Friday, September 2, 2011

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime When All the World is Green

If you know anything about my dear friend Valerie it is that she loves summer.  Like, love-loves it.  When you read her blog (and you should) you will find yourself saying, "You know, summer isn't really the sweat inducing season of Satan's Fiery Breath that I've always thought it was.  It's quite nice.  Let's go have a popsicle."  She wrote an ode to summer recently that made me nostalgic for it - even though it was 95 degrees today, and we still have a good two months worth of warm weather ahead of us round these parts. 

This summer has been lovely.  Despite some rather annoying business (which I didn't write about because, well, I just didn't.  I was busy eating Otter Pops.)  It has been filled with adventure and shaved ice.  A lot of shaved ice.  Just tonight I went in and got a free shaved ice because I filled up a punch card.  Not my first punch card.  Probably my 4th.  I'm not ashamed of my love for shaved ice, people.

In my nostalgia I have compiled a list of Glorious Summertime Moments in no particular order because they were all supreme:

1.)  Filling my first punch card at the shaved ice place (OKAY! So I'm addicted.  If you come and visit me I'll take you there and then you can stop being so judgy.)

2.)  Walking through Union Station with my luggage about to board a train.

3.)  That first night of beach camping, after our tents were set up and we strolled down to the beach. Suddenly it was like every summer of my youth.



4.)  Getting on the jumbo-tron for the second time that night at the Dodger game.


5.)  The point during my birthday party when I looked around and said, "I have really lovely friends," and several people said, "I know."

6.)  The architecture river cruise where it was 10 degrees cooler than the rest of Chicago (Fact:  It was named the Windy City because in the summer it actually is Satan's Fiery Breath blowing down on you.)

7.)  Watching my nephews eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the beach


8.)  Les Miserables with my sisters, all dolled up and sitting in the box seats (as the Queen does), eating contraband peanut M&Ms.

9.)  My cactus blooming not once but three times.



10.)  West Side Story under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl


11.)  The dance party at girls camp

12.)  Singing "Living on a Prayer" at the Music Center sing-along


Oh, it's been good.

What was your favorite part of the summer?

5 comments:

Alicia said...

Oh, those things all sound wonderful. Wasn't Les Mis great? Box seats are now the only way I'll watch musicals (probably not true, though I wish it were). West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl!? Awesome!

P.S. Now I want a robin's egg blue suitcase.

Andrea said...

I'm glad you've had a wonderful summer. I'd have to say that it's been the yuckiest summer in AZ since I've lived here. There's been too many haboobs and hardly any monsoons and it's been 115+ for the last 2 weeks. Yuck. I'll just have to live vicariously through you.

Camille said...

Dang we really had an amazing summer, even though I have yet to try the shaved ice. Thanks for the reminder of all the fun stuff we did though. PS I need that picture of Ben and Tom. It kills me.

Stephanie said...

The Popsicles have been the only things that have kept me sane this summer. That and the break from the sun we got when we went to California. I don't mind "summer" so much as I mind the mind-blowing heat we've had in Phoenix this summer. Add that to the fact that I'm pregnant and not wanting to move all that much, my summer has consisted of me watching a lot of TLC and sweating a lot. That was in between swimming (which is really just sitting in hot water trying to convince yourself that 100 degree water is cooler than 120 degree air) and slurpees. Yep - Popscicles made my summer bearable.

Rach said...

I think my favorite part of the summer was when the sun finally came out after the longest winter ever. And the other part was seeing you at Disneyland, of course. A whole week of beautiful California weather while storms raged at home, topped off by a visit with you. It just doesn't get better than that.