Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Randomalities: The end-of-summer edition.


  • Last week we went on vacation to San Diego. Sneaky of us to go in August when we usually go in September, don't you think? It was so much fun. We sat by the pool. We ate some humdrum food. We ran on the beach. We played in the ocean. We've had the same awesome vacation 4 years in a row; not sure if that makes us really committed or really stupid. But we all look forward to it and enjoy it immensely. Usually when we go all the summer activities are over, but this year there were drinks by the pool and the arcade was free. Even beach towels out on the bay. 




  • I bought a ridiculous hat that I love more than I can say.
 




  • My favorite thing that we did (of which I have no pictures) was we rented a kayak and a paddle board for an hour and then took them out on the bay. I let Ben paddle me around the bay for a while and then I paddled him. At one point we lost our paddle and had to manuever our board back around to where it was. I was super happy, sitting on an overgrown surf board with my kid. It reminded me of my childhood, tooling around on a boat, having fun in the water. Good stuff.

  • I finished two three FOUR books last month: Speak (loved it), Attachments (liked the book, loved the commentary), and Sister (didn't expect to like it - it's a mystery, so not my regulary genre - but loved it), Goose girl (also enjoyed [aren't you getting tired of me saying "love?" Sheesh.]. Have yet to fall in love with Enna Burning yet, though.) It was so nice to have one book after another be good and finishable. Yay!

  • I started training for the Halloween Half marathon in August. I have a new goal time and I'm giving up soda (today is three days, people! Three days! It's been months since I went three days without a soda) in order to make it. My friend who trained with me all spring is running it as well so we are in it to win it. Or something like that.

  • I think that last summer was one of my favorites ever. We spent tons of family time at the pool. We all learned how to swim and are all a bit addicted to it now. My kids both dared the high dive and Ben even learned how to do a front flip off the little diving board. I loved spending summer days at the pool, reading a book or watching the kids play. Good times.

  • 2012 will always be the summer of the Air Conditioner. I obsessed over it constantly (it was always. always. always. running! And it was still 80 degrees in my house.) I opened windows. I closed windows. I fanned the door in the garage. I listened to it running all the day and all the night and I wanted to die for despairing of the money that was being spent and the damn heat that was still invading my home. When it rained on the 5th of July I almost cried. I wanted to bottle up cool air. I nearly drove my husband nuts for thinking and talking about it. Now that it's not 800 degrees on a daily basis, my house is back to a cool 75 and the AC miraculously turns on, runs for a while, and (this is the best part) TURNS OFF. Shut. The. Front. Door. It turns off. Be still my (now cooler) heart.

  • The Olympics were fabulous. I really loved watching the swimming (it might have been an attempt to forget the heat of my house.) The gymnastics weren't my favorite, but I still watched them. I think knowing the outcomes of most of the events ruined it. But I always look forward to and enjoy the Olympics immensely. 

  • I got a crush "Call Me Maybe" (I hope we can still be friends.) I can't tell you how many hours I spent singing "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy!" Good times. I don't like the song so much as the video of the swimmers. It makes me want to watch it again just writing about it...

It was a lovely summer. Despite the heat. Thanks to the vacation and the timely discovery of books and new music. What was your favorite part of summer?