine by myself, and went to a lot of happy hours.  I cleaned out my DVR.  I started taking my dad and sister to church with me.  I caught up on baking some recipes I’d really wanted to try. 

All in all, my first summer as an adult was, by far, the most boring I’d ever had.  At the same time, it made me soak up every ounce of sun I could get.  I think I’d still like three months off of school with a summer internship, but I’ll take actually having money to buy wine over credit card bills listing every bar I went to and all the clothes I bought.

I hope your summer was amazing! I must confess, with L’s gracious hosting of my post I’ve been guilt-motivated into activating that yoga membership I bought on Groupon.  Not only did I have a pretty good summer, I gained seven pounds. Sick.  Off to the gym for me!!

2 comments:

  1. I haven't been to the gym in a few months either, but in the summer I tend to eat less than the winter (liquid diet?) so it hasn't affected me too much yet. Loved both of your guest posts!

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  2. Let's hope winter works for me too, Amy!

    L, You are SO SWEET to add all that color and make my post really pop! It has been wonderful meeting you!!! :D

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