Summer 2015, you are my favorite.

I'm going to state this for the record: Summer 2015 is the best summer I have enjoyed in quite some time.

Summer vacation and I have a spotty history. While I have many happy memories of summers past, I also have quite a few sad or unpleasant ones...like the summer Darryl's dad passed away after fighting cancer, or the summer my mom battled a lingering, scary bout of meningitis. There was also the summer our house sale fell through and we had to unpack our stuff and put it back where it was. Or the summer that I had my wisdom teeth removed and had a stubborn "pocket" that refused to heal correctly. Or there was last summer, where I was trying to fight "the funk" every single day after leaving our life in Baton Rouge. Granted, a couple of those things are obviously more significant than others, and no one is at fault for any of those things...but I--pessimistically, I suppose--tend to remember those summers by those events.

But Summer 2015 was nothing short of amazing.

I enjoyed time with my family both at their home and at mine.

We had a great trip to San Francisco, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe, where we were able to visit with Darryl's extended family.

I read a lot of books, particularly in the first half of the summer.

I watched three seasons of The Good Wife. (So good!)

I went to movies, including a few that weren't animated!

I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen, my happy place.

I was able to take a girls' trip to San Diego / Temecula with my good friend Rebecca. (Who can argue with two trips to California in one summer?)

We welcomed our new (hyper but sweet) dachshund puppy, Billy!

I took some good naps.

We didn't have to move anywhere!

I was able to finish up a few house tasks, like organizing the pantry and kitchen, cleaning out "that room" that was full of boxes, and fixing up Amelia's room.

I spent lots of time at the pool with Amelia.

Basically, this summer was everything I wanted it to be -- fun, relaxing, and spent with the people I love. And you know what? I also feel more ready for school than I have in some time, and I think it has something to do with the fact that this summer was so satisfying. Often times, I have thoughts like, "I wish I had one more week so I could do such and such," but not this year.

So thank you, Summer 2015. You were awesome.