Hello, Summer (I'm Back!)

a picture of my sister I took this summer

Nighttime has already arrived, but the remnants of a blazing summer sun leave the air warm. With my sister and two friends, I excitedly watch a small box emit miniature fireworks displays. The colorful light illuminates our faces, and for just one second, I savor this moment-- relaxed, fun, free.

Later that evening, criss-crossed next to a whiteboard covered with college names and application obligations, we pore over calendars and schedules, trying to reconcile the seemingly fleeting days of remaining summer with the overwhelming amount of work to do and the memories we have forged thus far. 

This has been my summer so far: demanding; enjoyable at times; tiring at others; and sometimes a bit of both.

During the last week of the school year, I established some summer goals:

• Get refreshed for senior year
• Train as necessary to prepare for a final cross country season
• Write essays for college applications (for those prompts made available over break)
• Work on summer assignments and articles gradually to ensure effective completion
• Read
• Return to my blog, clairefy
• Journal
• Play piano
• Spend time with friends
• Do things that make me happy

Thus far, I have met these resolutions with mixed success. Still, my summer feels as though it's been packed:

• On the first two days, I took two math placement tests to secure my classes for next year
• I attended West Point's Summer Leadership Experience (post to come!)

• The week after, I woke up at 6am everyday in an effort to be productive and exercise more...quite tiring after West Point's 4:30-45am wake-ups
• And the week after that, I attended my state's Girls' State program (another post to come!)
• I started summer homework and determining which colleges I want to apply to

I genuinely believe that I have benefited from each of these often rigorous experiences. With around half of summer left before another challenging school year, though, I want to dedicate some time to things that would help me fulfill the summer I dreamt of in the waning days of the school year. (I also want to get my sleep schedule back on track!)

And that means more time to my passion projects, especially clairefy. I've had a book review sitting as a draft for months; my notebook is bursting with notes on books I've read this year and post ideas. 

So looking forward, what's to expect from my blog? Lots of books, and lists, likely, but also thoughts on the challenges I tackle in my senior year.

I hope you'll join me as I strive to clairefy my path.