Hey everyone! Happy August!! It feels like ages since I’ve done a blog post. I hope everyone has had a great summer, I can’t believe it’s August already!

University classes ended for me in early May (1 year of college classes done, yippie!🎊🎉) and my apartment lease was up in June. With my semester studying abroad in Uruguay starting at the end of August, I decided to spend the summer with family in Nebraska. This was only possible due to the extreme kindness of my mother for putting me up for 3 months (I am soooo grateful to her!!). 🙏🏽🥹

It has been such a lovely summer! And it couldn’t have come at a better time! After what felt like a grueling finals week, I had a week to pack, clean and move my belongings into a storage unit. Some wonderful friends helped me move my heavy furniture out of my 2nd floor apartment and then I was on my way to the midwest. 🚙 It was a 3 day, 1700 mile drive and thankfully, it went super smooth, but I was worn out when I arrived, ha! 🤣

Family Time!! ❤️❤️

I finished high school and went to college in Nebraska, but moved away shortly after completing school, so it’s been nearly 20 years since I actually lived in the state. I was able to spend a longer stint with family after the travel trip, but even then, I was searching, applying and interviewing for jobs in Maine, feeling like I had one foot out the door. This summer, I’ve actually been able to unpack and spend extended amounts of time with family and old friends and it has been fabulous! Lincoln feels huge compared to where I’ve been living in rural Maine! 😂 And getting to hang out with my cutie nieces for more than just a few days has been extra special!

4th of July 🎊

We decided to try a professional fireworks show this year since my nieces had never seen one previously. Even though there were some unfortunate teenagers behaving badly before and after the fireworks that prompted police to intervene, the show itself was great!

Emily the Cat 🐈

My mom adopted a cat unexpectedly a few months ago when a family friend passed away. We have mostly been a dog family previously, but Emily has warmed our hearts and been the sweetest pet to hang out with this summer! 😊

Friends, Concerts & Events

I kinda forgot how boiling hot the summer weather can be in Nebraska (and how frizzy my hair gets when I’m here 😆🤣), but thankfully, there have been enough nice days to attend live music, check out the zoo, go for bike rides and visit with friends.

Next Up, Uruguay! 🇺🇾✈️

I leave for Uruguay mid-August and will be living with a host family until mid-December! I can’t believe it’s only a few weeks away and am both excited and terrified (mostly about my minimal Spanish speaking skills), but I’ll be taking Spanish classes while there and am looking forward to improving. I’ll try to keep the blog updated while I’m there. At the end of the trip, a friend from Europe is planning to meet me to explore Patagonia in both Argentina and Chile before the Christmas holidays, so lots to look forward to! Thanks to those who have taken the time to stop by the blog! I hope everyone is doing well! 😃

P.S. That’s me in the sidewalk chalk, courtesy of my 5 year old niece! 😉😍