The Summer Life

I now have two and a half weeks of summer left. I can't believe it. I have a relaxing lake vacation with my family planned for next week, then it will almost be time to head back to work. 

Where has summer gone? 

1-Gardening
I'm constantly adding to my flower beds in my yard. This year I added a bunch of perennials that will hopefully look great for years to come. Of course I'm also working on my vegetable garden. I'm growing tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, green beans, beets, rhubarb, and sweet corn. I've been harvesting for a few weeks now and my family has been loving it.

2-Yardwork
Mow, mow, mow. We've had lots of rain in Columbus this summer, so mowing is a constant in my life. Keeping up with the lawn is always fun, right?

3-Outdoor Construction
It seems like every summer, I come up with several outdoor projects. This year I had three major projects planned. I put in stone edging around all of my flower beds, built and poured concrete stairs, and put a cool facing on the deck I built a couple years ago.

4-Grad Courses
10 semester hours of grad courses this summer. Need I say more?

5-Insanity 
My wife did this workout program and kept dropping hints that I should try it, too. I decided to give it a shot and I'm nearly at the end of the 9 week program. I've been getting up at 5:45 six days a week to work out. The name of the workout is absolutely apropos. I've never worked out so hard in my entire life.

6-Dad Work. This last one has been the big one. I get to spend my summer with my new baby girl. It's been pretty fantastic. It has also been a big change from what I've been used to in previous summers. Seeing her grow and change has been the highlight of my time off. 

A typical morning with my girl.

Now I've actually started thinking about getting back to school. I know I'm not entirely ready to give up my summer life quite yet, but all good things must come to an end. I've got some good ideas for the coming school year and I'm excited to try out some new projects. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer!