Working at a school with balanced calendar means that my summer is short…really short…way too short. In an attempt to maximize what little time I had off, I decided to go where ever my whims took me. Just because the 2014 school year ended, my summer hadn’t quite yet begun. There was a yearbook to finish…and for the second year in a row my amazing staff finished the yearbook two weeks early. I am one lucky yearbook adviser! After a week spent being a lady  who lunches, it was time to start living it up. I started my summer of fun off right with Vegas! Enjoyed my first night in town at Mandalay Beach to see Matt Nathanson and Gavin DeGraw. While I have seen Matt Nathanson several times (more on this later), this was my first time seeing Gavin DeGraw live!

I love Vegas. My BFF lives there and there is truly always something to do. When I was there this winter, the Linq was still under construction. The Linq is a large ferris wheel of climate controlled pods that slowly rotates. For 30 minutes you are up above Vegas and you can see everything. This trip I was able to ride the Linq. I loved the daytime views. I could see the entire Strip and the canyons. Can’t wait to ride at night and see all the lights!

From the strip, I headed to Henderson for the Sigma Kappa National Convention. For four days, I reconnected with old friends and made new friends like my East Coast roomie. Although at times it was overwhelming, I can definitely say I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself enough to make plans for our next convention in 2016 in Chicago. One of my highlights was the Panhellenic Luncheon where Miss America and Sigma Kappa Nina Davuluri spoke. I enjoyed listening to her  and am proud to say she’s my sister.

Upon returning home from convention, I had just enough time to do laundry and re-pack my bags for Chicago! On the way to Chicago, I stopped for lunch in West Lafayette to have lunch with another dear friend, Schoof. Yes, we call each other by our last names, still. A friend from college has a time share boat, yes you read that correctly. She gets around 20 four hour shifts on the boat. She invited a group of girls from Tau chapter to spend the day and night on the boat. It was a Greek family affair, for sure. Even though Lake Michigan was cold, I jumped in…twice. I was able to walk around Pam’s neighborhood the next day and just spend some time with her. It was a quick 48 hour trip, but nonetheless a great time! I closed out the road trip with a quick dinner in Indy. Met another college friend and had the pleasure of having dinner with her family. She has three great kids and I loved spending time with them as a family. I hope I am included again!

In the mean time, I was able to do a little freelance work. Journalism will always be my first love, I fell into teaching because I wanted to share my love with others. I was able to help out a friend at a PR/marketing firm with some social media strategy and posting remotely. Locally, I put together a piece for a local magazine showing how to mix and match wardrobe pieces for fall. I had such a great time, I hope more opportunities come my way. My last summer trip came mid-July. I was truly blessed to meet some of the best people ever during my college years at Indiana University. My college roommate was not just a roommate; she was my friend, my partner in crime and my fellow dance floor diva. A few years ago, she and her law school friends planned a girls trip to which I was invited. We had so much fun, it’s now a regular thing. This year’s edition took us to Charleston, South Carolina. We walked the streets, toured the shops and devoured the food. We ate in some of the best restaurants in the city. Not one disappointed. Our first night, we splurged and ordered 5 desserts for the table. Be envious, they were just as good as they look.

I spent my last weekend of summer just how I began it…at a Matt Nathanson show! This time my friend Karen tagged along. This was a smaller solo show at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville. The set list was a little different from Vegas. At the Mandalay show, I bought a Gavin DeGraw shirt because I already had a MN one and I knew that GD would not be at the Louisville show. So, when I went to the merchandise table to buy my shirt, I was told there would be a meet and greet after the show. We decided to stick around to meet Matt. So glad we did. He was down to earth and funny. True fan girl moment!