What I’ll Remember About Summer 2026
This was – no exaggeration – the craziest summer of my life.
Usually our summers are pretty low-key and we try to stay home most of it to enjoy the warm weather and lots of time at the lake.
This year, we were gone a LOT and there were lots of totally unexpected things going on (including some tricky and boring business things).
Here’s what I’ll remember most from the summer of 2026
What I’ll Remember About Summer 2026
Visiting: Orcas Island! After years of hearing about how magical this place is, we finally did a return family reunion there this summer and it lived up to the hype Bart’s family has been giving it for the last 20 years! I did a whole post about our Orcas Island trip here!
Reading: Virtually nothing. I haven’t had a summer in years where I read so few books! I’m excited to get back into a good routine and start working through the many books I’m hoping to read this fall!
(Not) camping: I was the assistant director for our church girls camp this summer. Bart was gone that week, so I couldn’t leave the two little girls overnight, which meant I drove up and back every day. It also overlapped with Prime Day so it was a wildly busy (but delightful) week. My main responsibility was crafts and down-time activities!
Remodeling: Two of our three bathrooms. When we did our big remodel before we moved in to this house in 2021, we touched nearly every square inch of this house except for the kitchen and two of the bathrooms. And whoaaaa did those bathrooms need to be remodeled. In the spring, Bart started getting bids and we started in late May. As usual, it’s taken longer than we expected, but I’m SO happy with how they’ve come together! The biggest upgrade is finally having a separate toilet room in our primary bathroom (the separate toilet and bidet have been hanging out in the main space for probably twenty years and I’m delighted to have that finally solved).
Watching: Bart and I have spent the last year and a half watching Castle with Ella and finally finished that up this summer. Now we’re back to working through season 2 of High Potential and Bart and I are watching Young Sherlock. As a family we’re watching The Other Bennet Sister, which is a delight!
Gushing: about this tiny water bottle. I bought it just before our Orcas Island trip and I was absolutely hooked. So nice to have a little cold water with you without lugging a 40 ounce water bottle everywhere you go! I feel so strongly about this, I did a whole post defending it (I’m only a little embarrassed).
Playing: so much Cover Your Kingdom. Frankly, I haven’t played a single game, but my kids have played this all day every day all summer long! In fact, as I’m writing this post, three of them are in the kitchen giggling over it.
Using: this snack box CONSTANTLY. I bought this for $10 last summer and we’ve taken it on every boat trip since then – it’s perfect for filling up with fruits and veggies, fits right in the bottom of the cooler (and in our fridge at home!) and makes everyone more likely to munch their way through a bunch of nutritious snacks. One of my best purchases for summer!
Wearing: This tank nonstop. This was the first tank I bought this spring and now I have it in three colors. I wear the black by far the most and I love it every time. And under $10? Yes please.
What will you remember from Summer 2026? I’d love to hear!
