Summertime

I love summer! Maybe it has something to do with being born and raised in St. George, UT where it is summer 10 months of the year. However, even in Philadelphia with the humidity and the bugs, I love it. To me summer is all about baseball (or softball now), half melted ice cream, fresh raspberries in the morning and leisurely walks (or bike rides) in the evening just as the sun begins to set. It may seem like a strange collection of things, but here is yet another example of how my mind works...

When I was a kid we used to spread mom's old and frayed, rose covered table cloth on the floor in our family room and eat dinner while we watched baseball on tv. My mom has always been a huge baseball fan. As I got older I spent summer afternoons and evenings watching my brothers play little league. In highschool I watched friends and "boyfriends" play. Then when I met John I made the switch over to softball. I must have inherited my mom's enthusiasm of the game itself. But I also just love sitting in the sunshine, chatting with friends and enjoying my role as a fan of America's favorite pasttime.

My addiction to ice cream probably also stems from spending every summer of my life in 110 degree summer heat - that and the fact that I am Mormon. Since everything else is prohibited by the word of wisdom Mormons as a whole consume more ice cream than your average person, especially when you factor in family home evening. Regardless of the reason, I LOVE ICE CREAM. There is nothing better on a hot summer day than a cool ice cream cone or even better, a Dairy Queen blizzard. Yum!

As for raspberries for breakfast, this one I credit to my Grammy. Grammy was my mom's mom. She had a beautiful house in Ogden, Ut with a huge yard including a stream and garden in back. I spent a week with Grammy and Grandpa Ken on my own one summer. Every morning of that week I had fresh raspberries for breakfast on the back deck with Grammy. We would sit, enjoy the view, watch the hummingbirds, and revel in the bounty of Grandpa Ken's yummy raspberries. Man, I miss Grammy!

The summer evening walks and bike rides have been a more recent tradition. They are a result of John and I trying to get into shape and haul the kids around with us in the process. It just always seems so peaceful at that time of day.

What I most love about summer is that feeling of absolute freedom. School is out. The addictive tv shows are all reruns. Vacations are just around the corner. It feels like the world is open and ready to be explored. Here I go!