Summer 2023 Recap

    This summer was by far one of the busiest and most fun summers that I can remember. Starting back in May, one of the first things I did this summer was go back to work. I worked at Pinnacle Golf Club (PGC) for the second summer in a row. Many people when thinking of going to work tend to shudder at the thought of spending 40 hours a week doing what other people tell them to, however, my feelings about work tend to be quite the opposite. I love working at PGC. Each day brings something new, and there is truly never a dull moment. One of my favorite memories from work this summer was helping with our annual member-guest tournament by selling raffle tickets, and I raised over $3,000 for Ronald McDonald House!

    May also brought Memorial Day weekend, which is one of my favorite times of summer. The long weekend is one of the best ways to kick off the season, in my opinion. And what MDW (Memorial Day weekend) is complete without a baseball game? Every year, my family rents a box at a Columbus Clippers baseball game to properly celebrate the unofficial start of summer. The remainder of May was relatively tame, and I took the opportunity to rest before a busy summer. 

    In June, my family went to Walt Disney World for the millionth time (it was actually trip 57 if you were curious) and my boyfriend accompanied us once again. On June 6th, my boyfriend and I celebrated our three-year anniversary and had breakfast at Cinderella's Castle to commemorate the occasion. The rest of the trip was a great time, even though the average temperature throughout the week was 92 degrees. My brother definitely enjoyed having another person besides his sister and parents on the trip, and spent plenty of time away from us! The remainder of June didn't have too many notable occasions, as I worked around 35 hours every week. 

    July was definitely the busiest month of summer break. My aunt's birthday is on the 3rd, my dad's birthday is on the 4th, and I left for a conference on the 5th. The conference was the 55th annual convention of my sorority (Alpha Xi Delta) and it took place in New York City, which is one of my favorite places in the world. The 5 days I spent in NYC were incredibly productive and I learned so much about the logistics of the sorority, as well as many ideas to bring back to my chapter. Additionally, I witnessed the swearing-in of the new national council and the awarding of the Kappa Delta Diamond award, which is the most prestigious award given to sorority women, as only 20 have been awarded in the past 150 years. I was selected to go along with our chapter president, who just so happens to be one of my best friends. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget!

    After my trip to New York, I flew directly to Florida to meet my family at the beach. In fact, I was so excited to be at the beach that I was outside for seven hours on the first day and got the worst sunburn of my life. It turned out to be sun poisoning, so I spent the rest of my time at the beach in bed, being in immense pain. Safe to say I learned my lesson about sun exposure! My family drove the 16 hours to the beach, but I was so sick that I flew home by myself so I could get to my doctor at home quicker. After a painful two weeks of blisters, I finally recovered. It was certainly not the way I expected to spend my time "relaxing" at the beach!

    The rest of July involved work, catching up on doctor's appointments, and spending time with friends and family. Even though I had a great summer, I am so excited to be back on campus and to be back in a routine. This semester will be a busy one, but I'm ready for it!