Grace's Summer 2017

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Hi friends! As of when I’m writing this, I only have 2.5 days left in the Bay, which should be terrifying but I’m mostly just really excited to get to school. But this post isn’t about school, it’s about my summer! So here’s a jumbled account of what the past 3 months of my life have looked like.

The majority of my summer was spent developing a daily routine and enjoying my last few weeks of being at home, which I was worried would be boring at first but I am now very happy with how my summer turned out. One of the biggest constants of my summer was running (I know, typical me). Because I plan on running on the Tufts Cross Country team, I was given a summer running plan and a training log to fill out. Partially because of my love for strict routines and partially because of the anxiety-inducing training log that my future coaches and captains could see, I ended up following this plan religiously for most of the summer. I even got a gym membership at the Y and went to the gym to lift 4-5x a week, which was terrifying, but I’ve really grown to enjoy spending time there. Am I buff now? Probably not, but it’s the thought that counts.

Another part of my routine was reading, which I ended up doing a lot of this summer. I think I’ve read 6 books this summer, but I’m having a hard time remembering now. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn was one of my favorites, but it was also very dark. I regret not reading any Vonnegut, but I have many future summers for that.

I also attempted to work this summer! I got a job at a kids sports camp that I was pretty excited about, but my manager ended up being a little insane… but through very last minute assignment changes and some very long and confusing facetime sessions I think I learned a little bit about dealing with bosses? Crazy manager aside, I did enjoy the time in which I was actually working. I might actually kind of like children now??? I coached kids as little and adorable as 2 year olds to as annoying and phone-obsessed as 14 year olds. A highlight would be my week of tennis camp, despite the fact that half of the campers were better than me at tennis.

Along with my happy routine of running, I also had some nice breaks of the routine. At the end of June, my family drove up to Shasta to visit my cousin, her husband, and their wonderful 7 year old, Reuben. I love being in Shasta for so many reasons. I got to spend two nights in a treehouse, the deer and the wildflowers are beautiful, I swam in beautiful lakes twice, I paddleboarded for the first time, and I went hiking. I also love seeing those cousins, and something about the laid-back Shasta vibe makes me very content.

I also went backpacking with Tamika and Andy! We spent 3 nights on the border between Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite, which was beautiful. It’s hard to put this part of my summer into words. Something about being in the middle of nowhere with no connection to the outside world with two friends while not caring about the last time you showered makes me very, very happy.

Returning to civilization marked the start of my last week at home, which has been spent checking things off of “things to do at home” bucket list. So far I’ve watched Princess Diaries, Princess Diaries 2, and Get Smart, made Naan at home, made homemade It’s Its, and gotten pumpkin pancakes from Fatapples. In my final two days I plan on going to the dog park, getting Mexican food, going on a bike ride, and paying one last visit to my friends at the Little Farm. Hopefully I get to all of those! I still have to pack…