By: Preston Young
While the last day of summer is technically in 2.5 weeks, it feels as though we are at the end with kids back to school and the weather starting to turn. Even though the calendar insists summer lingers a bit longer, the shift in routine, cooler mornings and evenings suggest otherwise. I started to think about this past summer and realized it is one for the books.
Rachel and I always make sure to plan at least one trip for the summer. In the past few years, it’s been a cruise, but this year we decided to stay closer to home and head to Cape Cod—and it turned out to be one of the highlights of the season. There’s something about the New England coastline during the summer that is tough to get away from. Whether we were strolling through a small town or enjoying fresh seafood, the trip was a perfect mix of relaxation and fun.
Another memorable part of the summer was spending time at my parents’ lake house. Now in its second year, it’s become the perfect weekend getaway. The moment we arrive, time seems to slow down, and all the stress of work and life fades away. Mornings are spent playing pickleball, afternoons out on the boat, and evenings grilling, playing cornhole, and making s’mores. With a drink in hand and board games to end the night, it’s become a routine I look forward to.
In the midst of all this relaxation, I also made sure to embrace some essential summer experiences. While previous years have felt like I was at Fenway once a month, this year I only attended one Red Sox game (I watched the other 161 games on TV). There’s just a special energy and nostalgia at Fenway Park and being surrounded by die-hard fans makes every inning more exciting.
On the flip side, I balanced the fun with plenty of house projects—because what’s homeownership without plenty of work? Owning a home has been a journey filled with learning, growth, and, well, lots of trips to the hardware store. This summer, we tackled a range of projects, from completing the dining room to sprucing up the outside. The satisfaction of completing a project, no matter how small, brings a sense of accomplishment that I never really understood until I became a homeowner, especially looking at photos of my grass before the summer and comparing it to now.
Another memorable experience was attending the LPL conference in San Diego. It was both a professional and personal highlight of my summer. While it was a short trip, it was great to connect with industry leaders, learn about new trends in the financial world, and exchange ideas with peers. Being able to step away from my usual environment and into an atmosphere of learning and networking helped me recharge, refocus and helped bring some great ideas back to Paul.
Of course, I can’t forget to mention one of the more personal victories this summer—year 3 of working on my golf game. It’s hard to believe I’ve stuck with it for this long, especially with how bad I was in year 1 and 2. But I’m happy to report I’ve seen real improvement. I’m far from any sort of competitive level, but I’ve noticed progress: better swings, more consistent hits, and fewer lost balls (though that still happens more often than I’d like to admit). Golf has become a way for me to unwind and challenge myself in a different way. I’ve come to appreciate the small victories along the way.
As summer begins to wind down, it’s fun to look back and see that this summer was about more than just vacations or projects; it was about making time for the things that matter and savoring every moment. Now, onto football season!
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