Goodbye Summer!

I write this as I have one day left of my summer vacation! The end of the summer is always both a sad time and an exciting time for me. I look forward to returning to work, getting back into a routine, and seeing my coworkers and students. However, I know I'll miss the freedom of summer days to do whatever the hell I feel like doing. I did A LOT this summer, but I made sure to have a few days where I stayed in my pajamas until 2 pm drinking coffee, dilly-dallying, looking at old photos (in albums!), rummage through papers from my Beloit days (angry feminist!), call old friends or just do nothing. It feels so luxurious to go to a movie in the middle of the day or to my favorite Indian lunch buffet!

So, what did I do this summer?
1. Travel to California for a 2 week vacation - San Francisco, Marin, Oakland, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Los Angeles! This was an awesome trip and I was able to spend time with old pals from Beloit and family. It was also my first solo travel experience and I am hooked. I can't wait for my solo trip to ... New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Spain, I guess I can't decide. I promise more photos from this part of summer. I'll probably get to them in December.
2. Get my Masters in Special Education! I can't believe I am done with school! I actually could be done with school for ever if I want. Never done learning of course.
3. Love my Eric. We had a month off together. Amazing! We are so blessed. Even though we couldn't do a big trip abroad it was fabulous.
4. Go camping. At Kohler Andrae State Park in Sheboygan, with a beautiful beach on Lake Michigan.
5. Lots of running and a little biking.
6. Friends, friends, and more friends. Eating with friends, drinking with friends, swimming with friend, eating with friends, laughing with friends, eating with friends. It was great to reconnect with golden friends.
7. Family time! Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Los Angeles.
8. Swimming, swimming, swimming. I think I was a child the last time I swam so much in one summer.
9. Hire a new teacher at my school. Not exactly, but I was on the interview team. This was fun, interesting, and insightful.
10. Read and watch a lot of movies.
11. Get a new (to me) car.
12. Go through a foster parenting home study. Intense.
13. Lots of self care and love.
14. Dentist and doctor and all that fun stuff.
15. Go sailing and have a picnic in the middle of Lake Mendota with 6 other sailboats. I even conquered a fear and jumped into the middle of a really deep lake (with a life preserver on).
16. Fell in love with beets. Where have you been all my life?
17. Go to a Brewer's Game and knit with a bunch of ladies at the annual Stitch n Pitch.
18. Get my first eyebrow waxing!
19. Move into an apartment we love and plan to stay awhile.
20. Have our 2.5 year old nephew over for a weekend. He was so good and we also did a great job, even with no toys in the house!

The photos below are from one of the many lazy summer evenings. This one was in Fond du Lac, on the beautiful Lake Winnebago. What's more Wisconsin than lakeside sunsets and beer? If only I liked beer.

More, more, more

I hate using this site for a photo blog, but for now it will have to do. I do like that they now have lots of easily customizable options so that I can change the background to reflect my mood. That's fun.

I have been reading/looking at a lot of other blogs lately. Tonight I read this one by an old friend. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, and inspiring. OK, decided I should check with her before I post the link. All I can say is that she has inspired me by sharing her bravery.

http://www.mylifeline.org/melissazannis/

I also look at a lot of photographer's blogs. I love seeing the latest images and especially the stories that go with them. I have mixed feelings about sharing the stories that go with my images. But, I'll try.

Tina's wedding

On June 13th I attended the wedding of an old friend, Tina. She married Bob at a golf course in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin very near where we went to high school together. Here are a few of my favorites. 

I loved the setting sun shining in the window here. Even with the harsh shadows it was beautiful.