What comes to mind when you think about summer? I asked my fair-skinned, red-haired husband this question and his response was, “hot, sunburns…” I couldn’t help but laugh. It feels as if you’ll melt here in south Louisiana if you’re outside for too long! You learn to live with it, but it never gets any less uncomfortable.
Our AC unit quit suddenly over the weekend (coming up on one of the hottest weeks of the year!) and oh my goodness, it became increasingly uncomfortable inside and fast! Thankfully, we have an awesome AC guy who got to us as quickly as possible, and family we can depend on. We crashed at my brother’s house for a night, and it was the most welcome reprieve from the heat and humidity we were feeling at home. You don’t want to be without AC for too long in southeast Louisiana!
Still, summer evokes memories of play outdoors, family vacation and adventures, rainy day movies with our cousins, swimming at friends’ or the local YMCA, and pure, unadulterated fun! Summertime means just a little more freedom and leisure.
I can remember the old slip-n-slide and going to the mall. Pool parties and BBQs, baseball games, picking out books at the library for summer reading, the big Fourth of July celebration. Even now, summer feels different from the rest of the year. We still want to create some of those same moments and feelings we had as kids, and we can!
This summer, I’m ready for new adventures and time with family and friends. I want to wake up and journal, enjoy a good book or two, get a healthy dose of sunshine, and have movie nights with Pitt. I want to revisit summer recipes with Nat King Cole playing in the background, snack on watermelon, and make room for fun and creativity. It’s the little things we cherish and remember for a lifetime, the little joys and moments that stay with us, and I intend to savor these longer days of summer. I hope you will, too.
Have fun, create new memories with your family, and make it a happy summer!
