In honor of summer coming to a close – a quick list of my favorite summer memories (more for my memory benefit – but also to inspire you to reflect on yours!).
- Spending weekends in both Minneapolis and Omaha celebrating girlfriends’ birthdays! I love how my college friends and I always pick up where we left off without skipping a beat.
- Seeing Taylor Swift may have been just one night, but mentally – it was at least a week of my summer.
- Exploring Charleston and making new friends at my SIL’s bachelorette. First tarot card reading in the books – it was a journey!
- Getting stung by a jellyfish. It made for a fun story – and now I’m a jellyfish sting survivor. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! (And a little more timid in oceans…!)
- A long weekend in Chicago with a long-distance friend + meeting her Chicago-native boyfriend–he was a great tour guide!
- Buying power tools! And learning how to use them. I now have a miter and table saw – bless my husband for selling his fun car to make room so I can use them more. It’s very empowering (pun somewhat intended)!
- Spending a week in New Hampshire with my parents – cooking, shopping in the small towns (conveniently forgetting my wallet), the world’s longest hike, dysfunction, the creation of Ice Cream Mom – lots of memories made.
- Traveling so much made me really appreciate home and time with Jon once I was back.
- RAGBRAI and bike rides with friends + parents. And all of the stops along the way.
- Getting a new camera and learning how to use it! Still very much learning. But love it so far.
- Maybe not a highlight, but thinking I could landscape our house vs. hire it out, then spending all summer watching said landscaping…not thrive. Note to future spring Natalie: Just hire it out.
- If I’m allowed one material highlight – it was investing in multiple Lululemon Align dresses. I could wear them every day in the summer and be so happy.
- Learning how to make my own pizza dough + making so many different ‘zas with our Ooni (have and love this model).
- Leaving my corporate job to have more time to spend with loved ones + work on creative things (like this blog!). Forever thankful for this season of life!
- So. Much. Thrift shopping. A vintage pop-up picnic table was my favorite find!
- Several of my friends had babies this summer – loved meeting the new additions to the groups!
- While I didn’t golf as much as I wanted to, I had a really good round during a country club member-guest round. That weekend as a whole was a great time getting to know a newer friend couple!
- I had time to read SO many books. Even read a few off-Kindle which was a nice change.
- Started making painted prosecco bottles as my go-to gift. It brings me joy to give them + the painting part is therapeutic! Need to do a tutorial.
- Countless Brody walks with podcasts. I love warm weather.
- Flower picking throughout the summer at the little farm down the road.
- Lots of time spent on the patio. Sometimes with coffee. Often with wine.
- Iowa State Fair! Nothing compares!
Now onto making some fall memories…(that will span all of three weeks here if we’re lucky)!
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