“I had this strange feeling that the sun was doing a lot of good for me” – Albert Camus

A short memoir on some summer moments I’ll hold dear to my heart.

The days are getting shorter. I can tell when I look out my kitchen window every day around 6:30 in the evening. There’s more shade over the backyard as the days continue to pass. Eight months into the year, and it’s been a whirlwind of the summer. 

It’s funny because I think the summer marks a time of a lot of change you don’t expect to happen. This summer my friends and I have just been girls. Talking each other’s ears off– from topic to topic–laughing at anything, getting all done up for no other reason besides frequenting the local dive bar on Fairfield Ave. 

I just finished watching Mystic Pizza, a 1988 coming-of-age girlhood story starring Julia Roberts. It was actually priceless. It’s been an interlude of trial and error of understanding who I am – who we all are. Some days we wish would never end, and some we could throw away entirely.

Here is a short memoir of some of my favorite moments:

SKOB, Siesta Key Oyster Bar is a divvy little joint with some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. Evan, Summer, Charlotte, Max, Connor, and I would parade from the beautiful Siesta Key home into the downtown area. It’s very beachy, and would remind a lot of New Englanders of Cape Cod, but with a little more nightlife. We were at Skob almost every night – dancing to the live music, cracking jokes, telling stories of the past. There aren’t many moments I get to spend with my friends where we don’t have to worry about anything else – this was one of them. You don’t realize how quickly those moments go away. We used to hangout all the time, when proximity and time weren’t an issue. Now we have to plan a holiday to really catch up with each other. The time is priceless. 

The last night we were there it poured and the live music ended early. Right before it ended the band did a cover of Pink Pony Club. The song felt symbolic to end the week we shared. We felt like ourselves for a brief moment. Nothing else in the world seemed to matter, besides being present with some of my favorite people in my life. We ended up dancing in front of the band and the entire bar, singing the lyrics at the top of our lungs. I dream about this night during many of my sleeps.

Tyler’s Setlist was as Tyler as you could make it during my trip to Flushing Meadows for the Governor’s Ball. I had never been to a music festival, and truly would not go again (unless one of my all time favorite artists was headlining). Accompanied by Laura and a girl group of some of the kindest and welcoming individuals you will ever meet – Sarah, Bella, and Cindy. We swayed in the crowds, lounged in the grass, and continued to purchase over-priced food and drinks. I had brought in an empty plastic water bottle to refill and the security guard laughed at me because I had it crushed up in my bag. I never even ended up using it. 

If you haven’t listened to Tyler’s newest album, DON’T TAP THE GLASS, I would encourage you to. This album hadn’t been released when I attended GovBall, it’s just a really good album. One of the signature moments of the entire experience was T-Pain. We were against the fence around 2:30 PM and creeping toward the front of the stage. He is a fantastic performer. The second best moment was listening to Sticky by Tyler. The entire crowd was dancing, moving in unison to the trumpets. Laura and I screamed “one more time” but the chant never caught any momentum. Hearing this song live was extraordinary, 

The day on the boat was a ridiculous celebration for Olivia’s birthday (we missed Blues on the Beach for it, but I argue it was worth it). The moment specifically, most worth noting, was the first time we plunged into the lake. The sun was warm, the water was cool and we had to keep swimming because we drifted so much. This was my first time swimming in a lake, and I think I need to be a boat owner now – but not a lake one. A turtle came up and bit Olivia, which feels like a good sign for one’s birthday. 

I’ve spent many days and nights with this girl group, consisting of myself, Summer, Nicole, Olivia, Alexa, Sylvia, Carley, and Mia. Many times we’re together in different combinations. The laughs we share are just nonsensical, but the price of girlhood is invaluable. I feel privileged to experience honest outfit ratings, free of judgment truths, boy advice, girl story sharing, mediocre karaoke performances, and every other girl experience imaginable. I love to be friends with them. 

Pelham, New York, August 3rd, 3PM – may have been one of the ludicrous experiences I have had in my coaching career this far. This was our fourth 7 hour day together, the last one of the course. Half of us were ready to rip the others heads off. We sat in the classroom – discussing, debating, practically WWE wrestling – about various coaching topics for 3 and a half hours. Most of our conversations end with someone saying how their style of coaching is “what works”. The D License experience has been filled with Super Coaches and a lot of returned assignments. 

We made it out onto the field after an hour and a half lunch and this is where it truly got chaotic. Pelham Memorial High School grass field, beaming sunlight, 94 degrees, directly next to the Hutchinson River Parkway. Oh and by the way the traffic lights were out at the intersection so you could imagine the street noise only 50 yards away. All we wanted to do is leave. But no, instead, a handful of youth soccer players show up and we have to coach an activity that meets US Soccer standards, but also is fun for children. My group was the last to go and at this point we had 30 minutes left of the class. While I had expressed the want from everyone to run the session for the allotted 10 minutes to let us all go earlier. The head coach of my group ran a 30+ minute session, and we all left after 4pm. But hey – we all have our D Licenses now.

Trolls of the summer goes out to me and my two all-time best coworkers – Langston and Josh. I think they have turned me into a huge ragebaiter, and I really can’t even be mad. We work with children all day, in a competitive setting. Playing soccer, kickball, capture the flag, dodgeball (EVERY Friday), inventing games to keep the energy fresh and alive, and a lot of freeplay days. We consider ourselves lucky if 40 minutes go by and a child doesn’t tell us, “someone is cheating”. It’s nearly impossible to go a full day with no tears. Even though it can be a lot, I really couldn’t be more thankful for the friendship we’ve created. I was a new addition to their already established duo, and they took me under their wing like I had been a part of the team for years. I’ll forever feel nostalgic about this summer of work.

The never-ending vacation took place in Turks and Caicos, a beloved island among my family. We swam, ate, and drank much more than we needed to – and then we did it all again. Even having the opportunity to travel to some off resort areas was incredible. The experience never gets old, and it always seems to reinvent itself. I made a toast at our last dinner, thanking my parents and saying how when we look around the resort we have different memories in almost every spot. We’re so lucky to keep reminiscing and recreating those memories over and over again. 

Spending time with my brothers is equally valuable. We all are in different stages of our lives so our schedules are all over the place. The best quality time we get is playing Mario Golf until 1 AM. But on vacation we got to talk and do activities together and party together and I’m so thankful for them. I admire them, and am just really glad that we are siblings so they will ALWAYS have to be a part of my life. 

It is August. My life is going to change, again. Preseason is about to start with Albertus Women’s Soccer and this season feels very good, I can’t explain why – it just does. The hours switch with my job again so I will be a little broke for a while, but in December I’ll have my masters so it’s all really the same to me. I have an assistant coach for my youth team in the fall and I really believe it’s only going to get better from here. In time. 

The days are seamlessly getting shorter, but I’ll keep checking my kitchen window until the 9PM sunsets appear again. I’ll hold onto this summer for as long as I can. One of my favorite ones to date. 

Looking Forward to the Next Summer of 9 PM Sunsets,

Amelia