Good Summer, Goodbye Summer

     I had a lot of hopes, dreams, and goals for this summer, just as I do every summer. I even had a "summer bucket list", but I don't know where it went so I don't know how I did in terms of actually accomplishing the things I wrote down back in May. I'm pretty sure somewhere in the back of my mind I'd intended to get in shape, eat healthy, learn to cook, get a tan, etc. etc. (Spoiler alert: none of those happened). But I think better things happened instead... Here are some things I did this summer.

I rescued an abandoned baby mouse from my driveway and pawned it off on DL (who is holding him, pictured above) to feed and try to keep alive. Stewart surprisingly lasted a few days before having a seizure and dying in DL's hand...

I moved from this (10 acre farm)...

To this (1/8 of an acre house right outside of downtown Frederick).

Quite the adjustment! (The yard is a work in progress...this

picture is from May).

I got my first gray hair. I'm still in denial about it because I found the hairs (yes, plural...sad face) in my hair tie, not directly from my head, so there's a chance they're not mine!!

Had quite a few trips to Cunningham Falls and Greenbrier state park to enjoy the great outdoors.

Went to my first concert/music festival with DL...the anticipation was better than the actual concert. There was a lot of waiting for songs I actually recognized while inhaling second-hand smoke. But you couldn't beat the view! And people-watching was prime time.

Took a trip to Ocean City, New Jersey. Definitely better than Ocean City, Maryland, I have to admit. New Jersey just knows how to do beaches better than Maryland.

My car broke down 40 minutes from home. Twice. In two days. This was my stress-relief Baskin Robbins ice cream (that I had to walk through the scorching heat and humidity to get).

Okay, so I ate a lot of ice cream this summer...a lot a lot.

I went to Haiti! And played a lot of Duck Duck Goose because it turned out teaching English is harder than I could've imagined and I don't know how to make lesson plans...Had an amazing time, nonetheless.

Hiked four miles of the C&O canal with AP. It was very flat and very monotonously wooded, but it was a beautiful day and an easy walk, so I'd recommend.

Went to my second official concert (Coldplay) with AP! Had no expectations and it was amazing. Clearly the key is to expect nothing.

Went white water rafting with AP, DL, MF, and AP's brother (as our guide).

Bought a bunch of books at a giant used book sale with AB and DL...then went to a coffee shop and Rita's. Because who could want anything more than used books, cute cafes, and ice cream?

Spent a day walking 8 miles around D.C. with AB. We visited the botanic gardens, Native American museum, and the Holocaust museum. We tried to eat at the Old Post Office Pavilion for lunch only to get there and realize it had been turned into the Trump International Hotel. I don't know if I've ever seen AB so mad...

     Overall, it's been a really good summer and I am very thankful for how well moving went and that it didn't hinder my ability to spend time with the people I love. It feels like home, as much as the house I spent 19 years in felt like home. I know that sounds strange, but home really is who you're with, not where you are. I loved the farm house; it was home for so long. It will always be my childhood home, the place I grew up. Smithsburg and Hagerstown will always be my hometowns, the places where I went to school and met my best friends and had so many good memories. But now it's time for another little girl and her two little brothers to grow up in that house, to explore the creek and the barns, to go outside and run around and scream as loud as they can because there's no one around to hear them. I want that house for someone else now. Houses are kind of like people; they come into your life at just the right time, to help you grow and to teach you new things...sometimes they're forever homes and other times they're just for a certain chapter in your life. I feel very lucky to have been able to spend my childhood in the country. I think it's good for kids to grow up in nature, with lots of space to be free. I'm also glad that I got the opportunity to go to school in Philly, just to see what the city is like to live in. I don't think I'd be happy to live there permanently (there's too much country in me), but for this part in my life, I think it's a good fit. And I'm also thankful to get to live in a real neighborhood, with neighbors and sidewalks and parks and grocery stores within walking distance. It's strange to live in three very different places in the span of a year, but it's definitely taught me that each has it's benefits and downfalls; you just have to make the most of wherever you are. The key to making anywhere feel like home is to hang some things on the walls, make your bed really comfy, and spend time with people you love.
     Sorry, that was kind of a detour from the point of this post, but moving was definitely a main feature of this summer. More than moving though, I'll remember all the little trips and adventures from this summer and the time spent with my family. The one thing about moving to a house that's half the size is that you wind up spending a lot more time with your family, whether you like it or not.
     I love summer because it's such a unique time of the year, at least when you're school-age. It's this odd state of limbo and complete freedom. A vacation from reality. But the thing that makes it special is that it doesn't last forever. We have to get back to our "real" lives. For me, at this stage in my life, that means going back to college. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading back to Temple bright and early and moving into my first ever (dorm) apartment. It'll be the closest to living alone I've ever been. No roommate to call if I get locked out of my room. No one to buy me groceries or cook me dinner. Just me. I'm mostly excited but I can see how the fun of it might start to wear thin a few weeks in...but for now, I'm optimistic.

     Until next time...

-SE Wagner