Getting In The Summer Mood

Summer has begun.  It’s always official in my mind once I’ve made my first trip to the beach. 

I usually have a hard time getting into the summer mood.  There’s a guilt that I feel for not working full-time in the summer and having time off.  I always feel like I have to clean, organize and complete projects to justify my time off.  This year I have one main project, but it will go on through the span of the summer.  I have decided to print some of our digital photos from special occasions and place them in photo albums…old school style!  I feel as if digital photos never get printed and then the memories get lost.  People always look as real photos, so graduations, proms, trips abroad, etc. are getting printed, sorted and placed in photo books this summer!

This year I have decided to try my hardest to be a little more laid back about summer and to take it easy.  I am trying to enjoy every moment of my well-deserved summer off.  What I love most about summer is that the sun shines most days and I don’t need to wear boots and a coat.  This sort of weather makes me smile.  I love not having to wake up at 5 am each morning to go to work (even though Nera the cat has not figured that out yet).  I love that I sway away from my routine of ironing my clothes every night during the summer; I giggle every day as I pick out my clothes and just shake them out!  I love that the days are long and my carpooling is less in the summertime. 

I love that I have the opportunity to catch-up with friends during the summer.

I love that I am not a slave to the clock during the summer; we eat, we sleep and we play when we want. I don't pack lunches during the summer and don't stress out about dinners being cooked. I love that my load becomes a little lighter, which allows for my mood to be a little lighter too.

This year, my college girl has come back to me for the summer.  I’m not sure if she came home to see me or to just be back with her beloved circus family that she missed so much while she was away.  She is working at the Actors Gym and taking an intensive class there too, so much of her day is spent at the gym.  Gym or no gym, I still love having her in the house again.  It is my understanding that the time will soon come when she will not be coming home for the summer, so we will enjoy the visit while we can.

My newly “middle-school graduate” is attending summer school at the big high school and is figuring out her newly found “high school girl” freedom that comes with this summer.  I am learning not to text and call every half hour and to trust that she and her great friends are having some good, clean, safe fun while away from the houseJ

We have already had a few adventures this summer.  We treated Eric to the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show that was in town.  Gabby even took on a dare and jumped out of the car and juggled to some Michael Jackson music for a small crowd while we were stuck in parking lot traffic. 

Sinobia and I brought a friend to spend the day with us at the Pride Parade last Sunday.  We were front and center in the midst of all the action.  Sinobia and her friend scored bags full of Pride Parade swag.  I scored a sun-burn on my shoulders and back. 

With summer school, summer camp and summer jobs in full swing, whether I am ready or not, summer has begun.  So, let the summer festivities begin!  I think I'm finally ready….