The Fourth of July holiday weekend has me thinking - what does summer mean to you? It's a hard question for me. Actually... its super easy. The hard part is narrowing it down & putting it into words because summer evokes so much feeling for me! The smell of coconut - time with family - cookouts & refreshing cocktails - sun kissed hair & skin - sand between your toes - good times & tan lines - ocean air & salty hair. The list can go on & on.

I know I'm aging myself but I grew up in the days when there were no video games, iPads, or netflix to amuse you when you were bored. At least we had a pool & I quickly learned to love the sun & water. We would spend our entire days outside. We weren't as fancy as we are now. We didn't have air conditioning - we were tough mountain people! I remember us having snacks outside & my parents having happy hour on the deck & being so tired we would go straight from the pool to our beds.

I'm a summer baby & have always thought July was the very best birthday month. My summer birthday falls on July 24th & was always a reason to celebrate. But it often also got me kinda nervous - it always seemed like my birthday would end, I would blink my eyes & summer would be over & I'd be back in school. There would be less & less daylight, the relaxed vibe of summer would slowly dissipate into the craziness of back to school & the flip flops & bathing suits would have to go bye bye for a while.

These feelings have followed me into adulthood. There have been summers in my life for various reasons that my feet haven't touched the sand & it was awful. Oh the horror. I know - I sound like a spoiled bitch. But the shore & summer lifestyle does my soul good. Luckily I work in an industry that slows down a bit in the summer - hmmmm - coincidence or not? I can get away with working only four days a week & more fully immerse myself into the summer lifestyle.

I know I'm going to fully embrace this summer - spend as much time as I can living the summer lifestyle. How about you?!

I'll leave you with some of the little treats we made for our Fourth of July weekend. You know we couldn't get through the holiday weekend without a little alcohol - why not make it patriotic?! We couldn't resist.

Whether you're a summer person or not - hope the next few months are great ones for you all!

Cheers - Hal