10 Reasons Why I Love Summer

My husband and I have this ongoing debate. I LOVE SUMMER. He hates the heat, though, hahahaha!! We’ll muse about where we want to retire or where we’d like to settle when we’re old, and I’m picturing this breathtaking warm and sun-kissed place surrounded by water… Costa Rica, maybe? Hawaii? Somewhere with a lake? An eternal summer. He shudders at the idea since he always runs hot, and now he knows that he goes stir-crazy on islands feeling stuck being surrounded by water for longer than a few days. His dream is a cabin in the mountains with gray skies, land as far as the eye can see, lots of rain and powerful wind, and (to my ultimate vexation) cold—so cold that you can feel a chill run through your body. He loves that chill, for some reason! The same way I love the warmth that only comes with summer. I figure being cold is not exactly retirement-friendly, is it? Imagine arthritic old me, bones handling the frigidity in some isolated mountainside, hips frozen and breaking as I get caught in a snowy landslide… Whelp! Our retirement plan needs some work, I guess. I digress.

There are so many things to appreciate about every season of the year, but summer is my favorite. Now summer has flown by, and I’m definitely pining for it to come back.

I want to be able to look at this list and snapshots, and instantly smile thinking about what brings me joy from summer. So here it is,

Why Summer Is The BEST!

1. No School. This means more family time for us! More time to cuddle my babies. More time to read, paint, play outside, watch movies until the late hours together… I get to see more of my husband, my most favorite person always, who’s usually very busy during the school year as a teacher. I didn’t get to enjoy this as much this summer since he worked hard on his Master’s program. We struggled with distance as he spent a month away at school on the other side of the country.

2. Fresh cut grass. Fresh cut grass is one of my favorite smells. I love mowing my lawn! I get a workout with my little push mower, I get happy green grass that’s evenly cut more often, it’s a win-win!

3. Sunscreen. This is also one of my favorite smells! I know an adventure is about to happen… a hike? Playing in the water? Working in the yard (see #1)? Running some miles? Sunscreen also means this adventure will involve the sun, and I LOVE the sun 🙂

4. Watermelon, strawberries, oranges, oh my! This list is actually becoming my list of favorite smells, haha! The whiff of an orange grove is another favorite of mine! I love finding fresh oranges and sniffing them. Cherries, citrus, pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, sweet corn, coconuts, peaches, and pears… all my favorite fresh foods, especially fruit!

5. Birthdays. Our kids all have summer birthdays, so we can do something extra awesome without school getting in the way. The boys had an epic Neverland Pirate birthday party at their grandparents, and our daughter celebrated with a Birthday trip to the zoo. Celebrating the birth of America with a chance to see fireworks is also pretty cool! Summer is also my birthday!! This year I went on a getaway to the city with my sweetheart! Which brings me to my next reason…

6. Getaways. Summer is usually the best time for us to go on vacation somewhere. This summer we headed to California! We also went to our favorite Bed and Breakfast for my birthday, which was the best thing ever! I also took the kids on an impromptu trip to see their cousins.

7. Visits. I got to spend time with my dearest grandma before she passed. That means so much to me to have been able to see her, hold her hand, and talk with her. Besides spending time with family, summer is a time when we’re sharing pancake breakfasts, block parties, BBQ’s, and garden swapping. I got to visit with my childhood friend I haven’t seen in 20 years. I got to run into people I cherish but live far away from. We had play dates with neighbors and made new friends.

8. Water Play. Here’s my other favorite smell: chlorine. I grew up in the desert, and didn’t learn how to swim until I was an adult. Playing in the water and swimming are some of my favorite things to do, and summer is an ideal time to do them! We visited the Water Park for the first time in years, played on the beach in California, visited splash pads, played in the pool on our visit to St. George, had water balloon tosses with our BFFs, and the kids even got to play in the sprinklers at Grandma’s house with a giant blow up pirate ship.

9. Light and Breezy Wardrobe. I look forward to being able to wear the least amount of clothing possible during summer hahaha! Athletic wear for warm running days are some of my favorites. Or my summer staples like a big floppy sun hat and the most comfortable Hawaiian sandals. Just really relaxed clothing to be super active in!

10. Home for Summer. During the summer I can have my all-white cotton bedding! This year I treated myself to some extremely realistic looking crepe paper golden poppies. My house was full of fresh garden produce and happy plants, and that’s really all the decorating I did!