It is really starting to feel like summer. (If it would only stop raining here in Nashville? I swear you’d think we live in a rainforest with the way the weather has been.) I love summer. I don’t love the heat. But I love summer.
Here are 10 of my favorite things about summer:
1. Road Trips – trips to the lake, the beach, neighboring cities. For some reason, no place seems to far to drive in the summer. I need to start making some playlists on Itunes right now! (Some of my twitter buddies, helped me start a wish list. Now I just need to find some time to download.)
Macon and Anne Shelton - Lake Texoma 2008
2. Music Festivals – City Stages, Bonnaroo. One of my first jobs out of college was planning music festivals. And I love them. There is nothing better than being outside (when the weather’s nice), listening to good music, drinking a cold beer, and hanging out with your closest friends. This summer I plan on hitting CityStages (my personal favorite) and Bonnaroo (to see what all the fuss is about). I am excited because for the first time in several years, they don’t fall on the same weekend.
Me and Carey Martin - CityStages 2008
3. The 4th of July- fireworks, parades, bbq. I think the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Okay, I have a lot of favorite holidays. But I do love reconnecting with my American pride. (Cue Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA“)
Anne Shelton - 4th of July 2008
4. The Beach – Bald Head Island, Rosemary Beach. I love the beach. Everything about the beach (well not everything about the beach, sometimes the sand bugs me. Oh and the jellyfish, I don’t like them either). I love listening to the waves. I love reading a good book under an umbrella. I love renting bikes. I love eating ice cream. I love the youthfulness that the beach brings back.
Papa and Macon - Bald Head Island 2008
5. Amusement Parks – I admit it, I love some roller coasters. I even like waterparks. I don’t like hanging out with 1,000 strangers in bathing suits, but I love the slides. I am a thrill junkie. I step foot into an amusement park and I lose all decorum. I revert back to age 11. And everyone liked me at 11 (except my sister, she hated me at 11.)
Joey, Roman, and Sarah Trammell - Big Kahuna Waterpark 2008
6. The long days – I wish that every day was long like the days of summer. There is nothing better than leaving work and having several hours of daylight to enjoy. The long days totally energize me. Who wants to lay on the couch when the sun is beaming?
Me and Joey - Rosemary Beach 2008
7. The food – Barbeque chicken, corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes, basil. I could go on and on. Summer foods are fresh. Summer foods are delightful.
Macon & Anne Shelton Enjoying Cotton Candy - 2008
8. The weddings – Although I don’t have them back-to-back weekends like I did a few years ago, there still is a big wedding or two on my schedule every summer. This summer one of my best friends from high school is getting married. I can’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle and I can’t wait to reconnect with many long-lost friends.
9. The quiet absence of the college kids – In Nashville, the college kids all vacate mid-May which is divine. The town is reclaimed by the rest of us. It is just plain easier to get around. Come August, we’ll be ready for the energy that the college kids provide but right now, I am ready for them to hit the road.
10. The glow – I am not a big tanner but you have to admit everyone looks better with a little sun. I am not talking we all need to go orange, but can we leave the pasty white behind? Just for a few months?
What are your favorite things about the Summertime?
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