All The Things

As summer is coming to a close, I'm looking back on the crazy whirlwind of activities, work, and relaxation. I managed this summer to find a nice balance between everything, and spent a lot of time by myself, getting to know myself better. Reflecting on all the things I did over vacation is a tradition of mine every year before I go back to school. This year, I have a list of things that I enjoyed so much doing, and habits that I got into that will stick with me into the start of school. All the things I've done this summer:

-Weekly brunches with my sister 

-Started drinking regular coffee (!) 

-Watched a meteor shower at midnight on the beach 

-Stargazed from my pool at night 

-Ate lunch al fresco at least 3 times a week 

-Went on a mini vacation 

-Read a ton of books and generally got back into my love of reading 

-Worked on improving my blog 

-Spent an entire day at the beach without moving from my towel 

-Caught up with relatives 

-Ate a lot of ice cream and french fries (my summer favorites) 

-Studied for my subject tests 

-Took a pastry cooking class

-Tried beach yoga and loved it! 

-Watched the sunset on the beach 

-Saw fireworks multiple times 

-Rarely used a car 

-Made working out a priority 

-Drank more water 

-Did some shopping 

Probably the best thing I did this summer was going to observe the meteor shower at night. We packed up blankets and towels around 11 pm, headed on over to the beach, and stayed there until 1 in the morning! It was truly a defining moment of my summer. I can't begin to describe how beautiful the sky was; it's quite hard to put into words how small I felt looking up at the night stars. A lot of people were there on the beach with us, but it was nice because nobody was loud. Everyone was enjoying the moment just like us! (Although occasionally there were a few oohs and ahhs when there was a particularly big shooting star). Even though these extra special meteor showers only happen once every some twenty-seven years, I think any night where there's a ton of stars in the sky is just as beautiful. Definitely try going to the beach late at night to stargaze-you won't regret it! 

What are all the things you did this summer?!

Thanks for reading and see you soon! Xoxo, 

Ashley Ann 

P.S. A lot of these moments were documented on my Instagram page!