1. Getting a surprise visit from my favorite cousins. 

Earlier this summer, I was doing some landscaping for my grandmother. Afterwards I went up the hill to my best friend's house to hang out and cool off. A little while later, I heard a car pull into the driveway and saw my two favorite cousins walking across the yard. The excitement was unreal and I was beyond shocked. I never get to see these family members because they live out of state, so I was extremely happy to receive an unexpected visit from them.

2. Weekends with my best friend. 

For more than 10 years, weekends in the summertime were reserved for spending time with my best friend. This summer was no different. We fell right back into our routine of sleepovers, beach visits, coffee dates, staying up late laughing, and everything else in between.

3. Binging TV series. 

The summertime gives me the opportunity to catch up on some of my favorite shows while watching WAY more than I usually do. I'm in the process of watching the Handmaid's Tale and Euphoria, which I would definitely recommend. Also, I just finished watching Orange is the New Black and it is definitely one of my top three favorite shows. Look out for a future article on some of my favorite shows to watch!

4. Volunteering with REVERB. 

REVERB is an environmental nonprofit organization based out of Portland, Maine. I found out about this organization on social media and decided to dedicate some time to assisting them this summer. This organization works at concert venues selling reusable water bottles and donating the money to local organizations like the Mansfield Food Pantry. In addition, REVERB works with touring artists to increase sustainability during the tour by doing things like recycling, composting, and upcycling old stage materials like guitar strings and pyrotechnic equipment, amongst other things.

5. Taking summer classes. 

I wrote a separate article on how I feel about summer classes, but overall it was one of the highlights of my summer. I think I learned a lot and met some awesome professors and peers.

6. A road trip to Canada. 

My family has taken several road trips together, but this was our first one outside of the United States. It was extremely fun to visit Montreal and it definitely gave us the quality time together that we all wanted.

7. Spending time with my sister. 

This is a no-brainer. Elizabeth and I hadn't seen each other in months and had gotten used to spending time apart. This summer provided us with much-needed time together while also allowing us to realize how valuable that time is. Needless to say, we were back to our shenanigans and spent almost our entire summer together.

8. Going to concerts. 

Elizabeth and I are frequent concert-goers and this summer was no different. The lineup of concerts we attended was insane and I am beyond grateful that we were able to do what we did. We saw the Jonas Brothers, the 1975, Ellie Goulding, John Mayer, Wiz Khalifa, Dierks Bentley, and Rascal Flatts - just to name a few!

9. Seeing Hamilton. 

I have been waiting to see this musical for years while living vicariously through my friends and family who were lucky enough to see it on Broadway. After seeing it, I have to admit that this musical completely lives up to its hype and rave reviews. I was blown away by the artistry, lyricism, costumes, and staging. 10/10 would recommend and would see it again.

10. Relaxing at the beach. 

The beach is one of my favorite places to be regardless of the time of year. But the summer provides a great opportunity to soak up the sun, read a good book, and even go for a swim (something I wouldn't do during my winter beach visits).

11. Watching the Women's World Cup. 

I love watching women's soccer, so I had been looking forward to this summer's tournament since the last one in 2015. The US team managed to take home the trophy once again and are continuing to prove their point regarding equal pay.

12. Hanging out with friends. 

I absolutely loved getting to spend time with my high school friends after spending a year apart at college. It was nice to catch up with old friends that I haven't seen in a while and be able to pick up exactly where we left off.

13. Watching a movie at the drive-in for the first time. 

This one is a pretty self-explanatory highlight because going to the drive-in movie theater is something that I've talked about doing for a long time. It was nice to finally get the chance to go and spend time enjoying a movie with my family.

14. Drinking iced coffee. A LOT. 

Iced coffee is my drink of choice all year, but there is something different about drinking a cup of this on a hot summer day. I definitely had more than my fair share, but also enjoyed trying a variety of types and flavors from several locations.

15. Tidying up my life with Marie Kondo. 

I wrote a separate article about this, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

16. Meeting new people and making new friends. 

Being engaged in volunteering and taking summer classes provided me with the chance to meet lots of new people. Some of these new people ended up becoming new friends, which is awesome.

17. Witnessing a ridiculous amount of rainbows. 

To put it simply, I have seen more than 20 rainbows this summer. That is more rainbows than I have seen in probably my entire life. Hopefully there serving as some sort of sign that I am going to have a good upcoming year because that would be nice.

18. Bonfires. 

I LOVE a good bonfire. It's so fun to sit by a fire, eat s'mores, and spend time with family and friends.

19. Quitting social media for a few weeks. 

This was one of the more challenging parts of summer, but it provided a great reward. While I am once again active on social media, for a few weeks I took a much needed break to gain perspective and control over my usage.