I Crashed The Web

Hi friends! It’s time to grab your favorite iced beverage (Because it’s still summer and it’s still hot out there!) pull up a chair because I’m doing another virtual coffee date. I can’t believe we’re at the end of August already. August is always a month that feels like 2 months – part 1) summer and part 2) back to school. The month somehow managed to feel both packed and relaxing at the same time. So, if we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that …

I’d tell you that August was a fantastic month for running. After being diagnosed with a torn hip labrum and some gluteal tears in April, I wasn’t quite sure how the rest of the year would go, but things are finally feeling really positive. I’ve kept up with my hip PT almost every day, and it seems to be somewhat helping. Thanks to the flexibility of summer mornings, I was able to fit in quite a few longer runs, including several 8-10 milers weekends. I ended up just shy of 200 miles for the month, which is more than I expected or usually get. Now that school is back in session, though, I can already tell my mileage will taper down. Even with waking up an hour earlier, there’s less time in the mornings and no daylight on my runs so I have fewer (and shorter) routes. Still, I’m grateful to be healthy, running consistently, and feeling strong.

I’d tell you that I’ve also been doing a lot of reading. In fact, both GM AND I won a prize in our local library’s summer reading program! In August, I finished (because I started some of these in July) Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite for book club, and The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes. Surprisingly, Great Big Beautiful Life may be my favorite Emily Henry book, and that’s saying something because I’m usually not her biggest fan. A Far-Flung Life was wonderful and recommended to me by a former coworker who I admire greatly, and while The Calamity Club took me a little while to get into, I ended up really enjoying it. Margo’s Got Money Troubles was such a fun, fast read that now I want to watch the TV adaptation.

I’d tell you that we all officially went back to school this week. GM started with a few hours on Monday, and the big kids last Wednesday. It’s always bittersweet. I miss having them home, but after three months of summer, we’re all ready for some routine and structure again. And it’s easier to get out of the house early in the morning to go to the office! When I’m home, the house is definitely quieter.

I’d tell you that back-to-school season also means jumping right back into activities. LM is doing soccer, piano, and ballet. FW has piano plus two soccer leagues this fall. Meanwhile, poor GM keeps asking when he gets to do activities. We’re holding off until next year, but he desperately wants to play sports and keeps talking about wanting to learn an instrument too.

Speaking of instruments, we attended the open house at our kids’ music school and it was a huge hit. One of the great things about where they go (Musicologie) is that they have private lessons, group lessons for younger kids, and more – and tons of instruments to try out! GM tried violin, drums, and piano during mini lessons and immediately wanted more. LM tried drums and violin and liked both as well. She has already informed us that she might want to play drums in the school band someday. With FW already playing trumpet, I may soon have a house full of musicians. Now I just need to figure out how we’re ever going to get everyone to their lessons!

I’d tell you that we had such a fun summer of travel. Earlier this summer, I mentioned that we didn’t have any trips planned, and somehow we ended up squeezing in quite a bit. We finished July with a trip to Montreal (see my recap here), and each trip was different and memorable in its own way. I know things will slow down a bit this fall as weekends fill up with sports, but we’re sneaking in one more adventure this weekend with a trip to Cincinnati to watch Boston College play Cincinnati. The kids are mostly excited about the hotel pool, and honestly, I don’t blame them.

I’d tell you that we finally celebrated FW’s birthday with friends. His actual birthday was back in June, but between baseball, summer schedules, and our trip to Atlanta, we kept postponing it. He had a few friends over, and they spent the evening playing soccer and basketball outside before settling in to watch Jurassic Park. It ended up being simple, low-key and exactly what he wanted.

I’d tell you that we made it to a Guardians game in August. We usually attend more games because we split season tickets, but summer felt especially busy this year. The Guardians lost, but the weather was perfect, the sunset was beautiful, and our kids got on the jumbotron!

I’d tell you that my parents came to town for a couple of days, which was such a nice visit. With all of their travels lately, it feels like they’re somehow busier in retirement than they were while they were working. Good for them! Even a short visit was enough to catch up and spend some quality time together before they headed off on their next adventure.

I’d tell you that I’ve also gotten back into back-to-school snack prep mode. Over the past few weeks, I’ve stocked the freezer with pumpkin energy bites, lentil banana muffins, pumpkin chocolate muffins, and granola bars. Future me will be very thankful when mornings get hectic and I can just grab something already made for me or the kids (if they end up eating any of them).

That’s what’s going on in my world right now. Lots of books, lots of miles, a return to routines and an attempt to squeeze every last drop out of summer before autumn officially arrives (because yes, it’s still summer!).

What’s new with you?

• Are you ready for fall, or are you still holding onto summer? Summer all the way! It was ridiculously hot this week (one morning it was around 80 degrees when I headed out for an early run when the sun was still down) – most people were probably complaining, but honestly, give me hot and humid over January in Ohio any day of the week.
• What was your favorite book you read this summer?
• Do you do sports, music, both, or neither? All of the above. I feel like we’re slowly entering the busiest years of all – especially when GM starts!

Linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher for the Fit Five Friday linkup and the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah