Reflections on the Summer of 2008

*deep breath*

Ahhhh... it's been a hectic past few months to say the least! Between working like crazy in Colorado Springs, attending weddings up the wazoo (3, so far), experiencing the highs and lows of a summer romance, and trying desperately to keep up with my schoolwork, I feel like I haven't had a moment to just sit back and reflect on everything that's happened. Now that I've had a few days to think, here are a few thoughts / highlights / impressions:

• To RM, if there is one thing I regret about this summer it's the fact that I was only able to be a part-time boyfriend to you. You certainly deserve better and I sincerely hope you find it. Still, we had some good times this summer ... memories that I will look back on fondly (the amazing chicken satay dinner we made ... kicking your butt at ping pong ... stealing victory at pool ... and of course, saturday morning pick up soccer). I hope we continue to stay in touch. There are many more good times still to be had!

• On a related note, my name is Jaime... and I'm a workaholic. Seriously, when did this happen?!! I have always been a strong proponent of work-life balance, but lately I have let work take over. I have only my own borderline obsessive-compulsive tendencies when it comes to unfinished tasks to blame, I suppose. I'm one of those people who will focus on a problem so intently that I will lose track of time completely. (True story, I onced worked on a particularly difficult Sudoku for an entire night forgoing dinner... and woke up with the flu!) Oh well, I'm sure the hard work will pay off down the road. Don't worry though, I'm still planning to enter a "recovery program" (aka a trip somewhere warm and tropical) soon.

• Speaking of trips, just recently got back from a good camping/hiking adventure with my brother and a couple friends. We visited Badwater Basin in Death Valley, CA (the lowest point in the U.S.) then about 22 hours later we were at the summit of Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the contiguous United States). The hike itself was not so bad... just long... but the fact that we had to start the hike at 2 a.m. to get to the summit around noon definitely took a toll on us physically. It's no wonder we all passed out on the summit for about 30 minutes. Good thing we rested too. The roughly 10 hours it took to hike back was even more tiring than the hike up to the summit!

• I cannot wait to be done with school (again)! We only have 2 1/2 classes left to go so it's not much longer. That's right, in just about 8 months I will start demanding that people call me "Master". (After all, I didn't go to an extra 3 years of school to be called "Mister", thank you very much.)

So there you have it, Summer '08 in a nutshell. All in all, this summer was a decent one. Are there things I would have done differently given the chance? Of course, but aren't there always? In the end, I had plenty of good times, saw some old friends, made new ones, and visited some places I may never see again ... can't really ask for more than that.