Oh, I’m so thankful it’s Friday! It has been an interesting week.  Even though it was a short work-week, it’s been packed full.  Today the girls both have sleepovers – one here, one away – and SuperMan is working overtime, so the craziness continues.

I’m taking the afternoon off, though, so I plan to get in some quality scrapbooking and pool time for sure.

I am enjoying summertime so much this year… which is very different from years past. I used to think of summer as something to endure – endure the heat, endure the bugs, etc. Now, I’m relishing summer and all the unique things it has to offer.

I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite things about summer today ~ and maybe you can do the same in the comments?

So, here’s my

Five on Friday:
Summer Favorites

1. Fresh, sweet corn – cooked on the grill to enhance the sweetness – slathered in butter and sprinkled with salt.  I would eat this every single day in the summer if I could (and I usually do!)  It’s one of those things I find myself reminiscing about on the cold winter nights when we’re eating frozen (or canned, blech) vegetables because there is no fresh corn in sight.                                         
2. The sound of the tree frogs and crickets as they sing me to sleep at night.  This is the quintessential sound of summer to me.  The first time I hear the frogs, is when I know it is truly summer. Some nights, I leave my bedroom porch door open just a little so that I can hear the frogs in the pond outside our room as they sing to their lady friends.
3. All the fresh, local fruit you can eat – watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, nectarines, berries, plums, the list goes on and on. It’s a virtual smorgasbord for me. And since I’m not doing sugar these days, the sweetness of the fruit satisfies my sweet tooth in a healthy and acceptable way.
4. “Sleeping in” – or, more accurately, not having to get up in the dark to get going for the day. I love allowing my body to reset itself back to it’s natural sleep patterns… which, for me, means staying up a little later and sleeping a little later in the mornings. I relish waking up without the alarm clock and I’m dreading August 11th when the girls go back to school and we’re up before the sun again.
5. Lazy days spent at the pool or the beach – although we haven’t made it to the beach yet this year, we’re enjoying our neighborhood pool. It’s nice to unwind at the end of the day with a dip in the pool and to just let your body relax and swirl around in the cool water.  It’s even more fun when spent with friends. 🙂

What are YOUR five favorite things about summertime?

Share them in the comments below – or if you want to include them in your own blog post, include a link in the comments below!