Update On My Summer Bucket List

As today is my first day of the school year I decided to take a look at my summer bucket list and see how well I accomplished the goals I had set back in June for my summer. Although I am sad about the end of sleeping in and a schedule that I filled based on what I wanted to do, I am still a little antsy and ready to get back to my normal routine. As I sit here with first day jitters I decided to take the last few moments of summer vacation to reflect on the wonderful summer. My original summer bucket list was posted at the end of last school year here.

This is my evaluation of the bucket list for summer 2015:

1. Visit the Columbus Zoo– I was able to visit the Columbus Zoo on my 25th birthday this year. It was a great time as a family. Next summer I’d love to purchase a zoo membership so that we could visit more often. It truly is the best zoo in America.
2. Eat  at the Food Trucks in the Columbus Commons- Although I never actually went to the Columbus Commons I did have the opportunity to indulge in some of the finest of food truck delicacies in Columbus. Last week, my school hosted a professional development academy which was catered each day by a different food truck from the Columbus area. I really enjoyed getting to try Mojo Tago, Pitabilities, and Phillybusters.
3. Read one book a week-ACCOMPLISHED! Below is a picture of most of the books I read this summer. For my review of any of the books I read this summer please use this link: Books.

4. Discover parks I’ve never visited- We visited Fryer Park in Lancaster and briefly saw the Scioto Mile. This summer was pretty rainy so we didn’t get to enjoy as much of the outdoors as we would like. We did, however, visit several new parks in England during our trip there.

5. Five miles of activity per day- On average this occurred 5 out of 7 days a week. The weather definitely impacted this goal as well. Not to mention I made a lot of progress on writing projects which forced me to be a little more sedentary than I had hoped. But still, 5 out of 7 days is pretty decent.

Even though I didn’t hit every single goal I aimed for this summer I would still call this summer a success. I took some time to really focus on my writing and learned how to carve out time for the things that matter most to me in life: family, friends, and personal goals. I feel good about where I am and wish only to improve upon my personal fitness. We were able to really enjoy the summer as a family. During this time my husband secured a job in the same school district where I work and where our daughter will attend in a few short years. Also during this time we went on a nearly three week vacation to England. Arianna was involved in dance class. And my husband joined a summer basketball league in Columbus.

So as I begin to teach for the first time in the 2015-2016 school year I have nothing but positive things to say about summer 2015. I am proud of all we accomplished as a family.

Here’s to a positive start to the new school year. This will be my fifth year teaching at Teays Valley High School. This year my courses are English 9 and Honors World History. The room is arranged and ready for my freshman to enter high school for the very first time. Think of me today as I lay the foundation for hopefully another successful year here at TVHS. Go VIKINGS!