I LOVE SUMMER!!

Our Creative Life is having an I Love Summer Party! I thought I would join in and share everything that I love about summer, too. I hope your eyes are well rested; you are about to take a long pictorial journey through a whole bunch of summer goodness! Ready? Set. Go!!

I LOVE Patriotic Decorations!!
From Memorial Day to Flag Day to 4th of July... Summer is appropriately decorated with red, white and blue!

I LOVE Summer Fruit!!

I can't get enough watermelon, strawberries and cherries!
And summer berries makes for some delicious berry pies!
I LOVE Berry Pies!
And while we are on the topic of food... does it get any better than BBQ??
I LOVE BBQ with All the Fixins!

And you what better way to wash it down than with some delicious homemade lemonade and ice cold sweet tea??
I LOVE Summer Drinks!
And maybe, just maybe we are lucky enough to go on a picnic!
I LOVE Picnics!!
And a picnic where you can grill up a hot dog? Perfect!
I am so in love with this Cath Kidston picnic basket, too!!

You can't have a picnic without some fun outdoor games!
I LOVE outdoor fun!
Frisbee and kite are also Cath Kidston.
And if you get tired of playing Frisbee... take your bicycle for a spin!
I LOVE cruising around on my beach cruiser!

While you are strolling along, don't forget to take time to smell the flowers!
I LOVE Hydrangeas!
Hydrangeas are the classic summer flowers to me.
Lets head to the beach! There is no other single place that says "summer" to me.
I LOVE the beach!
Growing up in California, this is the one place you spent a good amount of time at during your summers... I love the smell of tanning oil (but of course I am wearing SPF 5000 now that I am older and wiser ;) ). Nothing beats reading a good book, sitting under the umbrella, smelling the ocean air to the sound of waves crashing. Ahhhh... RELAXING. And you are really missing out if you leave before the sun goes down!... Bust out the smores! Who doesn't love a bonfire on the sand??
You can't go to the beach without a cute bathing suit!
I LOVE cute swimwear!
I've been eying these retro suits...

All of this talk about the beach is making me crave a vacation! And summertime is the perfect time for that!

I LOVE going on vacation!!
And who doesn't love to travel in style?? I am in LOVE with these Cath Kidston luggage pieces!!
I LOVE cute Luggage!
And while I'm losing my marbles for Cath Kidston... might as well show you all the cute summer handbags that she has!! Click to enlarge photo...to see all of the bags.
I LOVE Cath Kidston!!
One thing that I lose my marbles about summer is wearing cute sun dresses!
I particularly love gingham prints...and florals and polka dots!
I LOVE Summer Dresses!
But my favorite is wearing your cowgirl boots with your dress!
I LOVE Dresses and Cowgirl Boots!!
(And I love Taylor Swift, too...How cute is she??)
Another "footwear" that is undeniably "summer" are flip flops!
I LOVE flip flops!

Ok, last Cath Kidston item, I promise. haha But seriously, how cute is this tent? It has a western print on it! I've only been a few times but...
I LOVE Camping!
Especially in this cute tent!
While you are spending the night in the great outdoors... don't forget to make friends with the fireflies; they put on a spectacular show! I've only seen them once in my life (and I felt that I could die happy, haha)...but I would do anything to catch one in a mason jar!
I LOVE fireflies!!

Don't forget to appreciate the other "lights" in the sky! Summer always reminds me of watching the meteor shower in August. We used to sit out by the pool every year and watch a show of astronomical proportions. (pun cheesily intended). If you need a reminder of the magnificence of God, look up at the night sky during summer.
I LOVE the starry night sky!
And summer isn't complete without a good ol' fashioned, adventure-filled roadtrip!
I LOVE Road Trips!
Along the way, hopefully you will find a fair or carnival to attend! Something about the lights and smells of funnel cakes and fried everything... on a warm night.. just feels like summer.
I LOVE Fairs!
And even better than the fair... Disneyland.
I have many fond memories at Downtown Disney on warm summer nights...

Or another fun summer outing... Baseball!
I LOVE the Angels!!
There is something about a warm summer night... that makes you choose a restaurant depending on whether they have outdoor seating or not!
My favorite part of dining out during summer... is eating on the patio!
I LOVE dining on the patio!
Even though summer creates an exciting atmosphere...and provides so many activities to do... sometimes it is nice to just do nothing at all.
I LOVE Lazy Summer Days!
...just relaxing floating in the pool... or tubing down the river...or riding a ginormous swan. haha (Hey, who am I to judge? ;) )
I LOVE Floating!
Sometimes the only thing that will cool you off is a good popsicle or ice cream! Big stick, anyone? Show me a person who says they don't like Thrifty's ice cream...and I'll show you a person who isn't telling the whole truth. ;)
I LOVE Ice Cream!

And sometimes mother nature helps us out and cools us off with a summer storm. I love to watch a summer storm...I don't mind the rain at all when it is warm outside! And a good thunderstorm is exciting. (Just as long as no one gets hurt or nothing is damaged, of course) I think I used to appreciate summer storms a lot more in California. Now that I live in Texas, I am terrified of tornadoes... I'm always asking my husband (who is from Arkansas) during a storm... is this what the sky looks like before a tornado?? I always said that I would NEVER move to tornado alley without having a house with a basement... or one of those outside "batten down the hatches" things in the Wizard of Oz. And here I am. In Texas. With a bathtub. ;)
Nevertheless, as long as tornadoes are not spawn...
I LOVE Summer Storms!
I took the picture of that water tower in Gruene, Tx... with a summer storm rolling in. Torrential downpour and lightning/thunder lasted for 30 minutes... and then it cleared up again. What crazy, unpredictable weather we have in Texas!
And, best of all, some of the greatest joys of summer are the simple pleasures... listening to the sound of wind chimes blow in the summer breeze... seeing the wings spin on the flamingo yard stakes... or "accidentally" getting too close to the sprinklers and deciding not to get out of the way... remembering all of the times you would run through the sprinklers as a kid. Something as simple as being sprayed with water to cool you down on a hot day...never even leaving your own backyard... makes the best summer memories.
I LOVE Summer Simplicities!

I hope y'all enjoyed my tour of summer... and my favorite things! Welcome to the "unofficial" start of summer! And don't forget to get your rootbeer float at Sonic tonight (June 3rd, 8pm-midnight)!! They are giving them away FREE...talk about a good summer treat!

For more summer fun, check out all of the other I Love Summer Party participants at Our Creative Life!