summer

I was stuck in a cubicle all last summer, breaking up my days by making endless cups of tea and going to the bathroom just for the fun of it. I hated last summer. It was rainy, humid, dull. Also, I attempted the whole no-shampoo thing which did nothing but add to the general sense of weirdness that was my life.  It was only a temp job, but I still couldn't see past the summer; couldn't imagine that my life would ever again be filled with things like shorts or purpose or sunshine.

And instead of mind-numbing routine and flourescent lights, this summer has been an overabundance of adventure and unexpected opportunties, even coming to a dramatic close with our semi-annual pregnancy scare. 

This time around, adventures and opportunities seemed to come out of nowhere, like the first cherry blossoms of the season. Each giving me a choice to either play it safe or take a risk I wasn't sure I was ready to make. I was asked, out of nowhere, to do my first photo shoot, even though I had made a strict decision not to take photos for anyone until I had had my camera for more than, you know, the two short months I had owned it. But I said yes and it was an irreplacable learning experience that gave me confidence I didn't know I had.

After being frustrated with a crappy retail schedule I was offered a job by a friend at church, totally out of the blue. I put in my two weeks notice at Anthropologie, bought some killer pants with my employee discount, and haven't looked back.

When visiting my family one weekend, they asked if I wanted to be an extra in a movie with them (this is the sort of thing one comes to expect when visiting my family. These are people who ride unicycles and fly planes and bring home pet alligators). And so I went home, drove the two hours back to Charlotte the next day and stayed up until three in the morning filming a scene with my sisters and doing everything in our power not to giggle at the hilarity of it all. Because we, out of all the extras, we were positioned directly behind the actors and will most certainly be seen, one body part or another, in the movie.

All the bizarre things I felt I missed out on last summer seemed to come back sevenfold; friendships made and celebrated, suprise parties, a beach trip that involved Trevor and I locking ourselves out of the third floor balcony late one night, coffee dates and library books and sun. We went for late night swims, had magical dates at Italian restaurants where we kept getting free food and beverages "to celebrate special date, yes, and also you are so cute." We rode bikes and boats and jet skis. We added exponentially to the coffee stains punctuating our living room carpet. This summer has reminded me that life can still be a string of adventures even after getting myself situated into this next phase called adulthood. This summer taught me to say yes, to take chances, to revel in spontaeity.

And mostly it's just been sunny.

There's been no real schedule or rhythm or routine. Nothing has been consistent; that'll all come with the cardigans and chilly winds brushing leaves off of branches. And maybe it's a little ridiculous to gush about a good and perfect summer, but the thing is you never know what a season is going to hold and when you're gifted with an almost perfect one, I think it's okay to be grateful for it and let that contented sigh, along with all you've gathered and learned, usher you into whatever's next.