So Long Sweet Summer

It seems like I’m a day late and a dollar short for about everything lately, but hi, I’m alive. When I was a kid, a teenager, hell, even an adult pre having a real job, I absolutely loved the summer. I would milk every ounce of it and wallow in misery in the days leading up to school starting again.

Now.. as a grown up, with a job, working in an office building that is a constant 53 degrees, and living in a climate that is a seemingly constant 90 degrees, I have to say that summer is just no longer my favorite. It’s full of the same year-round responsibilities, and the added chaos of weddings, reunions, weekend ‘getaways’, and the relentless heat. That sounds so dramatic, but we’re a week into October, I just turned on the AC again, and I’m over it.

This summer was a whirlwind of highs and lows, and I thought it appropriate to let you know what I’ve been up to. And perhaps give you a glimpse of some of the activity that may have inspired my last post. (Oh hi, I’m a lunatic and I absolutely shut down when under stress.)

We got back from the beach (a wonderful reset) in May, and I immediately buckled down to finalize plans for my ten year reunion. If you’re young and reading this, really consider your later responsibility when someone convinces you to run for class office. I quickly realized that nothing I did would please everyone, and that despite being among the most mild-mannered people in my class, I suddenly turned into the battle-axe bitch who purposely left people off the invite list. Only, lol jk, I just don’t have an eidetic memory and struggled to recall all 254 of us, with specific difficulty finding people who were not in our yearbook, did not have facebook, and had name changes, etc. Promise, I’m not salty. I was BLESSED to have my good friend take the reigns for planning on the home front. Our gathering was fairly small, but I had the best time with everyone. It was definitely worth the emotional pain lol. Here are the fun people I grew up with:

After getting back from the reunion, I got a promotion at work. This felt particularly special because it’s nice to feel valued and it was a little unexpected. It was (and is) also a lot stressful. Alas! I had no time to dwell on my work chaos because I was hammering out details for my best friend’s destination bachelorette party just two weeks away. We had some last minute changes and ultimately cancelled our hotel mere days before the trip, but were so lucky to find the cutest air bnb of all time. I had such a fun time with new friends and old, and I’m sticking to the warm and fuzzy feelings despite my THIRTEEN hour commute home, SEVEN of which were between Cincinnati and Columbus. God bless America. Here we are in front of said adorable air bnb before an incredible dinner in downtown Asheville, NC:

The following weekend, we showered one of my best friends, mom-to-be and now actual mom to a sweet little girl. It was a wonderful day to spend with friends, and somehow or another, I won a giant orchid to take home. Here’s a cute bump:

I spent the next couple of weekends planning for a coastal themed bridal shower for the beautiful bride to be. I genuinely feel like party planning could be a passion project of mine, aside from one minor detail… it could absolutely be my only job. How people work full time and then moonlight as bakers, crafters, and worriers, is absolutely beyond me. The bride’s mom brought a seriously gorgeous assortment of brunch foods, and my vision for decorations turned out well, to my shock! In true Leigh Ann fashion though, (like when I studied abroad and took 8 pictures and saw the most disappointment on my parents’ faces ever….) I did not take a single picture of the final product. It was beautiful and fun to see some of the pieces that will be a part of her new life. Her’s a picture of us breathing a sigh of relief that everything went off without a hitch (okay, maybe that was just me):

The next day was the main event, what I’d been looking forward to since April. My best friend got married. Added bonus, my other best friends were there. Triple double bonus, I was the Matron of Honor. When you’re a siblingless homebody, transplanted away from all of your friends, you just know that having that honor is something you will only experience through movies. I still can’t believe she gave that to me. It was a magical wedding in the most idyllic setting. The groom shook his head and said, “Wow,” the moment he saw her. I cried happy tears during my speech. The newlyweds took off on a boat. What a dream.

Here are some snippets of the magic, including one of my favorite parts of the whole  experience, a new friend whose bachelorette decorating skills, moral support, and quick eyeshadow lessons I could not have lived without:

Unfortunately, last week, my husband’s great aunt passed away after an incredibly long battle with cancer. We took a last minute trip to Indianapolis to gather with friends and family and celebrate the truly special life that she lived. When she and I met several years ago, we had an immediate connection. My tap dancing, Halloween loving soul sister. I quickly realized upon arriving to Indiana, that she had deeply warmed the hearts of many others. While it is always hard to lose someone, I really did enjoy getting to see family, and getting to witness the joy that she brought to others. Here’s a picture of us together on our wedding day:

Sprinkle in a couple other weddings, another bachelorette party, some road trips home and, sheesh:

So yeah folks, if you’ve made it to this point, thank you, and sorry! It’s been a lot this summer. Lots of memories that I will cherish, and lots of emotional stuff that I’d like to leave behind me, haha. Bring on the crisp cloudy weather, crunchy leaves, and Halloween movies!

xoxo basic