My Favorite Summertime Activities

Summa, summa, summa time! ☀️

Isn’t it beautiful!?  There is nothing quite like the summer.  Long days, warm weather and lots of sunshine!!!  Welcome to my favorites summer time series!  You are going to get my favorite summertime activities, vacations, recipes and date ideas! Let’s kick off the summer and this series with the things I love to do in the summer!

1. Vacation!  Okay, vacation is amazing any time of year, but truly there is something amazing about a summer time vacation!  Get outside, slow down a little, enjoy long days or whatever the heck you want to do.  My next blog post will highlight my favorite vacation spots.
2. Hiking.  I love to hike.  It’s funny because growing up my family and I always vacationed in New Hampshire and we did a lot of hiking.  However, I complained about it A LOT!  Now fast forward a bunch of years and here I am saying it’s one of my favorite things to do.  If you have never hiked before make sure you do your research before you head out.  You do want to make sure you know the terrain you will be hiking, how long it will take you to complete and you want to be fully prepared with how you are dressed and with food and water.  Lots to think about before you hit the trail but once you are out there just enjoying the peace that only nature can offer - it’s totally worth it. 
3. Planting my garden. One of the greatest joys in life is growing my own food!  It takes a lot of prep and work but it is so rewarding.  Plus it gets me more outside time.  And you will never taste better veggies than when they are fresh out of your garden!  When I first started (besides when I lived at home with my parents), I was living in an apartment and grew tomatoes and cucumbers in a huge plastic container!  So even with limited space and/or time you can do a little something.
4. Early morning runs.  Before the sun really comes up and starts beating down, sneaking in a run is the best.  Before the humidity becomes unbearable - beat the heat and get out there early!  Not to mention morning sun has amazing benefits for your mental and physical health! 
5. Eating meals on the porch.  This is the best.  Sitting on the porch first thing in the morning or for lunch on the weekends and dinner in the evenings.  I mean any meal goes.  It is soooo fun to just be outside and look at the pretty birds and flowers.  When you sit still long enough you will often see a hummingbird fly up to check out the hanging plants!  
6. Reading a book.  Is there anything like just sitting outside and reading a book? Any book will do, but in particular a good fiction book that you can just get lost in while the sun sets.  It’s a great way to spend the summer!
7. Watching the chickens.  Okay, don’t laugh at me!  The chickens are SO entertaining.  They peck at each other, fight over nesting boxes when there are others wide open, they jump on each other and run up to you when you have the treats.  They are just hilarious to watch.  
8. Chill lake side.  I know some people are big into the beach, but that's not really me.  I like the beach enough to go once or twice but I really love to go to a lake.  Something about a lake.  You can kayak or canoe, you can swim and you can just lay lake side reading a book and soaking up the rays. 
9. Visiting with friends.  The summer seems to be the busiest time of the year and often that is because there are so many plans to meet up with friends.  There are races to run, pool parties to go to, birthdays, and fourth of July celebrations.  There are always places to be and people to see in the summer!  And the connections we have with people is what makes our life so full, so make time for friends! 
10. Camping.  I love to camp!  Something about being in nature, sleeping outside, cooking over the fire, walking through the campground.  Kids are running around playing and riding bikes.  Adults are day drinking.  Dogs are barking.  And the occasional bear wanders through and tries to steal your pancakes.  

To summarize, during the summer I spend as much time outside as possible.  I barely even see my living room during the summer months.  The best thing on earth is just being in nature and soaking up all the sun.  In the evenings, having a fire outside and just chillin’ till it’s time to go to bed.  There is nothing quite like summer.

It will go by SO fast and in many ways, I won’t be ready for it to be over.  In other ways I will be grateful since it is the busiest time of the year, trying to pack in all the things I love to do into just a few months!  If you are like me and just love staying busy during the summer, ENJOY every moment of it and know that I will be too! <3