Happy Saturday to you!
Summer is fast approaching. Consequently, I’ve been thinking of ways to make the most out of everyone's favorite season...well except mine. The kids are home from school with massive amounts of energy. People seem to come out of hiding like roaches. It feels like something innate in all of us that screams, "It's time to relax!” Some of us go on vacations to exotic resorts out of the country. Others have staycations, exploring the special things about home we don't normally get to experience. Some prefer day trips away from home, but close enough to avoid homesickness. Even if we don't go anywhere at all, we are all infected with "the Fever". Regardless of what you choose to do or where you end up, there are a few things everyone's summer must include.
First on your summer checklist, you must have great food! I wait with baited breath for watermelon, crabs, and summer tomatoes all year long. There is just something about summertime that makes you crave light foods with lots of flavor and cool, airy and sweet treats. After sweating all day and trying to keep up with your crazy summer itinerary, you know good food is the first thing on your mind. Plus it's the perfect excuse to eat all the yummy goodness you want... the heat melts away all those calories (not really, but it helps with the guilt).
Next on the summer checklist is a great drink. On a scorching, hot summer day you just can't have enough cool drinks. A cool drink can seem like life in a glass when you've been roasting in the sun all day. Think about those warm nights when your cookout becomes more cozy and intimate... A nice, icy summer ale just puts the icing on the cake for relax mode.
Then, there is great music…wouldn’t be summer without it. Summertime is the one time of the year when no one is scolded for blasting music. Whether you and your honey are dancing barefoot under the moon on your deck, or you just pulled that shiny, red convertible out of the garage for a joy ride... feel good tunes just solidify the ecstasy of the perfect summer moment. You may forget the moment in the dungeons of your mind until one day you're cruising and "that song" comes on... Then you remember the summer breeze and that moment of bliss you spent with the backdrop of that tune.
Last is the most important thing on the list of must haves... great people. What are the food, the drinks, the classic summer tunes if you don't have people to share the experience with? We can make all the plans we want this summer, but the company we keep will be the biggest influence on how we enjoy the execution of those plans. The right company can turn that great food into a feast, that perfect drink the best conversation ever, and that great music into a fiesta! Summer is like a long holiday where we get to spend time with new and familiar faces with an obligation to have fun.
Let's make merry this summer like never before, because it will be over before we know it! Let's eat until we pop, dance until we drop, and laugh with the ones we love like there's no tomorrow. Some occasions call for us to let loose and live a little... Summertime is one of them! Until next time,