I'm not ready for summer to end just yet...

Happy Monday, good people!  

I took Friday off from blogging as we were celebrating Urban Dude's birthday!  The weather totally cooperated and I am glad for that.  He had a good time celebrating his birthday; we hosted friends old and new.  But as I look around at the remains of the celebrating that still need to be cleaned up and put away, I'm glad that's OVER!!!  

He looked like he was having a good time, right????

But you know what I'm not ready to be over just yet?  Summer.  Hence the title of this post. I'm just not ready for it to end yet.  Even though I know it's coming because I registered both the Teen and Tween for school last week (I just can't make myself think about school supplies yet, even though school starts in about 2 1/2 weeks...).  

Now, I can do without these sweltering days (I'm more of a spring girl), but there are just some things I love about the summer.  Without further ado, here we go (did I tell y'all that I LOVE making lists????):

1)  Even though adults don't get summer vacation for the most part, I love the easy-breezy, laid back attitude of summer.  No one is really in a rush to do anything and people actually stop to smell the proverbial roses. (I actually do have roses in the yard though and they are blooming great!)

  

2)  I can really enjoy nature.  There's something about the forest preserves that enchant me. They've always been my favorite alone spot to go and think.  They've also become my favorite walking and riding spots (due to the abundance of trails).  Although I love to go year 'round, it's just something different about the summertime!  We are lucky here in Cook County that we have some beautiful forest preserves.  Here are some of my faves:

Yankee Woods in Tinley Park (walking and enjoying nature):  see info here

Vollmer Grove in Matteson (walking/biking):  see info here

Wampum Lake in Thornton/Lansing (enjoying the spectacular view):  see info here

and though not technically a forest preserve, Pine Lake in University Park (enjoying the wonderful view)  see info here  and here is a photo of the view:

3) Sundresses.  I wear a dress almost every day during the summer.  Why?  Just because I can!  And they are very versatile - you can dress them up or down!  And they are also very cost effective summer attire; I buy them from everywhere:  Walmart, Ross, Macy's, Dress Barn, Old Navy, TJ Maxx/Marshall's (some of the website links are on the side of this page).

4) BBQ (or grilling as the urban elite like to say).  Any meal that I can get help with cooking is alright with me; it's tough being a short order cook for most of the year.  In the summer I get to ease up some because of grilling.  Note:  our small grill fell apart during our prep for urban dude's birthday (the bottom fell out) , so I guess we'll have to send it to "grill heaven..."

5) Sitting in my yard, enjoying the view while sipping wine (gotta love it)!  This is the view from my deck:

                       

6) While sitting in the yard, listening to my next door neighbor's band practice (usually on Sunday evenings).  They're not half bad either!  They do smooth r&b, jazz and some blues. 

7) The outdoor Dairy Queen hut in Homewood.  Although there's a DQ store in Tinley, nothing says summer like waiting in line outside of the DQ!  And you can only do it then because they close in October until the second week of March!  If you live nearby and have never had the pleasure, get more info here.  (Disclaimer:  I believe that DQ blizzards can be enjoyed anytime of the year; I've been known to go to the inside store in the dead of winter for a mini blizzard.  And judging from this photo, I am not alone):

8) The mental break.  I don't know what it is about summer, but it's like your body and mind knows that it's summer and they refuse to think about anything heavy during that time. Summertime is for sipping lemonade (or ice cold water, which is my beverage of choice) and daydreaming a bit.  There's always time to get back to reality!

So what about you - what do you love about summer??? And are you ready for it to end?  

Holla @ Darvi!  Be blessed!!!