My Summer Wish List

I love summer. No really... I LOVE it. Long days, blue skies, and life blooming everywhere. The smell of fresh cut grass, the feel of sand between my toes, and the sounds of happy children out of school. Does it really get any better?
This summer, I want to enjoy it as much as possible. I say it every year, and then somehow life gets in the way, and before you know it... it's winter again. But I am bound and determined this time. And to prove it, I am writing a list of things I want to do before it's too late. Before the days get short, and the weather gets cold. So here it is...

My Summer Wish List 2014:

1. Go camping. I want to go at least a handful of times. And I don't just mean sleep in my tent. I mean the whole caboodle. Cooking over a fire, kayaking, hiking, napping in a hammock, etc. A few long weekends in beautiful locations.

2. Take the Hubs to Mackinac Island. He's never been, and I've only been once, many moons ago. I want to ride our bikes around the entire island, and gorge ourselves on taffy and fudge.

3. Go to the beach. I want to spend way too many hours floating on the water. I want to have bizarre tan lines that I can't explain, and find sand in places that it doesn't belong.

4. Go to fairs/carnivals. I want to win gigantic ridiculous stuffed animals playing stupid games. I want to ride spinning things, and bumper cars, and beautiful carousels. I want to eat corndogs, elephant ears, and cotton candy until I feel sick.

5. Watch at least one good firework show. I want to lay on a blanket, and watch the colorful explosions of light fill the night sky. I want to oooh and ahhh, and clap at the finale. I want to wear glow bracelets, and burn an entire box of sparklers.

6. BBQ with friends & family. I want to eat meat slathered in sauces, and cooked over an open flame. I want to eat pasta salads, potato salads, and fruits & veggies fresh out of the garden. I want to toss a Frisbee around, play catch, and chase my nieces and nephews.

7. Have a huge water fight. I want to fill bathtubs, sinks, and buckets with water balloons and launch them at people. I want to buy the biggest squirt gun I can find, and pretend I'm a water assassin.

8. I want to make & test glow in the dark bubbles. And try to get proof of said experiment on camera.

9. I want to spend at least a few hours a week on our patio, instead of on the sofa. Enjoying the sights and sounds of the world around us. Eat dinner out there, read books, etc.

10. I want to take a road trip to somewhere random, and make a bunch of silly stops along the way. Eat at oddly names restaurants, stop at lookouts, buy a t-shirt from a tourist shop. Make the trip as much (if not more) fun as the destination.

This is my wish list for the next several months. Think I can do them all? ;)

Summertime Memories...

I know it's only March, but here in Michigan it's been more like June these last couple of weeks. I am loving every minute of it. Warm weather means bbq's, sundresses, flip-flops, cold beer, sunshine and just plain fun. It also means summertime memories. Some of my favorite moments have been centered around summer fun.
Growing up, we spent our summers at campgrounds and parks all over the state, and made not just great memories, but life long friends. Too many kids in one tent made for some interesting nights, but Oh the days... From the time our eyes opened til Mom called us back for dinner, we were the living embodiment of summer. Dirty bare feet, sunkissed skin and smiles as big and bright as the sun itself. We swam, we fished, we explored, we played games and we discovered that brothers and sisters can be more than playmates, they can be best friends. No matter what summer activity we were enjoying, we were usually doing it together. From canoe and tubing trips, to bike rides and baseball. My siblings were my teammates, my lifesavers and my closest companions.
As we grew up, our activities may have changed, but we were still doing them together. Maybe not every single day, but more often than not. Over the years, "my friends" and "your friends" have become "our friends" and most of them have been around so long, they feel more like family. I always know that even if I didn't see someone all winter long, as soon as the snow melts, the grass starts getting greener and the bbq grill gets fired up, I'll be seeing them soon. And often. Sometimes it's an impromptu bbq,  an evening bonfire, or a quick game of baseball, frisbee or football. Whatever it is, it's always fun. Our kool-aid mustaches have been replaced with cold beer and we haven't shared a sleeping bag in years, but every time I breath in the smell of fresh cut grass and feel it's coolness beneath my bare feet, I think of those little kids and how grateful I am that even though we've grown up, we've never grown apart.