Summer is officially ending. Tomorrow starts meetings, planning and setting up rooms for the new school year. I have had an awesome summer, so I thought I would sum up my favorite parts.
Trips
I had the opportunity to go out of town on a number of occasions this summer. At the beginning of June I went to Laramie, WY for the Summer Classics Institute (aka the Ultimate Nerd Convention). I got to hang out with 25 or so like-minded Classics nerds. We read Homer, discussed the Greek world of The Odyssey and Greek myth. We had dinners, discussions about Disney's Hercules, and watched O Brother, Where Art Thou?. It was a great time to connect and I am looking forward to next year.
At the end of June, we returned to Colorado to spend a weekend celebrating my brother's wedding. He married an amazing girl at a beautiful location. He has two beautiful step daughters now too. The reception was the best time I have had at a wedding in a long time. I got to see tons of family and old friends. I love that my bro still hangs with people from high school/middle school/elementary school. They have a great family and a great support system with their friends.
In July I was able to go and spend some time with my Papa and the rest of my Dad's family in Albuquerque. I watched Gone With The Wind for the first time and heard about my Papa going to see it in the theater when it was released. It was his first movie, there was no popcorn or snacks for them and during the Intermission the entire theater went to the bathroom!
Also in July, I got to get together with my co-workers and go to a 1-day conference in Cheyenne. We had a lot of laughs and came home with some good tips for the upcoming school year.
And in August, we again traveled to Colorado - this time to spend time with my Wisconsin and Colorado in-laws. We got to take our niece to the zoo again. Her smiles and laughs are pure sunshine. We had good meals together, played a bunch and got to have nice long conversations until way too late at night. It was nice to go and spend a few days just focused on my husband's family and our cute niece.
Reading, Games and TV
I also was blessed with a lot of time to catch up on my "for fun" reading. Highlights include Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and First Man in Rome. I also have been enjoying a new (and highly cheap) game for my Nintendo DS - Jewel Quest Solitaire is a combination of classic card solitaire games and jewel board match games. I have also caught up on my many shows. I watched the entire Bones series again (Seasons 1-7...this season (8) will be the last), restarted Friends, Big Bang Theory and others. I also saw a bunch of movies.
Well, it was a busy summer. I know the coming fall will be just as busy, if not more so!
