I don’t know about you all, but this warm weather we’ve been graced with this past week has had me in a summer mood. From the looks of campus, I’m not the only one. People have been walking around frequently, sitting under trees, laying out in the quad and oval, taking advantage of the beautiful weather! It’s been nice to wear shorts and t-shirts, if I do say so myself. As I’ve been in this summer mood, I’ve been thinking about all the things I love about the season of warmth and sun. Here’s my list of the 19 Coolest Parts about Summer!
1. Summer Mornings!
In the summer, you can pretty much figure out how the weather will be just by walking outside. The weather doesn’t play mind games. If it’s going to storm, there are dark clouds over your head or in the distance as a warning of what is to come.
2. Summer Jobs!
OK, so it’s not one of the brightest parts, but having some spending money is great, and the key word before “Job” is “SUMMER”. It won’t last forever, and if it’s not the job for you, you know not to do it again next year!
3. Sleep In!
If you don’t work, or on mornings that you don’t have to work, there’s the glorious feeling of sleeping in without the worry of missing a class or meeting!
4. Late Night Adventures!
Summer nights may be even cooler than summer mornings. What’s your favorite part of summer evenings? Hanging out with friends, taking walks, going on Wal-Mart or Sheetz runs, or visiting 24 hour diners?
5. Road Trips!
Do I even need to go into detail here? Road Trips are self-explanatory, really!
6. No Homework!
If I were ranking my favorite parts of summer, this probably would be number one. All of these things about summer are awesome, but I don’t find them quite so awesome with the idea of homework looming over my head. That is the opposite of summer. Don’t you agree?
7. Movies!
Some places have drive-in movies, and while I’ve never been to a drive in movie, I think that would be so much fun to do with friends on a summer night with the windows rolled down and yummy snacks!
[Note: some movie theaters do a sort of throwback day each week where they show older movies at a reduced rate. At Cinemark in Bridgeport, they used to do $1 kids movies once or twice a week during the summer. Check with your local theatre and see if they’re doing a similar program! Also, some towns show movies outside or by the pool, like Bridgeport. On their parks and recreation calendars, they show when they have these special movie events.]
8. Camp!
Whether you work a camp or find a camp to attend, camp is a really cool part of summer. Spending a week with friends and making friends, shutting phones off and just enjoying time away from the busy life back home is the basis of some great summer memories!
I’m hoping to get to go back to church camp for a couple days this summer! All of my friends break out our guitars, music, and voices and have jam sessions in this outdoor stage area, and then we enjoy time worshipping together at night! During the day, we can go swimming or read or play paintball! Ah, summer! Find a camp near you and get involved!
9. Friends and Family!
Spending ten months away from family and friends is hard, especially if this is the first time you’ve done so. Summer is the time to come back together and catch up on what’s happened in everyone’s life in the past ten months. The sad part of this is doing it all again in August, but we won’t think about that right now.
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10. Vacation!
Ah, the beauty of getting away from where people can call you and tell you they need you to come to work “RIGHT NOW!” You can say, “Sorry, while you’re stuck in a building slaving away, I’m enjoying time off. Have a nice day! Bye!”
11. The Right to Bare Skin!
Much to the dismay of my nudist audience, this doesn’t mean going around nude. This means shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops! No more bundling up for the bleak winter! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the air is warm!
12. BONFIRES!
In my opinion, this is the coolest part of summer (and early fall) – sitting around a fire with friends. Something about bonfires brings out the me that wants to just sit and look at the world, talk about the serious things, and snuggle up close to the ones I love!
13. Food!
Summer calls for cold food to keep you chilled when it’s super hot outside! Ice cream, smoothies and popsicles. Then there are grilling parties with hamburgers and hot dogs and sandwiches and salad and s’mores and macaroni and cheese! What could be better? Let me answer that: watermelon!
14. Fireworks!
I freaking love fireworks. No one has any idea how much I love them. I will get on the internet and research all fireworks in my reachable area and do my best to attain every single one. I like the bigger, awesome shows, but I’ll take just about anything. The worst part of a fireworks show is the end! I could watch fireworks every night!
15. Festivals!
Where I’ll be working this summer, I’ll finally get to go to the Strawberry Festival! In Clarksburg, toward the end of the summer, they have the Blackberry Festival. Bridgeport has the Benedum Festival. What are your favorite festivals in your hometown? What about music festivals? Share in the comments section!
16. Music!
Speaking of music festivals, summer is the season of music festivals! They’re everywhere. You’ve got Creation, Vans Warped Tour and many more. Check out music festivals where your favorite artists will be! They most usually offer more attractions than just the music for those times in between your favorite artists! Summer also gives way to time for jam sessions late at night. I love jam sessions.
17. Amusement Parks!
Grab your season passes and go to King’s Island, Six Flags, Kennywood, Disney, wherever this summer! If you’re close and can afford it on the tight college budget, go! Many of these places have water rides with opportunities to cool off – a must for the summer season!
18. Read!
Finally, without the pressure to keep up with required readings, you can take a hit on that 250 book list that you’ve been building up on this year! Summer is a great time to read!
19. Shed Your Winter Hair!
So you grew your hair out as a layer of warmth for winter. Now that the warmth is coming, there’s an excuse to cut off those locks and enjoy a summer bob or shoulder length, layered cut (or, really, whatever works for you) to make the summer easier to bear!
What are your favorite part of Summer? Share with us in the comments section below!