Summertime!

I had every intention of writing a 'start of summer post', but as I am now just past the half way point, it has turned into a mid-summer post. 

The last 3 1/2 weeks have been filled with family and dear friends, and a good bit of jogging and relaxing as well. I spent the first few days in SE Michigan and was able to see a large number of family members at various events, including a 90th birthday party for my Grandpa. I then went to Grand Rapids for a "long weekend" ie 6 days, to hang out with Meg, Andrew, and Elliot. E and I were reacquainted after many months apart and I loved hanging out with him and seeing how much he has grown and developed. It's way better in person than via FaceTime! Then he and I had a day together when he played hooky from baby school, and even a bonus day together when he got sick and stayed home. The smiles, playing, cuddles, and laughs were the best. I also had the chance to see some friends from college and some of my GR family before heading back. Father's Day weekend brought more family events and then last weekend I was able to go to New York for 4-5 days. I adore NYC (plays, parks, museums, and restaurants, oh my!) and spending time with my brother, and we even made a one night trip up to Storm King Art Park. 

The mostly quiet days have been a nice reprieve from the non-stop pace of a school year, and I've filled them well with runs in the park, lots of shopping, and a few mini TV binges. In some ways it's quite a gift that I get to pick up and leave my life for 6 weeks, to fully disconnect from its rhythms, and allow myself to not think about it for long stretches. At the same time, it's hard to just drop back into this world for awhile, a place where no one really gets my life or has a clue what life is like, where it can be difficult to talk about experiences, people, or even little daily life things that are so deeply ingrained in me. Having zero connections, zero common people between the two worlds makes it a little surreal or lonely at times. 

Plans for the second half of summer include a few days up north, dinners with Mike and Sara, more time in GR, a concert, family gatherings, and more time with my Ann Arbor area friends. Hopefully it also includes more of these cool, breezy, sunny days, perfect for long runs in the park, even in the late morning. To be able to sleep in, be lazy, and still go for a run? What a gift!