August Rush

It's August again, which means that all too soon, I'll be headed back to school. It's at this point each summer when I start to panic about all that I want or need to accomplish before that first teacher work day arrives. A teacher's summer vacation has been compared to a weekend, with June as Friday, July as Saturday, and August as Sunday. In June (Friday), teachers are busy tying up loose ends after another school year has come to an end. We look forward to the time away from work that summer vacation (the weekend) will bring. When July (Saturday), teachers are happy to spend the month lazing the days away with school far from their thoughts. We figure that we still have another month (day) before that first school bell awakens us from our summer daze. But then comes August (Sunday), and we suddenly realize that there isn't much time left before reality returns. All of a sudden, we rush to complete items on our summer to-do list before time is no longer on our side.

So here I am, on August 1st, making a list of all that I want or need to do before officially going back to school at the end of the month. I won't bore you with my list of household chores, but I will share with you those fun activities and tasks that I look forward to checking off of my summer to-do list in the last weeks of summer:

1. Shop at the Madison Farmer's Market
2. Rent and watch the first four seasons of Dexter
3. Take a bike ride
4. Go to a matinee movie (Eat Pray Love, anyone?)
5. Spend a weekend in Door County
6. Take a Riverwalk Boat Brewery Tour Cruise
7. Watch and clear 20 + recorded programs from the DVR
8. Bake
9. Read a book while sitting on the patio
10. Shop
11. Go to lunch with a friend
12. Picnic at Jazz in the Park
13. Attend at least one Friday night Fish Fry and a Flick
14. Go to State Fair
15. Play with my favorite niece
16. Work on my tan
17. Take morning walks with Bailey

I will admit that I can already check off several of the tasks above (read a book while sitting on the patio), but I want to make certain that I find additional time for them in my last days of summer freedom.

So we go - the August rush is now upon me and my colleagues. All too soon, our summer vacation will be but a memory.