Summer 2011

As I write this, I am very mindful that I am living out the last few hours of Summer 2011. Tomorrow, classes start back up again at The University of Montana. Even though I am not a student, when school starts back up at campus it really signifies to me that the party is over. Campus is no longer the low key, ghost town type atmosphere that it had been over the past few months. Besides the fact that classes start tomorrow, September will also arrive this week, yet another sign  that my favorite season of the year has passed by. My workload will increase and increase over the days. I do like the fall but I am really going to miss the summer, especially Summer 2011.

This summer was one of the best of my life, I had an absolute blast. I traveled, met great people, hung with family/good friends, saw some great entertainment, basked in the sun, and really just lived it up.

Over the course of the past few months, I traveled over 15,000 miles. I visited places such as Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Vegas, Seattle, and Los Angeles. I made it to my hometown, Spokane, a few times over the summer. I got over to Kalispell a couple times and I got to visit beautiful Coeur d’Alene for cheer camp. I became well acquainted with airports and the full body scan security measure they just implemented. I got to see some amazing sites, eat some incredible food, visit some awesome bars/clubs, and experience the different ways that people live across the country. It was very enlightening.

While traveling and just being out and about this Summer, I had the opportunity to meet some really cool people. During the summer I have more time to invest in relationships and I made sure to really take advantage of this. During my trips, I made sure to make friends with as many people as possible. Because of this, I now have friends across the country who I still talk to on a regular basis all because of Summer 2011. I also met people local to me too. The way I met some of these people was absolutely crazy and I am going to need a whole blog post to tell you about it so stay tuned.

Although I met and got to hang out with a lot of new friends, I also got to spend considerable time with my family and good friends. My sister got married this summer and that proved an excellent opportunity for me to reconnect with relatives and friends who I had not seen in years. My brother and I got to do a lot with each other this summer and we really had some amazing times. Some of the situations we found ourselves in were crazy and we will remember them for the rest of our lives, unfortunately, I will not be blogging about those J . He accompanied me on three of my big trips, making me feel very fortunate that he was able to do so. I also got to travel to Vegas with my good friend, Dan. Once again, one word describes that experience: Memories.

I had no shortage of entertainment this summer. I got to see eight Major League Baseball games (two games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, three games at Safeco Field in Seattle, and three games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles) and four concerts (Sara Bareilles, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, and Toby Keith). Watching these games/performances as a true spectator was so refreshing because for a living I help put on sporting events and have very little time to truly enjoy them. The main highlights for me were watching the Dodgers-Nationals series in Dodger Stadium with my brother and then getting to see Toby Keith live in concert.

Basically, I just lived life to the fullest these past few months. June was definitely one of the most crazy months of my life. I lived like a rock star and actually felt like one too. July was a more low key month that was highlighted by my new job at work, my trip to Los Angeles, lots of Osprey games, and a couple of special people. August was the month marked by amazing concerts and lots of outdoor activities. Combined together, those three months added up to a memorable summer.

Now I look ahead to the fall and must leave behind all of the “Party Rocking,” “Super Bassing,” and “Blue Jean Nights”  that kept me rocking all summer long. If I make Fall 2011 half as good as Summer 2011, it will surely be a very good next few months. Let’s do it. Don’t Blink,