I hope you have been enjoying my theater reviews. I didn’t have any this week because I was still recovering from my trip and getting ready to cover the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF. You can read my daily TIFF logs here.

Theater and movies aren’t the only thing I’ve been enjoying this summer. After getting vaccinated I decided to rejoin the world of the living and began traveling and open water swimming. Here are some highlights.

Virginia

I started my summer visiting my sister in Virginia for a long weekend. It was a trip to dip my toe into travel so the focus was on family time vs activities (most of the activities were closed or limited anyway. We did have some yummy food, visited a beautiful rose garden, went to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day and went to the 2nd Air and Space Museum.

One of the highlights was getting to visit with my college friend Joni who I haven’t seen in many years. After a year of barely seeing anyone it was nice to see an old friend.

Great Salt Lake Swim

Next up I completed my 6th finish of the Great Salt Lake Marathon Swim. I hadn’t done it in a while because the salt is so hard on my body but I wanted to embrace life this year so I went for it! It was very challenging and I didn’t think I could do it throughout but I finished! This year marks 10 years since my first marathon swim.

Family Reunion Torrey Utah

We had a nice family reunion in beautiful Torrey, Utah at the end of June. It was with my Moms side of the family and I got to see my cousins in a relaxed style reunion where we got to decide how to use our time and what we wanted to do. This is an ideal family reunion especially in a time of social distancing when some are still uncomfortable with large groups. It’s a beautiful part of Utah and I was glad to get to spend some time in the good old red rock!

Oceanside Visit

As an open water swimmer there is nothing I love more than being at the ocean. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to see the ocean in a long time. This summer I fulfilled a dream of not only taking a beachside vacation but also taking a trip with my podcast friend Dory who hosts the All the Feels podcast which covers Hallmark movies. She has been on Hallmarkies Podcast many times so it was so much to actually meet and see the ocean together. The great Air BandB we rented had one of the most incredible pools I’ve ever seen. It was a fantastic trip! I hope to go back again soon.

Deer Creek Swim

In August I finished my 8th time at the Deer Creek Open Water Marathon Swim. I always get super nervous before these swims but it’s always a great experience in the end. This time my friend Stefani was kind enough to paddle for me. She is the perfect person for such an assignment- so kind and encouraging.

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Austin, Texas Trip

My last trip of the Summer was my first trip to Texas! I’ve long wanted to meet my friends Sean and Jennifer Chandler (I was thinking of going last year but then 2020 happened LOL). We had a great time together including getting to go the Barton Springs natural pool in Austin! I have never seen a natural pool quite like it (very cold at 65 degrees) and it was so much fun. We also had some good food and watched some questionable movies (the new Cinderella LOL). I went to church with Sean and Jennifer and got to listen to him speak here. I also got to see my best friend from college Emily. It made me realize how much I miss spending time with friends IRL. Aside from my friend Jen (who I value so much) I don’t do much with friends these days. I hope I get to go back soon.

Thanks to everyone who made this summer so memorable for me. Combined with all the shows I got to see it really has been a special time I will never forget. Fall and the holiday season will be very busy for me in my podcasting but I have a New York trip planned and hopefully there will be other neat experiences. I am very blessed.

What have you been doing this summer? I hope you have been able to get out safely and have some great times with family and friends.