A Big Summer Recap
of the best summer ever
Oh how the leaves have changed!! I feel inspired to say ‘hello again!!’ as I’ve come out of my summer mania and settle into the new seasons. Edit: Oh, and btw, I got engaged!!!! (ahhhh! *jumping up and down) — naturally, I’ll be writing about it and sharing some stories, wedding outfit finds, and thoughts along the way. I wrote this recap before this news and right now, I’m wondering:
—What’s the best advice you have for wedding planning and enjoying the engagement period?
—Did you elope or have a big wedding? Regrets? Favorite parts?
comment below!
& Now for the big summer recap since I’m home from the incredible chaos that was the summer of ‘25 and already deep into fall… I am in full grounding oneself mode: calming and continuous exercise, long walks even if it’s raining (wrap up!), trialing comfy food recipes, making a list of fall and winter movies I want to watch in my notes app, cuddling with my fiancé (lol what is life), and resting. Preparing for hibernation if you will. To me, the autumn season is a perfect representation of the feelings we aim to feel on the days that follow vacation all encapsulated into a few months and packaged as pumpkin spice.
Summer Recap:
Traveled a lot! — Living in England has given me this incredible opportunity to book trips that I wouldn’t have normally taken the time for. We went to the Dolomites with friends and I have already done a write up on it that will be posted in the coming weeks. It was so beautiful! I also spent time at my partners family beach cottage by the sea which was the most idyllic wholesome trip.
travel bugs :) Co-Hosted a Safari Retreat — in South Africa. This was genuinely life changing. It’s been on my bucket list to go to Africa for a long time and I feel blessed to be able to do what I love in a place I’ve felt called to for some time now. You can find more information for our next one here.
so many emotions seeing an elephant in the wild! Lots of Sunday Strolls — I started Sunday Strolls 2 years ago as a way for women to meet new people in London. The group is traditionally expats and the friendships I’ve made through this group are incredible. It’s a great low risk way to meet new people. Now that I feel like I’ve found my crew, I still plan to host Sunday Strolls for now as a way for others to meet people.
:) Saw Beyonce in Concert — love her!! Since living in London I’ve seen Taylor (last year), Beyonce, and Harry (two years ago)?! What is life? I will say…. Harry is a rockstar, Beyonce is the epitome of confidence, and Taylor’s stamina almost more impressive than her writing. (oops sorry too much fun for proper photos but know that little Katie was dancing and singing and having the time of her life!)
Mother/Daughter time — My mom came to visit me and we spent our days catching up, walking in the Heath, meeting my friends, taking a day trip to seven sisters hike, and eating delicious food. I’ve missed her so much! So lucky she was able to come. We also went and saw Titanique.. add it to your list right now. We couldn’t breathe we were laughing so hard. She’s so cute, she also came to a Sunday Stroll!
Val in London! Said Goodbye to Hampstead Heath — I love my neighborhood. I cried when I left. The Heath is a healing place but we outgrew the apartment. I purposely spent every morning on long walks in the Heath, afternoons having park picnics, and Saturdays enjoying the farmers market. I hope it’s not a goodbye forever but more of a see you later. Who knows. Learning how to say goodbye isn’t such a bad thing.
miss you Hampstead! </33 Worked on my yoga certification— !!! I wanted to be certified by the time I got to our Safari. So that was the goal! I don’t have plans as of now to teach in the city but it’s not an impossibility that I would start sharing videos as some point as I dive deeper into my personal practice.
yogi era
Basic lessons I was reminded of this summer:
you and all your weirdness are enough as you are
your life is one big workshop — keep what works, eliminate what doesn’t
not everything is going to happen on your timeline, in fact, it most likely won’t happen on your timeline just to teach you a lesson
girls really do just wanna have fun
we have a responsibility to our planet earth, and the people and animals on it, to be kind, clean, and generous with helpful resources
there’s nothing quite as moving as the Hozier yell
sunscreen is for your face and your lips. apply generously and often
Hobbies I’m replacing screen time with this season:
cooking & baking — I had a few health things this summer (all is ok) but still reporting to the tummy doc. I’d like to mix in more gluten-free, dairy-free, spicy-free (apparently fun free!!! jk) recipes that ideally taste good. pray for me. I promise to share the ones that are delicious
Here’s a recipe I’m making next week: Leek & Potato soup— As requested by my very English partner and I must say, happy to oblige! This looks like a simple easy way into the GF/DF world of soups.
reading — this is my favorite season to read! I will be reading cheesy romances and romantasy books, thank youuuu.
puzzles — I haven’t done a proper puzzle on my own in years but I used to love it and now I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of cute holiday puzzles I want to get.
These hobbies are meant to be a form of active meditation. They also keep you interesting — see my article: The Art of Being Interesting for hobby ideas! Have you given yourself a list of fall and winter hobbies? How are you going to maintain that peace and joy in a season that starts to get a little dark?
So that’s the recap! Whew! Look how quickly life can change. As Jenny Han said, “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
Until next time!
xx Katie
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