Summer’s End, and a Milestone

Mother Nature graced us with a fairly fogless summer in San Francisco; 

a real treat for those of us who savor the sun.

I was traveling more this summer than in those past, 

and that may explain why I feel like the season came and went in a snap.

I journeyed to the quiet of the mountains and dove into shockingly icy lakes.

I conquered one of the most intimidating climbs; 

 during which, my legs felt like jell-o and my mind wasn’t so certain, 

but with the encouragement from friends we crowned ourselves Half Dome Heroes,

taking in the panorama of Yosemite from what felt like the top of the world.

I hosted my little sister’s first trip to the shining seas of the Pacific.

Having her here granted me the gift of seeing my city through fresh eyes; 

it was darn near perfect.

I met friends in Southern California, 

here we ate seafood plucked straight from the ocean at which we gazed. 

We goofed around and reverted back to behavior from our collegiate days- 

a time in our lives which feels too far away in the past to be true.

Independence day brought me back to the mountains that now have taken permanent residence in my heart. 

We boated and basked and made questionable choices

but those after all, almost always result in the most fun. 

Dance-offs were danced, love was professed, speeches were made, adventures were had. 

image is my own

And then came the celebrations! 

Two summer weddings, one on the New England coastline, 

and the other nestled in the heart of Wine Country.

 I felt so lucky to play witness to joyful, blissful love.

Another guest came west in all her glowing glory. 

We dined like queens and drank like Kings. 

Together we marveled at the beauty of Northern California’s rolling vineyards.

And now, here we are. 

It’s been a goofy final month of summer: full of peaks and pits, chaos and calm.

There are many unknowns and even more ‘unsaids,’ 

some of which are up to me, but others, to the universe.

I’m closing out the summer with a few celebrations of my own. 

 I’m turning thirty.

And while I anticipated feeling a certain way about the milestone,  

 I actually don’t feel that way at all. 

And here’s the secret:

I look back on all the things that I’ve done and all the sites that I’ve seen. 

All the places I’ve gone, and the company that I've kept.

I think of the friends and family that have traveled across the country.

 And the friends that are right here in California,

who turn ordinary days into extraordinary.

I am blessed and humbled and incredibly grateful for the summer outlined above. 

To me, it reads like a great book...and I can’t believe it’s my great life.

Thank you all,  for making it so.

Here’s to thirty!

xo