$6 Dollar Lemonade Is All Worth It

Summer's Coming to an End

When hair colors dramatically change, school starts and swimsuits are put away. While in Baraga County, the end of summer usually initiates mix signals almost like a text fight! Boys wear shorts deep into December (Eric included) and you'll see girls geeked about  fall will be rocking Uggs and little booties as soon as the the first cold wind drops in early August. The inconstant weather doesn't help, Michigan weather may just confuse us, Yoopers. 

One day the weather will be 90 degrees and blazzzin' and the next day 57 degrees and rainy. I was raised to appreciate the freezing cold waters of the Head of the Bay, the Cop Shop, Drop-off,  the Rocks, the Alligator and other swimming spots along Lake Superior. You stayed in that ice cold water until you were used to the numbing pain up your spine. My sister and cousins were the fishes of the family and would pop out of the water hours later with purple lips! 

The unique naming of our water spots doesn't stop there, the UP labeling is pretty simple "call it what it is", thats proper tradition. The hangout or party scenes were usually associated by their locations and named: the Pole Lines, Turn Around, and Gravel Pits. You know you're a small-towner when you don't know what a Kroger or Meijer is, because you only have an actual person still running things: Larry's Market and Pat's Foods. The summers for this little neck of the woods are basically filled with heat, woods, water, and boys 

...because that is usually all there is. 

This summer has been a wild wind ride blowing me all over the place with a range of emotions as well. After graduating the University of Michigan and receiving my degree in  Art & Design. I shipped my a*% off to Florida! It was the magical, breath taking, soothing vacation, I absolutely needed and deserved.  

Graduation at the Big House, plus 4 other graduation ceremonies that weekend was a wild, hectic, beautiful blessing.

Florida sands is where I feel most free. One day I hope to live down there.

A dazzze in Florida, then I ran back to work in Ann Arbor. Soon after I was off again, to Washington DC, then once again back to work in AA. Half my summer and 4 years of my life in AA where I had to persevere through countless goodbyes. Especially as a college student, who lives 512 miles away and loves traveling the world, goodbyes come and go, but never seem to get any easier. Then in the beginning of July, I did one of my toughest and hardest goodbyes to my second family. While getting my degree, I worked part-time as a nanny (and also in a Studio for Made-by-Rae, other little side gigs, which I will love to elaborate more on soon). I have learned so much from this little family and they become a goal that I one day would like to have. Their family has represented a stability and success that I wasn't able to see while growing up. I truly appreciate the way I was raised and the work my single-mother put into my own little family and I wouldn't change my childhood in anyway. I am the person I am today because of that, but nothing is wrong with wanting ease, guarantee, and simplicity in life.

Thank the lord for social media and the internet so I can creep from afar on my little crew. I didn't just leave Hugo, Clem and E, I also left my beautimous sorority girls! It may sound cheesy but, I am proud to say I built and left behind a group of amazing women that I know will be anything they set their minds too. I will miss the critical conversations, the debates, the fights, the parties, the FOOD, and my beautiful Latinas. The unconditional love the Wolverine Gammas have shared was exactly what any girl from 9 hours away from home needed, a home away from home. 

Swimming pool, summer camps, zoo trips, and cartoons. Wahoo!

Sigma Lambda Gamma knows how to throw a shower.

After graduation and goodbyes, started my new direction towards home, towards a solid ground where I can regain composure and decide whats next on the agenda. An on-going list of lists, cover-letters, and decisions, my agenda never ends. I am not much of a writer, but I am great at lists! Actually thinking more critically at my constant list taking and analyzing it further... and I think they are just small goals, so maybe I'm a GRADE A GOAL TAKER.

With the heat at it's hottest and summer on it's last hurrah, and September almost here and my summer bucket list (summer goals lol!) complete: Powwow snaggin', Fair lemonade/fried oreos/ferris wheel, and Family everyday. I am ready to work on the next chapter.

More Summer Highlights:

Look forward to more posts & let me what you think!
*Update* Collecting my materials as you read right now, Jewelry Collection coming soon!