Somehow I blinked and August is here tomorrow. Usually I am fine with this, as August means August Recess, and more time with James, and I pretty much want it to last forever. Instead of feeling like just the end of summer, it feels like a prolonged finale that is summer at its best. But with all the things happening in politics, there might not be an August recess, and we have some travel over the next couple weeks, which means that we looked at the calendar the other day and realized that we have four totally free days between now and when my semester starts. Four. FOUR. HOW.

It has me looking back at that lofty list of all my summer goals and plans and figuring out how much we can squeeze in over the next couple weeks (or over four days I guess). And you know, going through that list actually made me feel a lot better about where this summer has gone.  So here it is, the mid-to-late summer check in:

Make albums. Check! And I shared details on printing pictures here.

Sort and purge. Check… and then it seems like there is so much more junk within days. How is this possible? But even if it feels like a Sisyphean task, it is happening.

Dissertate. Check, though not as much as I would like. A couple times I fell down tempting wormholes of research that, while useful for dinner party conversation and bizarrely niche trivia nights, do  not actually contribute to my dissertation.

Run. Check… if in word if not in spirit. I have been devoted to running 2-3 times a week. They have been slow, there have been breaks, and they haven’t been pretty. But they have happened.

Reclaim mornings. Yes! Enthusiastically! And then we went to France and it has been rough getting back on track. But we are getting there. Not only has this reslution facilitated running, but it has me anticipating mornings instead of dreading them and really starting my days strong… which means less guilt if they culminate in me eating fudge pops and watching The Bachelorette.

Read something. Um, half check. I have listened to one whole audiobook (Me Before You, VERY mixed feelings), half of Hillbilly Elegy, half of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and read about 100 pages of Freddy and Frederika. Does that count?

Do DC things. We hit the XYZT exhibit at Artechouse (not impressed, and not free), have gone to Navy Yard splash pad weekly (or more), frequented lots of great  coffee shops (Philz is my current favorite!), and have not consumed nearly enough ice cream. And though it wasn’t on my original list, we have had so much quality park time this summer. So, some checks, and some work to do in these coming weeks.

Last week we made sure to hit the Hive when it opened early in the morning for its free ward days, and there are tons of pictures below of this cool structure. We didn’t stay long, just enough time for Henry to explore and us to have some morning laughs as a family before James went to work. I was excited to check something else off my summer to-do list, and not just because I am insanely type A and love making lists and then accomplishing them. Having Henry in our lives makes me acutely aware of how fast time passes, and how many distractions we let clutter our days. Having goals, be they events or exhibitions or sites to visit or even just ice cream, helps me prioritize time as a family. It helps me strategize how to carve out more time to be together instead of just grasping at leftover hours. It helps me accomplish what needs to happen, all while embracing the fun and joy of what I want to happen.

What are you still trying to get in this summer?

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