You know, I’m trying really hard for it to feel like summer but so far, it just feels like any old time of the year. The weather this week has been really cool and cloudy and although I like it, it just doesn’t put me in a summery mood.

To remind myself of all the good things that this time of the year brings, I’m making a list of some of the things that instantly put me in a good mood.

1. Picnics at the beach!
2. Concerts in the Park. Starts this weekend for us!
3. Summer reading! SO many good books out there.
4. Salads for dinner. No hot kitchen to deal with.
5. Popsicles!! I am partial to Big Sticks (cherry/pineapple). Yum!
6. Grilling my grub! Corn, steak, burgers, you name it.
7. Lemon & Sage Body Butter by Bliss. I could eat the stuff.
8. Fizzy/Fruity drinks or even better, Mint Juleps!
9. The smell of the sea and the sound of crashing waves.
10. Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen. Happiness in a bottle.
11. Watermelon. Super sweet and seedless.
12. Fresh, cool morning air before the heat hits.
13. Road trips!
14. Entering a cool museum to escape the heat.
15. Or… a cool movie theater.
16. Stopping at the fruit stand after visiting Santa Barbara.
17. Lazy evenings spent with a good book.
18. My coconut hair cream. Smells like a mix of surf and sand.
19. Sitting in the shade, listening to the sounds around me.
20. Watching the Otter Pup nap in her favorite sunny spot.
21. A perfectly ripe tomato right off the vine.
22. The smell of fresh cut grass. No grass this year (drought).
23. Warm summer evenings, right before the sun goes down.
24. Strappy sandals and brightly colored toes.
25. Bright blue skies.

I didn’t even mention NO homework but it’s right up there with the best stuff. What would you add to this list?