Summer 2012!

Somewhere between taking my Student Development Theory final and staring in the face of the anniversary of the day of my birth the summer happened.

What a wild ride it was.

One week I packed my entire apartment into a storage space, drove to California (with stops at the Grand Canyon and in Las Vegas) and saw (for the first time in almost seven years) the Rose Parade.

For three weeks, I spent time in California. I saw friends, explored places – both familiar and new – and enjoyed the hills of Sonoma County. Some friendships were built or rebuilt. Some were continued. Some fell apart.

Then I spent a week driving across the United States. I drove through mountains, crossed desert, traversed flatlands, explored big cities and arrived in a small village in central New York.

This village would be my home for the next six weeks. Six weeks of internship. It’s a very long time, and a very short time simultaneously. It was incredible to be a part of something different than I have previously experienced.  It was fun to be able to check out local markets, to be in a town where everyone knows everyone and to take a bus to New York City to hang out with a friend.

After fixing some ish with my spark plugs, I got to drive back to where I started – Stillwater, Oklahoma. I stopped to stay with a friend in Ohio, then passed through Southwest Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and finally (around 5 A.M.) The Sooner State.

I stayed with a friend in Oklahoma for a week and a half while I waited for my apartment to be ready while commuting to work. Right after I moved into my apartment, the school year started in full swing. A full week of programming mixed with the beginning of my last year of academic work brought the –

Wait, this summer is over?

As Labor Day inches itself closer, I begin to conclude the significant portion of reflection on the summer. It was delightful and incredible. It was full of excitement, adventure and slow moments. It was bi-coastal. It was one of the best summers I have had.