The Many Summers of Our Lives (2017 is the Summer of Steemit)

I will undoubtedly remember this summer as the summer of Steemit. I don't know if this is something unique to teachers, or kids below the age of 18, or maybe just me, but there seems to be a big theme for each summer of my life. Let's go through the most memorable ones to me.

Last year, Summer of 2016 was the summer my wife and I moved to our current house. We planned a lot, went on Zillow like every single day until we found what we were looking for. One of my recent posts, https://steemit.com/homesteading/@vegansilverstack/tour-of-my-homestead-and-why-i-grow-food shows where we live now. It's a small home with a large yard where I have tons of food I'm growing with the hopes of having an edible fruit forest one day.

The Summer of 2015 was the summer I moved from Illinois to Florida. I moved into a sort of dilapidated house with an old friend of mine from up north. His mother was the landlord. I made the move June 4th, 2015. I'll never forget that trip. It was just my dog Chico and I.

This is us leaving the garage to make the trip down to Florida

This is us arriving

I moved down without a job lined up, with a car payment, a rent check due the following month, and food that I would have to buy. I just did it. I made the move. I figured if I didn't, I would never get out of Illinois. Don't get me wrong, I love the state I was born in, but I yearned to be closer to the tropics, and Florida could do that for me. I yearned to be in a place where I could grow food comfortably year round. I found out my friend got engaged the week before, didn't even tell me, and only spent one night at that house with me.

Then he moved out and into his fiancée's house. I began to freak out, thinking I wouldn't be able to handle the bills, etc. His mom cut me a deal to stay in the house for 3 months for what I was told I was going to be paying half the total rent which was nice of her. I started working at a Walgreen's nearby within a week and started looking for a job within the school district. I got a job before the start of the next school year (about 2 months later).

I was a paraprofessional (teacher's aide) for 2 quarters getting my foot in the door (I had already taught 2.5 years up north). Then my principal asked me if I wanted to take over a 1st grade classroom I had already been working with. The teacher wasn't working out. She had no classroom management skills and they were desperate to fill the position. I said yes to a bigger paycheck but what a headache I had just taken on. I taught 1st grade for 2 quarters of my life and will never go back to elementary school (unless I'm subbing when I'm old).

I went to a job fair and got an interview at the high school I'm currently at teaching Spanish and E.S.O.L. (English as a second language). I would've just preferred Spanish but this came with a package deal lol. I took the job, and in one month we go back to school which will be my second year at this high school. I coach boy's tennis as well. It's great.

Back to summer of ______ theme

The Summer of 2012 was the summer I lived in Venezuela. All summer. Maracaibo. I met my wife there. 4 months in hell with no A.C. in the first room I stayed in.

First time in Venezuela staying a room with no A.C.

Second time being in Venezuela a year later

Los médanos de Coro

The Summer of 2011 was my summer in Colombia. Colombia, on the other hand, I cherish. I love Colombia with all my heart. I saw motorcycles accidents, was involved in two motorcycle accidents on the same day (I was a passenger on the back both times). Colombia, as well as Venezuela, is home to many beautiful women. Colombia, however, doesn't come with a dictatorship lol. I spent 6 months in Colombia's second largest city, Medellín. I stayed with a friend of a friend from the university. His name was Alejandro. He treated me like a little brother (in the good sense). He took me everywhere, introduced me to people, etc. My Spanish reached near fluent levels because of my time in Colombia. I met so many amazing people and spent part of December there (party time).

This was my best friend in Colombia. The friend of a friend from the Uni.

Learning to dance with Alejandro's sister

My brother actually came to visit me because I told him how awesome Colombia was.

A bunch of us guys

This was where Alejandro's grandma lived - in a farm house in a place called Guatapé outside of Medellín.

This was a festival called "La feria de las flores" that takes place in Medellín every July

Incredible view climbing to "El Morro" to see the valley that Medellín sits in

The Summer of 2010 was the summer my brother and I, on 2 motorcycles (his 250cc and mine 200 cc) went from Chicago to Arizona, up to Colorado, and back to Chicago. This was over the course of 14-15 days. We endured extreme cold, rain, heat, etc. We slept in a junior sized tent wherever we could find a place off the side of the highways.

We met an awesome man named Dan who gave us $80 just because we told him where we were from and what we'd been through. We didn't want to even take the money, but he insisted, said he had enough lol. My bike broke down in Albuquerque, New Mexico so we dropped it off at a shop and just gave it to the owner (it was going to cost way more to fix it than it was worth; I bought it for $1200 about 2 months earlier and it had gotten me that far!)

We visited a 1 acre plot of land I bought on Ebay in Concho, AZ in the foothills of the White Mountains (I believe). We camped there 3 days and moved on up to San Luis County, Colorado, where my brother bought 5 acres of land on Ebay. Both sites were mostly scrubland, but mine was more suited for camping. We didn't camp on my brother's land, it was literally too rugged (and cold).

My plot of land in Concho, AZ

My Brother

View very close to my land

We returned to Chicago on the one 250cc motorcycle after switching who would ride every 4 hours or so. That trip completely changed me as a person (I remember my hands being so dark and wrinkled by the time we got back home and I lost about 10 pounds) and I feel nothing but nostalgia for it. I would love to do that again sometime if he's up for it.

Before this summer (2010), were just summers of me moving to and from my university which was 4 hours from where I was from in Illinois.

These are the most memorable summers of my life. I mean, I remember the ones when I was a kid, but not like the ones from when I was about 18-22 years old. The most memorable times in my life have been times spent with really good friends. International friends, family, friends of friends, you name it.

Could these be the best years of our lives? 18-22? Let me know. Does anyone else feel like we live our lives for the summers? Do you have any epic summers of ________fill in the blank_____? Please tell me about it, I will award the best story with 2 SBD and have a "runner up" who will win 1 SBD.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, Steemians.

@vegansilverstack