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| My mom and I last year on our annual summer trip Reddish Knob |
Can you feel that? It's SUMMER! Summer is my favorite season (as I've reiterated time and time again), it makes me feel so happy and inspired and simply my best. I wanted to dedicate a whole post to my favorite things about summer, specifically growing up in the Shenandoah Valley, which is the best place to spend summertime (as long as you can get away to the beach for at least a week too 😉).
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| Nags Head mile ~18.5 featuring the Nags Head Fishing Pier |
1. Visiting little farmers markets for fresh, local produce
2. Watching the corn grow
3. Trips to Reddish Knob
4. The pattern of the water reflecting on the bottom of the pool
5. Listening to summer playlists
6. Eating dinner outside
7. Eating fresh herbs I grew myself
8. Wearing all my favorite sundresses
9. Watching The Parent Trap, The Sandlot, and Aquamarine
10. The first smell of salt air when you arrive to the beach
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| Picking zinnias |
11. Smelling honeysuckle on a walk
12. Seeing my first firefly of the season
13. Fresh Mennonite mint iced tea
14. A perfect beach day
15. Feeling inspired
16. Walking downtown to dinner with my best friends
17. Making my favorite Summer cocktails (like a sea breeze!)
18. Late sunsets, and SUNSETS in general
19. The smell of charcoal grills
20. Sitting on the deck reading a good summer book with Roxy
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| The view to the east from Reddish Knob at sunset |
21. Drive-in movies at Hull's
22. Temperatures in the 80’s
23. Hearing the cork of a cold bottle of prosecco pop before enjoying it on the deck with my mom
24. Wearing summery perfume and burning summery candles
25.Spotting new growth on a plant
26. Having the windows open
27. Driving through the country and seeing everyone's beautiful gardens
28. Walking out of the freezing cold AC in a building into the hot sun
29. Rainbows after evening thunderstorms
30. Orange summer nail polish
31. Trips to the county fair and helping my mom enter flowers
32. A juicy tomato sandwich, good corn, the perfect watermelon
33. The smell of cow manure on the fields (yes, seriously!)
34. Picking blueberries at Ratliff's
35. The smell of sunscreen
36. Tomato sandwiches
Doesn't that all just make you happy? Ahhh...
I hope you had a great holiday weekend! I technically did not have Monday off, but I took a vacation day to give myself a long weekend and it was wonderful, I had so much fun! On Friday, I worked and then got my nails done and made my FAVORITE Ina Garten recipe - orzo with roasted vegetables! IN the evening, Kenny and I went to see No Hard Feelings which was pretty funny, but I'd wait til it's available to stream rather than spending $30+ on tickets to see it at the theater. After the movie we got Crumbl cookies - I was especially excited to try the wedding cake flavor!
On Saturday, we Kenny and I had a day date in Charlottesville and got an early dinner at our favorite restaurant so that we could come home in time to meet my parents at their house and watch the local fireworks! After that, we all watched The Sandlot which is such a classic summer movie!
On Sunday, Kenny and I slept in and then we did a couple of hikes in the Shenandoah National Park - Rose River Falls, and Pocosin Mission Trail. The falls were really pretty, and the Pocosin Mission hike was CREEPY!! It ends at an abandoned house and church from the very early 1900's when people still lived on the land that makes up the SNP, and there was NO ONE ELSE on this trail - I felt like we were going to get murdered haha. I still really enjoyed it though, and I definitely want to bring my parents back to that one because I know they'll love it. Sunday evening, Kenny and I watched American Pie which I had never seen! I love all of those early 2000's comedies, and of course I loved seeing Jennifer Coolidge. 😂
On Monday, Kenny worked and then went out of town for a concert. I was heading to meet up with my mom around 1:00 when I found a dog that was clearly lost running along the side of the road - he had a collar on but it didn't have a tag, and he was limping so I knew he needed help. I called my mom and we brought him to the SPCA so that his owners can hopefully come get him - he was such a sweet little guy, he had clearly been lost for a while now because he was skinny and covered in ticks, I felt so bad for him!! After that adventure, my mom and I headed to one of our favorite farm markets and got a wine flight and some snacks to enjoy on their porch, which was absolutely lovely. Then we stopped by a farmers market to get some watermelon, corn, and tomatoes (I LOOOVE summer produce!!) We headed back to my parents' house and hung around there for the rest of the evening, and we ended up playing a round of Set and ordering some pizza. Once the pizza came, we watched The Parent Trap which is my favorite movie ever! I swear it gets better every time I watch it - it makes me emotional!
Yesterday, I had a relaxing day and then Kenny and I went to his mom's house for dinner because her sister (who I'd never met) is in town. Kenny's sister and her husband and our niece came too and we had a nice time! After dinner, Kenny and I went on a little walk through downtown Staunton, but they didn't have much going on which surprised me since it was a holiday! After that, we went home and our neighbors to the front and back of us were both doing awesome fireworks, so Kenny and I ran back and forth watching them for the rest of the night, which was so much fun.
xoxx, Laura
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