By: Preston Young
I wouldn’t say our summer started with any big, dramatic kickoff. In fact, it kind of crept in — the kind of slow shift where the calendar says it’s June, but your brain is still somewhere back in April. And yet, somehow, we’ve already packed in quite a bit.
We kicked things off with a road trip to Ohio for a weekend with family to celebrate my aunt’s engagement. The trip included a baseball game, a visit to the zoo, and plenty of time just hanging out and catching up — the kind of slower-paced weekend that reminds you how nice it is to simply be around the people you don’t get to see often enough. It made the long drive more than worth it.
Not long after, we found ourselves back in Newport — one of our go-to summer day trip spots — and a place we’ll be spending a lot more time this year. After touring what felt like every possible wedding venue in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, we officially chose our location in Newport. It’s a relief to have that decision behind us and exciting to finally start envisioning the big day. The next few trips will be focused on meeting with vendors and starting to make those kinds of decisions.
Somewhere in between the weekend travels and wedding planning, I made it to the Travelers Championship on Sunday — my first time at a professional golf outing. There’s something about being out on the course, in the middle of the crowd, watching the world’s best golfers make it look easy — all while you’re sweating through your shirt just walking between holes. It was hot! I’ve really been enjoying the heat this year. Call it wishful thinking, but after months of cold and gray, I’ll take the sunburn if it means I get to stay outside past 8 p.m.
And while the Fourth of July still sits just ahead on the calendar, it already feels like one of those peak-summer milestones. This year, we’ll be heading to my parents’ house to catch the fireworks from the water — easily one of the best ways to spend the holiday. It’s also Rachel’s birthday that weekend, so we’ll roll right from fireworks into birthday mode the following Monday.
No cruises this summer — a bit of a departure from our usual travel plans — but we’ve traded tropical ports for backyard celebrations and wedding checklists.
Here’s to the heat, the travel, the celebrations, and a summer that’s moving fast in all the right ways.
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