Summer Sorensen

With the entrance of fall, I thought it worthwhile to compile a list of the highlights of fun things we did this summer. Not only so I can show them to the people who look at this post, but so I also have a reference with stories and pictures all in one place.

This won’t be a very long post, because this summer was short on outdoor adventure as compared to others.

Summer 2019 highlights and reflection

I make no secret of the fact that summer is my favorite season. No, not because of my name.  As a solar-powered individual, I long for the warmth of the sun. I eagerly wait through the dreary nine months of the other three seasons for the time when jeans, boots, and sweaters begin to gather dust as tank tops, shorts and sandals move to the front of the closet.

Furthermore, as an avid outdoorswoman, I long to hike, camp, swim, kayak, cycle, and all the other things that are best enjoyed in warm weather. Summertime is the time I feel most alive and invigorated.

I stated above that this post will clarify that outdoor adventure was slightly shy in 2019. That is for a good reason. After several years of dreaming, and a solid year of planning and pre-work, with 2019 came the birth of my freelance writing and marketing company, SummerTime Communications. As it turns out, starting a company is a lot of work. It takes an enormous amount of time.

Like a small child learning to ride a bike, teetering and wobbling as they peddle, building a company requires one’s utmost attention, holding on to keep things steady, lest the small child tumble and fall. I am delighted to have the opportunity to build a business; it just means more work and less play than I am accustomed to. That is an exchange I am happy to make for the great joy that comes from the freedom of self-employment.

With that long introduction, I now present to you, the fun stuff we actually did over the summer! Some stories and pictures to follow.

I had blogged previously about the insanity of June 2019, which included equal parts fun and work (a little too much of both). You can read about that here.

July 2019

Like most months, July came and went quicker than free donuts in the break room at work. We were pleased to have the opportunity for several get-togethers with both Mike’s family and mine. A Fourth of July BBQ, pool party, birthday parties and more broke up the grind with frivolity and quality time.

August 2019

Somehow August always tends to get jam-packed with activity. This year was no different, but we made sure to block out some time for fun stuff on the calendar, lest we waste away the best weather month of the year doing all work and no play.

September 2019

September usually yields the last splash of summer weather, and we try to capitalize on it by squeezing in one more camping trip, often with our friends the Worthingtons. Well, the weather wasn’t very summery, but we still made our trip, and had a blast as usual, taking in the sights of the beautiful Deception Pass State Park.

The color of the water that runs through the pass is quite magnificent. You’ve got to see it for yourself.

Miscellaneous

Throughout the summer, I made sure to focus on the fact that even in the midst of both of us working two jobs that together tend to eat up a lot of our free time, we still could enjoy the simple pleasures in life. We regularly enjoyed home-cooked dinners outside in our backyard oasis, listening to the sound of birds, watching the trees sway and soaking in the warmth of the evening.

Team cooking became a semi-regular thing, where we each contributed something to make a delicious meal. I have to brag on Mike: with the produce from his garden, he made some killer bruschetta, pesto, marinara sauce and more that turned into some succulent cuisine. We had fun making food to meet or exceed what we might find in a restaurant.

In conclusion

As I look and think back on what we did do, I see that the exercise served its purpose. I’m smiling thinking about the fun and enjoyment we had. Yes, we worked a lot of weekends. Yet, we managed to enjoy ourselves along the way. Taking each moment as a chance to be grateful for what we have, and the opportunities we’ve been given seems to me to be the path to contentment and a fulfilled life.

Thanks for reading! What did you do over the summer? Feel free to one-up me if you did something cool or went on an excellent vacation. I’d love to hear it.