Thank you Summer 2012!

We find ourselves at the close of another summer.  I like to do a little mid-year wrap up about this time (see 2010 here).  This summer has been a busy one.  Lots of fun and some hard work.

We went backpacking with my little (though he’s a full foot taller than me) brother and Logan.  We spent 2 nights in the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia on the banks of the Red Creek.  The first day was rainy and the drive was long, but landscape was beautiful and we got to spend some quality time together.

I did the Color Run in Cleveland with my Sister-in-Law and had a blast.  It was dirty, crowded and awesome.  We’re looking forward to making it a summer tradition.

I worked on my ‘before 30′ list and learned something new this year.  I tried my hand at rose gardening with the help of Lara, who helped me select some beginner roses.  They did better than I could have ever imagined in their first season and I’m looking forward to seeing how they do next summer.  We introduced Abraham Darby and Wildeve to our garden.  Soon we’ll be wrapping them up for the winter.

The bulk of our summer was spent in the midst of a huge exterior home renovation.  What started out as simply a new roof quickly escalated to siding, windows, door, trim and more.  It was a big step for our little house, and we had to put some other projects aside, but we love the outcome. Check out the final before and after photographs.

I joined the 21st century and bought an Iphone!  I purchased a case from Society 6 (which I reviewed here) and joined the Instagram world (follow me @lostandfawned) where I shared some of my favorite summer adventures!

We went to the zoo for my 25th birthday.  I spent the whole day geeking out over animals and eating cotton candy.  It was one of my favorite birthdays to date.

The day after my birthday I went to an Akron Aeros minor league game with all my in-laws (including our little niece) to celebrate my birthday and my sister-in-laws birthday.

We had an unexpected house guest and temporarily fostered a lost bird.  He was lost and ended up spending a few weeks with us while we looked for his people.  We never found his home, but we did find a wonderful sanctuary that was more than happy to take care of him.  I found out this week he found a new permanent home with one of the volunteers from the bird sanctuary.

So here is to summer adventure!  It’s been great! 

What was your favorite part of summer?  Did you do any home renovation?  Go on any fun trips?  Learn anything new?  Share your summer story in the comments below!

S P O N S O R