The end of summer

Though the official end to summer isn't until the autumnal equinox on September 22nd, Labor Day always feels more like the end of summer to me, especially with school starting back up again this coming week. I'm excited to be returning to the classroom and seeing many friends who I haven't seen since May, but I know it will be a busy time with school, some significant extracurricular commitments, and the job search which I've already begun to make sure I have something lined up for when I graduate this spring. So though I've really focused on blog content this summer, I know posts are going to get fewer and further between very soon. I have a few lined up for the coming week or two, but I'm sorry in advance if I go MIA for a bit! DIY remains an important part of my life and I'm committed to keeping balance between school and the other things I care about, but I know this final year is a special time and I want to be sure I'm taking advantage of it as it flies by.

So, I decided to mark September 1st with a little review of the summer -- from DIY to life more generally. It's been a busy one!

On the DIY front, I had 19 posts between June 1 and September 1. That's the same exact number as last summer when I was totally unemployed (this summer I had a full-time job), so not too shabby! In terms of projects, I took on the following things:

 

       Homemade bath crystals, lip shine, and lotion      Painted the mantle and the trim in the living room and study    Jazzed up the bathroom medicine cabinet

  Painted the bathroom Robin's Egg Blue                     DIY art for the bathroom                            Magnets featuring art by my brother-in-law

 

          DIY art for the built-in bar                    Gallery wall of photos from races              Strawberry shortcake from scratch

 

           Hanging planter                                        Word art

                 

                           Painted the kitchen                       Tiled a backsplash in the kitchen               Made a chalkboard wall in the kitchen

I also shot some before-and-afters of a few of the rooms in the apartment.

Living Room:

Front Hall:

 

Bedroom:

 

Study:

 (No before)

On the personal front, I traveled to Philly, Vermont, and upstate New York:

Braves-Phillies game with my brother, Sam, and Sam's dad, brother, and sister (Philadelphia)

Soft serve ice cream (aka creemees) at my hometown creemee stand (Middlebury, VT)

A visit to the waterfall where a year ago Sam and I got engaged (Mountain View, NY)

I also spent a week sailing with my mom and stepdad aboard their new home, SV Aviva ("Sailing Vessel Aviva"). While with them, I adopted my mom's new mantra, from Eleanor Roosevelt: Do one thing every day that scares you. The day we spent hours in dense fog without sight of land probably tops the list, and the entire trip was full of very special moments and learning opportunities about sailing, myself, and my relationships with those I love.

I ran a Tough Mudder with Sam and our friend Shannon, pushing myself to some new physical limits and having a lot of fun in the process:

One of 20+ obstacles, the wounded warrior carry

The final obstacle, navigating through a pit of lives wires and mud. I think I developed a better strategy than the guy getting electrocuted behind me....

In preparation for my first full marathon this November, I ran over 200 miles between June 1 and September 1. And I have the tan lines to prove it:

I also worked full-time for Harvard Business School (where I'm also a student), working for three departments and getting the chance to meet some awesome and dedicated people who are responsible for my wonderful student experience and also a very fulfilling summer.

(photocredit to my friend and sectionmate Mitchell Ji)

So that's a little recap of the summer, now it's time to throw myself headlong into the semester!