Summer time! And with the season comes the travel bug...

Unfortunately, in grown up world there is no summer really, but the temperatures have reached the 100's and I've been keeping busy not only working but having fun too! I am actually very thankful for the amount of work I've had. My bank account has a tiny bit more of a buffer before the red zone, I enjoy what I'm doing, and most importantly for me, I feel a little more like a productive member of society. I thrive on busy-ness! (I made that a word)

I'll be doing some studying and preparing for the legal interpreting exams I have to take in the next month, but work will also slow down so that I can prepare for some BIG, as in far away, travels. I'm so excited! First up, I'm leaving for DC this Sunday for 5 days. My parents are working but I'm just tagging along this time so that I can do some sight seeing with my brother and cousins. I haven't seen DC since I was 10, and at that age I was busy cartwheeling and probably saw it all from funky angles, and while I won't make promises that if placed in a large grassy area, I won't spontaneously flip over, I DO think I have a little more knowledge and perspective now. So expect a DC post soon!

After that I get to go on a 3 week family vacation to Australia! I've never even been to that region, so it is a whole new world for me to explore and I know it will be amazing! Has anyone been there before? I'd love to get some tips. I want to start making my itinerary soon!

In the meantime I've been enjoying lots of pool time in Houston, indoor time with family and friends, and a mini Memorial Day weekend vacation to the beach this past Sunday afternoon. While Galveston is not really a choice destination for most people, it's close by, convenient, and really not as bad as some make it out to be! I know so many people that complain that it's dirty, or boring, or have a number of negative things to say. But the truth is that (as long as the oil spill does not keep spreading!) it's not dirty at all. Yes, it is brown, but that's only because of the type of sand we have. And there is plenty to do. Of course, I'm happy to have sand, sun, and water wherever that may be. Easy to please :) But there are plenty of restaurants, art galleries, a little town square, private beaches with natural reserves, public beaches, and the well known Moody Gardens to go visit. I haven't been to Moody Gardens in years and years but from what I remember they have a water park, butterfly garden, Imax, and that cool movie ride thing.

To make this fun, here are some photos to show you what I've been up to-

I had signed up to run the Pug Fun Run 5k to benefit the Houston Pug Rescue Organization. Unfortunately I ended up getting sick the day before, plus it was raining, so I knew that would not be good for my sore throat. But I went anyways to show my support and take pictures of all these adorable rescues! Can you believe that face?! 

 

Galveston! See? Not so bad. It looks quite beautiful to me in fact. 

And the water is always warm enough for me to get in, meaning we got to play in these. 

This is my parent's backyard where I *try* to get used to the cold pool, or just lay out and read when I'm there. 

Then I was inspired on Monday to make up a recipe using my mom's fresh lavender plant in the backyard (she also has some little green tomatoes growing, and fresh basil!). I came up with these lemon lavender tea cake type things and thought they'd be cute as hearts. Oh, and they were good too! 

Monday night we had a big family BBQ. I brought along my own homemade vegan Italian Sausage that I made for the first time using the recipe from "Vegan Brunch". Then we ended the night with karaoke competitions. Fun times!

I've been feeling really grateful lately for my family and friends and all the great things going on around me. I'm taking charge of my life- meaning I'm working hard, doing yoga, relaxing, being active, and involving myself in as many things as possible. And also trying not to feel too old because my 24th birthday is coming up in 2 weeks, eeeek!!!!

This summer will be good, my sixth sense tells me so.

Hope everyone's having a good week! Feel free to share your summer plans with me!