Summertime.

10 things I am excited for this summer:

1...I am extremely excited for my garden. I got a sunburn on Monday from working on it all afternoon! There is a website I discovered called smartgardener.com that plans your whole garden for you. It tells you each and every step of the way what you need to do to make your garden the best. It even knows where you live. I cannot wait for the satisfaction of growing my very own food. We will have fresh eggs and garden delights daily! I sure hope that the largest apricot tree ever, AKA the one living in my backyard, gets apricots this year. I was so depressed last summer when I received none. Chase even gifted me a food dehydrator this past Christmas so I could make candies. I wish I wish!

2...The lake. Any lake will do. I live in the water in the summertimes and I can't wait to take our jet ski and the dogs and just go. The water is warm and the sun makes me snoozy.

3...Riding my bike. I love my blue bike, and even though it is hard to ride everywhere because Cedar City is the city of subtle hills, I can't wait. It's fun and exercise at the same time. I can ride it to work, because I live close to it, and I even bought a basket last summer for groceries. The basket detaches and goes in the store with me. It's quite freeing to not need a car.

4...Building a swing bed. I found it online and I am determined to do it. Look how amazing this looks.

Of course, not so elaborate. I think I will use a shipping palate and a thinner mattress. I will hang it from my giant apricot tree and take naps and read books and let the sun make me sleepy and warm. Sigh.

5...Making popsicles and ice cream and summer treats. We used to do this when I was a kid and I loved it. So much summertime.

6...Hiking in the local waterfalls. I have never done this, even though I have lived here for years now, and I so badly want to do it this summer. Nothing sounds nicer than a cool waterfall mist while I hike barefoot over sun-baked stones with warm sun on my face. That feels like free just thinking about it.

7...Roadtripping to Oregon with my family. We travel to a ranch in Oregon every year for the 4th of July. It is a huge farm that we can camp and play at. There is a lake and a zipline, and I get to spend a lot of time with my family and my husband, just doing nothing. It is a 14-hour drive but it is worth it! The food is amazing and the games even more so. And then we sit around the campfire and bullshit. I love stories.

8...Disneyland. This won't be until the end of the summer, and maybe even September, but I cannot wait. We have never been with TJ and Wendy and we want to go so badly. They love it as much as we do and so I know it will be amazing! Maybe for our anniversary. Joint anniversaries.

9...The smell of cut grass. Blossoming flowers. Lua chasing bugs in the lawn.

10...Our one and only newlywed summer. I want to make it memorable.