August Lately: moving, grad school, & travel galore

Can't believe we're already so far into September. Soon enough it will be time to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. But I'm still recovering from August and all the changes it brought. So before we get too much farther into September, here's a few glances at my August Lately.

First off, did I mention that I'm back to grad school full time? This means three big things

1.) getting back into the habit of studying non-stop

this is one thing that I didn't miss

2.) moving to a new apartment

moving has meant lots of trips to BB&B, the Home Depot, and of course IKEA. thankfully, I love shopping

My new apartment is perfect for me, but moving has been so much work, especially because I decided it was a good time to DIY a few furniture pieces. Why do I do these crazy things to myself? Can't wait to share my projects + an apartment tour is coming soon! But for now this place is still a big work in progress. 

3.) long distance marriage

Because Tom and I attend grad schools in separate states, me returning to school = we're back to being in a long distance marriage. It's difficult, but doable. Being long distance means cherishing our time, which makes traveling together more important than ever now. So when I had a week off from school, Tom took one too! We went on a ton of adventures together, creating the best new memories. 

We spent a quick weekend in the Windy City, but still managed to see it all thanks to biking the city and the Chicago CityPass.  Oh Chicago, how we loved you. So thankful that we got the perfect taste of you on the tiniest budget.

Then the white mountains were calling and we had to go. Took a camping trip to New Hampshire that involved black bears right outside our tent, a gorgeous green gorge, and hiking through a waterfall.

While in the white mountains of New Hampshire, we took the best trail ever up to Mount Washington…the highest mountain peak in the northeast.

by the way, here's a glance at what prep for a hiking trip looks like…can never have enough sunscreen or cliff bars

 sunny summer days with the prettiest flowers right along Boston's sidewalks

with early morning runs to beat the heat 

Plus a rainy day hike to castle craig in Conneticut. Wow, just realized that we visited three new states during August! It really was the best month.

Still found time and the most relaxing places to read the best new book 

Plus, helping our furry pup beat the summer heat with doggie play dates at the lake

+our first time kayaking with a dog

also missing shopping the famous Newbury street in Boston that included a stop to our new favorite sushi spot

something else I'm missing about Boston now that I'm back to living in the South…city views from the T. I think I definitely prefer public transit to having to drive myself

also missing casual dinners out with this sweet guy

a few more things I'm loving from August…road trips with this sweet pup

+my favorite sign right outside a favorite store 

and how cute is this camping themed barkbox for our puppy that already loves to hike and camp so much

family hikes right outside of Boston 

call for stops at the laundromutt for self-service dog wash 

August, you were beyond busy… full of big life changes and lots of travels to new places. I'm still playing catch up, but I think I'm finally ready to say goodbye to you. Time to slow things down a bit, get more settled into my new place, and celebrating everything that September brings.