It has been over ninety degrees for the past three days, but I still feel like the days after Labor day mark The Beginning of The End of summer. August Recess ended yesterday, the first week of classes is over, and in theory I might sometime soon stop sweating through all my clothes as I commute. Bachelor in Paradise ushered in the very end of summer’s wild freedom, and in regards to the entire season, we must all repeat Jacyln’s sage comment: “I don’t know if I’m winning, or losing.”  This week, it is back to buckling down on that little ole dissertation, back to getting up at a more respectable hour, back to launching another whole30 – though more like “mostly whole/maybe 30,” as I am already planning a couple cheat weekends.

We packed in a lot to our last true summer weekend, so much so, that I only have those couple pictures at the top to show for it. Friday night we headed to Charlottesville to celebrate my big brother’s engagement. Sampling wedding caterers is my new favorite dinner party format. Saturday was packed with a photoshoot of my current favorite engaged couple (coming soon! As if you were actually worried that I might withhold an onslaught of photos!), lunch with one of our favorite friends who moved to Charlottesville last summer. We squeezed in a quick winery visit, an amazing dinner at Lampo, and an engagement party that evening before driving back late to DC. After church on Sunday, James and I indulged in two of the crowning achievements of western culture: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Shake Shack’s cheesy fries. The bard would be proud. It was the Free for All series, and when they had everyone for whom this was their first ever Shakespeare performance raise their hands- I might have cried. If you are in DC, do whatever it takes (lottery or line) to get free tickets before it closes Sunday. On Monday, I dragged James through all the good Labor Day sales to find him a new suit, lying him with promises of Chick-Fil-A if he braved the mall. All in all, this weekend was one where we spent just enough time doing fun things to feel happy, and enough time doing productive things to feel ready for the week.

Monday night as we were falling asleep, we talked about our favorite memories of this, our favorite month. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I feel like this month has us really feeling like us, like how we felt before the stress of last fall, before he lived on the other side of the country for 6 months. I don’t think that I realized it last spring, but we still hadn’t found our groove again, even though we were thrilled to be back together. Sometimes even a relatively brief interruption in the comfortable rhythms of marriage can cause ripples for long after the interruption itself is over. Coming home from our European adventure together, having this month to take a little more time in the evenings and weekends to explore this city, doing the DC summer things we missed last year, making plans for our future — all these things were the final elements in restoring to stability all that last year roughed up.

So September, Fall, Dissertation, Semester — bring it. We’re ready.

PS: But maybe let me get in like three more trips to the pool first. Thanks.

Photos from breakfast at a little taco join in Charlottesville and my engagement shoot with Zach and Liz.