She'll Change Her Tune

"I don't want to do anything this summer."

This statement became my mantra last winter, and I held onto it through the frantic paper-writing filled days of spring, when I'm pretty sure my butt actually became one with my chair in the library. "I'm too tired to do anything," I told Preston. "I just want to stay here and be home together. That's it." And after a difficult year, full of Big Fancy Changes in the forms of SO MUCH HOMEWORK and a puppy who peed on the rug at regular intervals, I really meant it. I was determined to STAY. AT. HOME. I resisted a trip to Scotland with Preston's family for many months because I just could not fathom the thought of packing a bag and leaving our apartment-not to mention the country. (And yes, I am aware that admitting the fact that "Lo! Woe is me! I resist trips to Europe!" is about the snobbiest thing I could say, maybe ever.)

I told Preston that I wanted to do two things this summer. Firstly, I wanted to visit my Grandmother at her house in Clemson, and his Grandmother in Richmond. They both turned eighty-four in June, and while they're both in pretty good health, I find that I always hug them both a little tighter each time I say goodbye. So I wanted to make sure that we saw them. Secondly, I wanted to decorate our bedroom, which for the last two years has looked very "dregs of our parents' attics" chic. And those were the ONLY THINGS I wanted to do this summer (other than learn Greek and German, write my thesis, train for a marathon, get into supermodel shape while cooking about eighty recipes involving heavy cream and butter, train Ness into dog perfection, and probably start an orphanage in our backyard).

And then I decided I would just work part time (at the library and baby-sitting). And then I heard about the service trip to New Orleans, and I had to go on that--service! Working with high schoolers! New Orleans! Not the Bryn Mawr Library! SCORE! And then my little brother and his girlfriend wanted to come visit, and they hadn't visited yet, so OF COURSE I wanted them to come. And then I realized that holygoodness I actually have friends to invite to my birthday party, so YES! Let's have a birthday party (for which I will do all the cooking, because I LOVE doing all the cooking!). And then my best friend from high school broke up with her boyfriend of four years, so naturally we needed a girls' weekend (Preston graciously lived in the bedroom for the entire weekend). We went into Center City for brunch, drank mimosas all day and watched He's Just Not That Into You. It was awesome. And then a fellow graduate student got engaged, and EVERYONE should have an engagement party! So I threw them a party. And then my father-in-law's surgery was scheduled for a week when my mother-in-law was going to be out of town, so--no question. We went to Richmond. And while we were in Richmond, I wanted to see my best friend from college who lives in Charlottesville, but her air-conditioning doesn't work, so I drove to Charlottesville instead.

And then all of a sudden POOF. June was over. My summer of doing nothing has somehow morphed into my summer of no free time, and although I truly hate that I have not had a span of three days when I'm not throwing a party, cleaning the apartment for guests, entertaining guests, working, or packing to go out of town, I wouldn't have missed any of these opportunities for the world. I love seeing our apartment packed with the people I love--eating, drinking, celebrating, laughing. I love it. And seeing family and friends in Richmond and Charlottesville was wonderful, and long-overdue. I wouldn't have traded that for a second.

That said, this summer hasn't been filled with as much downtime as I had anticipated. My energy level is not as high as I'd like it to be, I'm way behind on blogging and photo uploads, I'm a week behind in my marathon training, and that haircut I meant to get in May? It's on the list for this week, before we leave on Friday (oof) for our original "vacation"--to visit our grandmothers. I probably/definitely haven't spent enough time thinking about my thesis or studying Greek, and the bedroom remains "dregs of our parents' attics" chic (this is NOT a look I recommend, BTW...horrifying "before" pictures coming soon...). But I spent June in the company of the people I love. I got to show three of my favorite people around our world in Bryn Mawr and Philadelphia, I had great visits with both sides of the family, I felt celebrated on my birthday, and I had fun celebrating other friends. So even when I'm feeling tired and cranky and WHERE DID MY SUMMER EVAPORATE???, really, at the end of the day, I feel grateful. Though a time-turner--so that I could rewind June and have it all over again--would come in REALLY handy right about now (Hermione Granger, where are you?).

p.s. That said, we're not hosting anyone in July (we'll be out of town for about half the month), and I would be lying if I didn't admit: THANK THE GOODNESS. I'm hostessed out. Also: weekly trips to the grocery store were getting old. And expensive.