At the time, August felt forever away.

I had plans. I had places I wanted to go. I had things I wanted to do. And in my last blog post on July 10, I even made myself an end-of-summer bucket list.

Now it’s August 19, and somehow more than two months have passed.

Work starts again on August 25, the kids head back to school on August 31, and I’m sitting here wondering the same thing I wonder every year:

Where did summer go?

My Free Time Became Very Precious

This summer looked a little different than I imagined because graduate school has consumed a lot of my time.

Most days, if I wasn’t working on an assignment, reading, researching or writing something for school, I was thinking about the next thing I needed to do for school.

Going back to school as an adult sounded like a great idea.

And it is.

But WOW.

It’s a lot.

That’s also why the free time I did have this summer became precious.

I rested.

I relaxed.

I slept in.

I stayed up as late as I wanted.

Some days, I didn’t feel guilty about doing absolutely nothing.

After working all school year and then spending so much of my summer concentrating on graduate school, I think I needed that.

Remember That Summer Bucket List?

Back in July, this was my end-of-summer bucket list:

• ❌ Spend a day at a Delaware beach.
• ❌ Watch the Chesapeake City fireworks.
• ✅ Explore Washington, D.C. with family.
• ❌ Visit the Cecil County Fair.
• ✅ Find a few more amazing gluten-free restaurants.
• 🟡 Take a spontaneous road trip to a Maryland small town.

At first glance, I didn’t do very well checking things off my list.

But the more I started thinking about what we actually did this summer, the more I realized I was looking at it all wrong.

No, I didn’t take a spontaneous road trip to a Maryland small town.

But the kids and I DID explore a new-to-us place in Maryland, and my brother and I took a completely spontaneous nighttime road trip to Philadelphia.

I’m calling that close enough.

Because Apparently a Cheesesteak Is a Reason for a Road Trip

My brother flew in from California to visit, and one night he wanted an authentic Philly cheesesteak.

So we drove to Philadelphia.

At night.

For a cheesesteak.

Specifically, Pat’s.

I couldn’t eat there because it isn’t a good option for my gluten and chicken allergies, so basically I drove to Philadelphia and watched my brother eat a cheesesteak.

If that isn’t sibling love, I don’t know what is.

It wasn’t the spontaneous Maryland road trip I had put on my bucket list, but honestly, this was better. It wasn’t planned. We just decided to go.

Those are sometimes the best memories.

We Made It to D.C., Too

A couple of weeks ago, the boys and I spent the night in Washington, D.C. with family visiting from Nevada.

This one actually WAS on my list.

After living on the West Coast for so many years, I still think it’s pretty amazing that Washington, D.C. is close enough that we can pack up, drive there and spend the night exploring with family.

Living here has opened up an entirely different part of the country for us to explore, and I’m still getting used to having so many places within driving distance.

We Explored a Little Closer to Home, Too

The kids and I also visited Turkey Point Lighthouse in North East, Maryland.

It was nothing extravagant. We took the walk out to the lighthouse, enjoyed being outside and spent some time together.

But sometimes the simple outings end up sticking with you.

There was something about the waterfront that reminded me of Lake Tahoe.

Of course, the two places aren’t the same, but something about looking out over the water gave me that familiar feeling for a moment.

Lake Tahoe was home for a very long time, and it’s a place I still miss deeply.

Moving across the country has been an adventure, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss the life and places I left behind. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing – a view, the water, a walk – that brings those feelings rushing back.

Maybe that’s part of what Small Town Living in Maryland is really about for me.

I’m discovering my new home while still carrying pieces of my old home with me.

And Turkey Point was one of those places where the two unexpectedly came together.

And Then There Was the Food…

If there was ONE bucket-list item I absolutely accomplished this summer, it was finding more gluten-free restaurants.

I said I wanted to find a few.

Apparently, I took that challenge very seriously.

We tried:

• Wolf’s Superior Sandwiches in Aston, Pennsylvania
• Outback Steakhouse in Middletown, Delaware
• The Grill at The Wharf in Washington, D.C.
• Maman in Washington, D.C.
• Tatte Bakery & Café in Washington, D.C.
• Potstickers Asian Grill & Sushi in Newark, Delaware
• Casa Kahlo Mexican in Newark, Delaware
• Limestone BBQ and Bourbon in Wilmington, Delaware
• AMALFI Pizza-Restaurant in Newark, Delaware
• Not Your Average Joe’s in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Ten restaurants.

So maybe I didn’t make it to the Delaware beach, the Chesapeake City fireworks or the Cecil County Fair.

But between Turkey Point, Washington, D.C., a spontaneous cheesesteak run to Philadelphia and ten different restaurants, I’m starting to think I didn’t do so badly after all.

So maybe I didn’t make it to the beach, the fireworks or the fair, but I definitely understood the assignment when it came to food.

I’ve shared a lot of these places on social media, but that’s also made me realize how much I’ve neglected my blog.

I’m constantly making Reels, taking pictures, sharing gluten-free finds and posting about restaurants on Instagram and Facebook.

Meanwhile, my last blog post was July 10.

Oops.

And Today Hit Me a Little Differently

Today, my oldest son had his senior pictures taken.

Senior pictures.

I don’t know how that’s even possible.

It feels like I blinked and somehow went from taking him to Pre-K to watching him get ready to start 12th grade.

When your kids are little, everyone tells you how fast it goes.

You hear it over and over.

“Enjoy it. It goes by so fast.”

At the time, it doesn’t feel fast.

You’re packing lunches, helping with homework, driving everyone everywhere, dealing with school projects and trying to make it through the week.

And then suddenly you’re sitting there on senior picture day wondering how you got here.

Pre-K to 12th grade.

Just like that.

And Now Summer Is Ending

My summer vacation started June 16.

It’s August 19.

For more than two months, I’ve had the luxury of sleeping in, staying up as late as I wanted and having days where I didn’t have to be anywhere first thing in the morning.

That ends very soon.

I go back to work August 25.

The kids go back to school August 31.

And then we’re back to alarms, schedules, lunches, homework, work and everything else that comes with the school year.

Except this year I’m adding graduate school into that mix.

I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to balance all of it yet.

But I’ll figure it out.

Maybe I Didn’t Need to Check Every Box

Looking back at my bucket list, I could focus on the four things I didn’t do.

But I don’t really feel disappointed about them.

I rested.

I spent time with my kids.

I spent time with family I don’t get to see very often.

I took a completely spontaneous nighttime trip to Philadelphia with my brother for a cheesesteak I couldn’t even eat.

I explored D.C.

I tried a ridiculous number of restaurants.

I slept in.

I stayed up late.

And I gave myself permission to enjoy having nowhere to be some mornings.

Maybe that was exactly what I needed this summer.

The Delaware beach will still be there.

Maryland’s small towns aren’t going anywhere.

There will be another Cecil County Fair.

And hopefully there will be another summer of Chesapeake City fireworks.

But I’m never going to get this summer back.

The summer before my oldest son’s senior year.

And when I look at it that way, I think I spent it pretty well.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more days of sleeping in before that alarm clock becomes part of my life again.