Is This Your Best Summer?

Summer’s warm arms have opened wide and I plan on running with abandon, straight into them. Summer days are what we dream of all winter and summer nights were created for delight. My mission today is to reignite your passion for summer fun. I am determined to take you back a few years, back to the days when summer meant the ultimate freedom – freedom from school, freedom from the grind, and freedom from shoes. As children, summer meant possibilities, enchantment and timelessness. Turn back the clock. Remember what it felt like to swim all day and play outside all night with these summertime reminders.

Roast Something

Hotdogs and marshmallows are easy to skewer and place over a fire, but have you ever roasted a Starburst? As long as you don’t burn them, the outside remains the same, but the insides are pure gooey, yumminess. Eat with caution as they are akin to hot melting plastic. It’s magical to roast them over a candle inside your tent or fort. Just take proper fire safety precautions.

Join the Night

Pitch a tent for your kids and their friends, then roll out your sleeping bag and join them. I’m a sucker for air conditioning and my own mattress, so I understand the draw of a comfortable bed. It’s always easier to stay indoors. With all the technology available to us today, we tend to stay indoors when we should be outside. Our children and teens need to experience the true joys of summer such as camping outside with friends or family. Turn the gadgets off and fill the night air with sounds of kids truly having fun. Be sure to join the fun.

Pass Go and Collect $200

When was the last time you played Monopoly? At least once this summer, pull it out and dust it off. Summer is a perfect time for the never-ending Monopoly game. When I was a kid, the game could last for days. Turn off the latest phone game your child is obsessing over and grab a thimble, or a race car and buy some houses and hotels. It will be a wonderful time to reconnect with those you love. While you’re at it, rediscover Stratego, Life, Clue or dare to sink your child’s Battleship. Make this the summer of retro games.

Find Summer Love

What is it about summer that makes you fall in love? As a young girl, I dreamt of summer love. I’m not so young anymore and I think summer love still sounds like an excellent idea. Let summer ignite a spark in your love life. After 35 years of marriage I think my husband and I would benefit from some summer romance. A moonlit night or a star filled sky are perfect canopies for a stroll hand-in-hand. A porch swing is the perfect place to cuddle and sneak a kiss. A cold glass of sweet tea is all you need to swing for  hours together. A nap together on the hammock is restful and snuggly, and find the nearest drive-in for a summer evening of movie watching and necking. Summer love is not just for the young, it’s for everyone.

Throw Them Outside

I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. The temperatures in summer never failed to rise above 100 degrees. I recall the dumbest contest ever – who could sit on the pavement the longest. Our fannies were frying. I’m not sure the winner was really a winner. My husband talks about his childhood in the humid summers of Houston, Texas. They were brutal. When we were first married, we lived for a time in Houston. I remember mowing the lawn. With each pass by the above ground pool I would dunk in my head. I’m not suggesting sitting on the burning pavement or sweating in the sauna south, but it is time to get outside. It’s time to spend time in the garden. It’s time to dive in the pool. It’s time to sip tea on a swing or read a book in the shade. Our kids need to ride their bikes, play tag and catch some fireflies. Throw everyone outside, including yourself. The pleasures of summer are outside. Go find them.

The movie, The Sandlot, is about boys, summer and baseball. Everyday the boys ran out the door and headed to the sandlot. When it got too hot, it was off to the pool. Baseball and being together was their only focus.

I’ve been yearning for the nostalgic days of summer. I’ve been wishing for my own sandlot. Time is speeding by too fast and our summer days seem hardly different than our winter days when we live indoors and allow our lives to be dominated by technology.

Think back to your childhood. What did you love about summer. Pick your favorite memory and relive it.

“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

Photos by Anna Spence

 

Treat yourself this summer to 75 Seasonal Pleasures – Summer. 

https://www.debbiespence.com/product/75-seasonal-pleasures-summer/

Get daily inspiration and encouragement to enjoy an unhurried life. Join our Facebook group The Breezy Porch HERE.  

Enjoy your FREE, Yes, FREE eBook, 24 Everyday Simple Pleasures HERE.

HURRY, HURRY, HURRY!! ENTER, ENTER, ENTER!!  There is still time to enter our contest!!

Glamping Experience!

The winner of this contest will enjoy one night in a comfortable canvas tent and queen size bed perched near the creek listening to the sounds of the water babbling over the rocks and the frogs singing you to sleep.

You will enjoy a scrumptious dinner prepared for you at your own dining area in your hidden treasure. Your campsite will be private and relaxing hidden in the trees, but within sight of our home, so no need to fear the wilderness. A campfire will be made for you to enjoy and breakfast will be brought to your camp in the morning. (We will also work with any dietary restrictions.)

The winner will be able to choose one Friday or Saturday evening from 3 available dates. Check-in time is 3:00 and check-out time is noon. Showering facilities are not available. A camp commode in a separate tent will be your facilities. This prize is for 2 people. You can bring your husband, sister or friend. The date of your glamping experience will be arranged with the winner to best fit your schedule.

If the winner is from out of town, we will assist with travel ideas. The nearest airport is Indianapolis International Airport.

The contest runs from Tuesday May 22 through Thursday June 28, 2018 at 11:00 P.M EST. The winner will be announced on the Breezy Porch Blog, Tuesday July 3.

TO ENTER

To enter, send the emails of 25 friends who would enjoy subscribing to The Breezy Porch. Please be sure that the emails you send are valid and that your friends will enjoy joining us on The Breezy Porch.  You may enter as many times as you want with each set of 25 emails.

SEND TO – debbiespence5@gmail.com

This contest is only valid if there are at least ten (10) entries.