Summers Over, at Least for Me. On Monday I Start Classes ...

Summers over, at least for me. On Monday I start classes and they aren't going to be easy. So while I'm sitting here soaking up my last days of freedom, I'm thinking about how amazing this summer was. I did 6 things I've never done before, some of which I never thought I'd do.
I went Para-sailing. It felt like I was flying. The coast looked like a village that sits under your Christmas tree. Being 800 ft. above the water is so relaxing, you feel like your on top of the world. It helped that I did this with great company -- Lauren Kanetski.
Watched the sunrise on the ocean. Now, to some people this might be no big deal... But to me, it was. I never saw the sunrise before, let alone over the ocean. It was so cool. I think everyone should make an appoint to get out of bed at the beach (something hard to do, I must say) and watch it. I don't know why, but it's so amazing. Special thanks to Steph, who watched it with me.
Saw at least 5 butterflies. The ladies in my family will appreciate this the most. I won't go into detail here, but butterflies have an important significance in my family.
Marveled at something naturally amazing. About a half hour from where Dan's internship is, there is a place called Watkin's Glen. Watkin's Glen has a huge natural gorge, and it's crazy to see how nature can create this work of art by itself. It was gorgeous, and I was glad I got to see it with Dan.
Met someone famous. I met Gavin DeGraw, and got to watch him and his band play a few songs for only 8 of us. I even got to see him mess up a song. After numerous attempts at trying to get it right, he asked someone with an iPhone to look it up so he could hear a recording of it. He never wound up playing it at the actual concert. Probably good idea. ;)
Spent time with amazing people. One of my favorite things about this summer was spending time with great people. I got to take weekly trips to see Dan and see him on the weekend, which being in a long distance relationship, is privilege. I had some fun times with every member of my family -- whether it was dancing like fools at the bar, drinking at the beach, eating home made muffins and drinking coffee, or going to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. Everything I did this summer was cool, but doing it with my friends and family made it better.
Started to train for a 5k. Those who know me best, and some track coaches in the past, could probably attest to the fact that I'm not much of a runner, nor have a I ever wanted to be. But the truth is, that I never thought I could be. Sometimes we get caught up in these ruts where we think we can't do something and we really have no reason to think that. So I set a goal that I was going to run a 5k, something I never thought I could do. I've never been able to run so much as a mile, and now I'm up to running 1.5 no problem. Next week I'll be starting my 2 mile runs. May not seem like much, but I never thought I could and it feels good to say I can. :) Wish me luck!
The great thing about this summer, is while I did spend money, most of the things on the list weren't that expensive, if not free. You don't have to travel around the world to see something amazing -- there's probably something amazing within 2 hours of where you live, you just have to take advantage of it!
And since I'm feeling all full of life and appreciation -- here's a little video to help you get there, too.
Well it turns out I can't embed the video, so click here.