Summer Report: Late May and Memorial Day Weekend through Summer Solstice

I hate the winter

Can't stand the cold...

But when the heat comes, something takes a hold. 

It's important to record the fun things you've done, especially during your favorite time of the year. Thus, here is a recounting of how I've spent the summer so far. 

The Friday before Memorial Day was a company holiday, so I had the day off. I went to the Provo Recreation Center's outdoor water slides in order to celebrate the beginning of the season. On Saturday, I went to Lagoon (though it was super crowded so I didn't ride much) for a few hours, then headed over to Cherry Hill, which was much less crowded and consequently quite refreshing. That night, we watched A Quiet Place Part 2. On Sunday, I did my traditional afternoon walk around Riverwoods, and Monday was a wild card -- a group of us ended up going to Park City where I got my 82nd coaster credit on the Mountain Coaster. 

As of late, it's been GLORIOUSLY hot. I love it. I've been spending so much time in the water and it is amazing. I want the heat and the warmth to never, ever end. 

Some other things I've done during this period: 

- A nice barbecue on a Sunday afternoon

- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium 

- Visiting Cowabunga Bay, Lagoon for an all day trip, Cherry Hill, Scera Park Pools, the Provo Recreation Center, and the Lindon Pool

- The Provo City half marathon, and the dinosaur and butterfly museums at Thanksgiving Point 

- Ashton Gardens 

- Hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim in one day

- Lots of walks in different parks and paths

- Provo Canyon almost every Saturday

- Tried lots of new restaurants 

- Running through the sprinklers and splashing through puddles (at the end of a 13.1 mile long run, no less!)

- Went to the Orem Summerfest carnival 

- Gone swimming at the pool in my apartment complex 

- Visited a new community park, Cherryhill Park in Orem, as well as Liberty Park in SLC

- Walked along the outside of the Tracy Aviary, got to get the free version of it :P

- Started doing lunchtime walks along the Utah Lake Shoreline Trail, which is beautiful this time of year and filled with life and light (I see green, aquamarine)

- Began watching a new anime, Waiting in the Summer (I might make it a tradition to watch it every June, so far it's amazing and is perfect for those untouchable first days of summer)

- Continued reading some excellent books: comic books, fantasy novels, factual books, and engineering textbooks. Continued doing writing, art, math, and coding. Continued working as an intern at my current company, which I really enjoy. 

- Got a hammock stand, about to set that crap up on my balcony >:-) 

- Started listening to my summer songs, including new ones such as Heat Waves and Solar Power (thanks, Lorde, I am going to listen to that every day now). 

My goals for the next period of summer are to double down on my professional, creative, athletic, and technical goals, while still engaging in as many fun activities as possible. I would also like to consume a bit more media, go to the arcade, go to the movie theater, be more active online, catch up on my games. I need to work even harder at my internship. But the most important thing is that I prepare for the challenging academic semesters to come, while still having a ton of fun. Also, I need to get funnel cakes and try out the Classic Waterslides in Riverdale, as well as see what other slides are available in the Salt Lake area that I haven't tried yet. Plus, I need to build a few of my Lego sets. And I need to restart the TPED club after the unintentional hiatus. 

I also really want to go to the beach. I am determined to get to Hawaii this summer, or Florida. I would also like to get to Silverwood but who knows if I will or not. I know for sure I'll get down to California, but hopefully after the June Gloom has died, ugh. 

The biggest thing I learned during this time period is to stop considering the end of things in order to slow down time. I always want my summers to feel as long and childlike as possible. The important thing is to realize just how long every day can be, if you are really present and stretch it out by doing new and fun activities. I don't actually consider late June to start until the 29th -- the last two days. The rest of the time is the middle of June. You'd be surprised -- this works absolute wonders for stretching out time. :) 

Come on, and let the bliss begin. 

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