Thanks for coming back to me. I missed you so much. I know you were cheating on me with those girls on the other side of the globe. You know that I'm a fool for you and I have been just sitting here waiting for you to drive up in my driveway with all your popular friends and let me back in your clique. Your return has me remembering some of my past favorite things about you and I have some new things that I think all the gals you ditched for a year are going to like, too. We're gonna have a great time and then you'll get all distant around September and you'll dump me again. Let's not think about that right now. Let's just think about how we're back together again and make a list of why we love each other so.
1. Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Suntan Lotion
One of my very favorite smells in the world is coconutty suntan lotion. Since I can't slather on that SPF 2 oil stuff anymore unless I want people to look at me like I'm smoking Marlboro's, I had to find something with protection that still makes me happy enough to feel like I'm laying out on the roof of the Kappa Alpha Theta house at 2401 Pearl Street, Austin, Texas, 78705. This takes the suntan lotion experience up a notch by adding a little shimmer to my life. And what girl doesn't need an extra dose of shimmer? It's very subtle, so if subtle is not your thing and maybe you're looking for an Elton John vibe, you might want to just check out your local mall for a Claire's.
2. Vacation Bible School
Little people lifting their voices to Jesus. There is nothing better. In Joe's very first week at VBS as a 4 year old they sang " I am a Masterpiece created by God, made of His wonderful love, I am a masterpiece created by God, more beautiful than all of the stars above" and they made twinkly hand motions when they sang about the stars. I'm not sure I have ever seen anything more perfect than that.
3. The Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich from Panera
I get in little obsessive-compulsive routines with food sometimes when I want the same food or drink everyday for a long time. (In the case of Diet Coke, it's been about 20 years.) Last summer, I think I ate this sandwich 3-4 times a week. I'm pretty sure it might have veggies on it that I claim not to like, but there is some kind of condiment created by heaven on that bread that would probably enable me to eat a grass-from-my-backyard sandwich if I spread it on there.
4. A White Sundress
I always love a white sundress in the summer especially paired with a not-recommended-by-dermatologists tan and turquoise or silver jewelry. My life and white don't get along very well in the summer time though due to that rust colored baseball dirt, so I don't want to spend too much money, but enough that I don't end up buying something so cheap that everyone can check out my underwear size. This means the white dress must be lined which is tricky if you live in the humidity-laden DC area that I do because too thick of a lining makes one feel like she's wearing Saran Wrap under her dress. I bought this and it fits well and can be dressed up or down and is well lined. Hopefully, it won't turn into a leopard print dress by the 4th inning. Maybe I'll save it for when I'm not on a baseball field...10 years from now, give or take.
PS I'd love this one, this one, and this one, but then my husband would look at me like I was a nut, my boys and I would have to set up one or twelve lemonade stands every day this summer, and I'd have to find a life to jump into where I could find somewhere to wear it.
5. Fun Patio Party Drink
I was introduced to this bizarre concoction at a Baseball Mom's Party last summer when one of the gals brought it. It is so pretty you could put it in a punch bowl to serve at your grandma's bridge club, but please don't do that. Please. I've heard some highly inappropriate names for this drink, so I will just call it "Fun Patio Party Drink". This is what's in it: 1 can of frozen lemonade, 4 light beers, 1 cup of vodka. I know. Beer plus vodka has inappropriate written all over it, but if you float some sliced strawberries in there and put it in a pitcher, it is just lovely and really yummy. A PS here: The lovely and talented Mrs. C. apparently tried this using dark beer and said it didn't work well. Don't try to be all fancy pants about it. Just get cheap light beer.
6. Shorts
The sun might be setting on my shorts days, but if you were planning on telling me to "just say no" this summer, could you please hold off one more year because these were on sale for 40% off at the J.Crew outlet. So many cute colors and patterns.
7. Sandals
Flat sandals are hard for me because I have a high arch and running has given me this weird thing that flares up called plantar fasciitis which is a fancy way to say my feet hurt if I don't have good arch support for a long period of time. I use these in my running shoes by the way. They are awesome. In any case, in order to not perpetuate the idea that Washington DC area women don't know how to dress, I try to avoid wearing my running shoes with sundresses. I don't have a job to get to on the subway or a job to get to at all, so I can't use that excuse. A few years ago I told my friend Mrs. R. to never, ever allow me to buy shoes that come tied together with a stretchy-bandy-stringy thing again, even if the price was crazy-good enough to offset how much they would hurt my feet and the fact that they would probably fall apart after the season. Well, I fell off the wagon and Mrs. R. wasn't there to make me return these that I bought from Target in pewter. They hurt, but they are so cute. You just gotta snip off that string and sit down a lot.
8. Also in no particular order: Pool, books, sleeping late, boys who can make their own breakfast, daytime movies, a sister-in-law who is off in the summer and doesn't mind taking kids to daytime movies (for example those annoying chipmunks), later bedtimes, farmer's market tomatoes and salsa, miniature golf and one of my favorite of God's creations: that big, hot, shiny SUN.
Oh and this: 1,2,3...SUMMER!!!
1 comment:
You know Summer Jacqui LOVES this one!
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