A Toast to the End of Summer (Fridays)

Labor Day weekend is almost upon us, and that means that one of SHIFT’s most beloved perks—Summer Fridays—is coming to an end.

What are Summer Fridays? Well, every year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, SHIFTers can leave at 3 PM to take advantage of all that summer has to offer. Pretty sweet, right?!

What did some of our SHIFTers do for their Summer Fridays? Let’s see what they had to say:

Addie Branfield-Harvey, Account Coordinator: Catching a 4pm bus to Hyannis in order to make a 7:30 pm ferry to Nantucket where I would reunite with family for the weekend. No sweat!

Eliza Gary, Account Coordinator: Trained for and participated in the annual CrossFit “Murph Challenge.” This annual challenge in honor of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy (Designated Survivor is based off his story) is a workout consisting of: 1 mi run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mi run, with a weighted vest. No complaining allowed in order to honor the fallen heroes.

Alicia Vazquez, Account Executive: Ending on a Sunday but getting a head-start during one of our summer Fridays, I took advantage of the extra time to pack up and make the 30-hour(ish) drive from Austin to San Francisco. Talk about a life-changing event! With my mom, sister and dog along for the ride, I drove through 112-degree weather as I made my way to San Francisco’s foggy hills. It’s been an exciting time in SHIFT SF and I’m looking forward to more adventures in California! 

Darren Weiss, Account Director: A few weeks ago I used my Summer Friday to escape the city early and beat traffic en route to Mendocino county to go camping. We packed up the car the night before and took the gorgeous drive that began over the Golden Gate Bridge, continued up the winding rugged Northern California coast for four hours, and ended at a placid campsite among the redwood forest. There we pitched our tent, sparked a fire in the pit and enjoyed a great camping weekend.

Shannon Steffen, Account Coordinator: With the help of Summer Friday, I was able to fly down to Southern California and spend extra time with my brother before he starts his junior year of college. Additionally, since I was able to catch an early flight, I had the opportunity to watch him cross the finish line of his first ultra-marathon! Thank you, Summer Friday, for making a memorable weekend with my family possible!

Stephanie Chan, Account Manager: With Summer Friday, I was finally able to join Aerie’s Summer Solstice Yoga session. The event is held once a year in the middle of Times Square. As hectic as it might sound, doing yoga in the middle of the busiest place in the world on the longest day of summer was actually quite peaceful. 

Vito Gallo, Senior Account Executive: I was able to take advantage of the sun at its fullest (and the beautiful clear skies of San Francisco). If I wasn’t catching summer blockbusters like Godzilla: King of Monsters and Dark Phoenix, I tried to visit local parks like Dolores Park in the Mission or Golden Gate Park for a nice patch of grass to relax and read. Excited to continue my rediscovered passion of reading (finished a few including Bad Blood and David Sedaris’ Calypso) well into the fall.

Megan Gaffney, Account Director: Summer Fridays are the best because I get to spend more time with my awesome kids and family! We get to kick start the weekend at our favorite places like Lake Winnipesaukee, Canobie Lake Park, or even grabbing ice cream at our favorite spot in town.

Here’s to the end of Summer (Fridays)!

Cheers, Sliante, Prost, Skål, Santé, Salud, Chin chin!