Summer Manifesto Update

It is officially Fall today, so I thought I should go through my Summer Manifesto and see how well I did this year.

-Swim/get in water/stop being a baby about water
Nope. Didn't do it. I'm still a baby. The closest I got to this was walking in the shore at Stinson Beach.

-Take advantage of Chicago's outdoor offerings
Oh gosh...I had big plans about biking the lakefront and going to the beaches on 31st and 55th. Of hanging out in the parks in the neighborhood and going to the free museum days. I did not do as much as I wanted to do with this one. I explored Humboldt Park's offerings a bit more and checked out parts of the park I never saw. I also hiked about the Palos Forest Preserves, which is located in a Southwest suburb of Chicago. I was extremely surprised at just how wildernessy (technical term) the preserves are. If you are in Chicago, I highly suggest taking a day to explore the trails in this area.

-Go camping
C and I did this one up nicely, even though our Texas road trip fell through. When we went to Madison to test out the car tent, we also fitted in some time to visit the New Glarus brewery. (Highly recommended.) We also went to Missouri and we have plans to go camping twice more in the next two weeks. This weekend we are camping with Donovan and Dillon and next weekend we are going to do some cabin camping with a larger group of friends. I'm excited to see the Autumn leaves in WI most of all. Oh yes, and s'mores.

- Spend more time with friends outdoors
This one was happily kept. From hiking with Donovan and Carolee in California to playing bocce ball in the park with C. I tried my hardest with this one, making sure to go for walks in the neighborhood, going berry picking at a nearby farm, and BBQing with friends on random days. It was easy to keep this one this time since we've had such a mild summer. Last year it was so darn hot that the last thing I wanted to do was go out under the sun. Thank goodness for weather that cooperates with your plans!

In conclusion
I have to say that this is the first summer in a few years where I felt I really took full advantage of the season and it's offerings. The mild weather, once again, was a big factor in this. I also have to be appreciative to my amazing friends and husband. They were always up for an adventure and let me spaz out when I needed to. Thanks so much for being nerdy with me.