Summer goals

In about two and a half weeks I have a SUPER AWESOME feature series coming to Sometimes Sweet that I am oh-so excited about...and in the spirit of that feature I thought I would share some of my summer goals. I make summer goals every year, and I think that these goals are always my favorite. In the past I've always had summers free of any responsibility. I was either a student or a teacher, so three months of my life were strictly all about me, and all about fun. In our younger years Hank didn't have much responsibility either, so we would travel all over the place between his summer touring, stay up until all hours of the night (and sometimes morning), I'd read a million books, and do a whole lot of beautiful nothing.

Now though, things are a bit different. Little Henry is my boss, but although I have a lot more responsibility, I am lucky enough to be able to stay home with him, which allows me the freedom to still do a lot of fun things. Now, it may only be April 11th, and it may have snowed on Saturday...but I do consider May the first official start of summer, and that's next month..so, I thought I would share my summer goals with all of you today. Maybe this is jumping the gun a little but I need a little summertime sunshine motivation in my life!

Also: feel free to grab either image and use it on your blog to announce your summer goals too. I took the above photo last summer while on the Jersey Shore. Yes, that (beautiful, lovely) Jersey shore. But like I said, if you'd like to share your goals, please do! And link me in the comments so I can check yours out as well.

1. Compile a summer reading list and complete it by the end of August. I will be sharing this list in an upcoming post.

2. Workout more outside than I do inside. This means: hikes, biking, swimming, long walks at dusk with my boys and Madeline.

3. Bring my D-SLR everywhere. I really need to get back into the habit of using our camera, and what better excuse than capturing all of summer's beautiful moments? I'm envisioning snapping photographs of ice cream, snow cones, beach days, and the lazy afternoons on the square.

4. Start working on our backyard. Our new home has a huge backyard...but unfortunately it's completely unlandscaped. I already have a plan for what I'd like to do, but now it's just putting that plan into motion. By Summer 2012 I am hoping to have it close to completed- extended patio, comfortable and relaxing lounging/seating, green green grass, trees, flowers, and vegetable gardens. So, getting started is a huge goal. And seeing that I have NO experience in gardening or landscaping, I will definitely need my parents' help.

5. Start a family summertime tradition. This will probably happen naturally, but I'm hoping it's a weekly trip to the ice cream parlor followed by a stroll around the square.

6.  Make a movie of our East Coast trip this summer. What this means is that I'll have to be sure to keep my Flip Cam out for the entire trip, but it will be totally worth it in the end.

7. Do not get one sunburn or get remotely tan. Sounds weird maybe, but to me this is IDEAL. I like being pale but I tan very easily, and I don't want to damage my skin whatsoever. Big floppy hats and sunscreen are (and will be) my best friend this summer.

8. Get my other thigh tattooed. I'm definitely looking forward to tattooing the front of my left thigh and maybe the backs as well. We'll see.

9. Try a new summer-fresh recipe every week. Grilled veggies, light salads, glazed tofu, berry tarts, anything with pineapple. I'd like to branch out and treat Hank to some delicious meals and desserts.

10. Visit the farmer's market once a week.

So, that's it! Those are my 10 summer goals. I have a few more along the lines of furniture re-finishing projects and around the house to-dos, but those are ongoing and not so much summer-oriented. I am REALLY excited about the above goals though and just writing them out has got me really pumped that summer is so close.

And now, what are yours?

xoxo

summer in Prescott

Prescott is one of my favorite towns in the entire world, and everyday of my life I feel so lucky that this is where I call home, and where we will raise our family. Hank's family has been here for three generations (baby Henry will be the fourth), and I think it's amazing to be steeped in such tradition.

It's funny that during junior year of college at NAU, Shirley and I found ourselves lost in Prescott. She had followed me up here in her car so I could drop mine off at the local VW shop in town, since there wasn't a shop in Flagstaff that my warranty included. We spent hours and hours driving around the back roads- how were we to know that Whipple St. turns into Iron Springs Rd., and Willow Creek turns in Grove?! It was horrible. But who would have known that just a few years later I'd be calling that quirky little town home.

I love Prescott because it is such a small town, having about 40,000 inhabitants (compared to Phoenix's 1.6 million). I enjoy the vibe our town exudes, I adore the downtown area, and especially how in the summer there are events every weekend. I always daydreamed about taking our kids down there on a blanket during the evening concerts on the square, walking the perimeter of the courthouse with our stroller, and enjoying quiet picnics on a weekend morning. Now that we are about to become parents, it's sunk in quite a bit more that this is the place where my children will make their memories, this is where THEY will call home for their entire lives.

Prescott is far enough away from Phoenix (120 miles) but close enough to still be able to go down and shop when the mood strikes. It's close to my family, but still feels far enough that we're making our own little life for our little family. I do hope that one day my parents and sister move up here, but it has been nice to have a place away from home that I've made our home. Whenever our friends and family come visit, they always remark how much they love it up north. The weather is cooler, we get all four seasons, and the summers are completely manageable, staying in the 80s at most.

This weekend was a typical Prescott weekend. Each year we hold a Bluegrass Festival where hundreds of musicians flock to our town to play on the big stage, and also enjoy a weekend with fellow enthusiasts and fans. Although there is a large stage set up on Gurley Street, it's common to see twenty or so small groups of musicians on the opposite side of the courthouse playing music. It's a fabulous weekend, full of good music and fun people, and this time I was able to enjoy it on Saturday, and also stroll around a bit today with Amber following our yummy brunch at The Dinner Bell.











my darling friend Crystal (you've probably seen her on this blog quite a bit, she visits us often!)




one of the many smaller groups of musicians


So all in all it was a great weekend, spent with my family and our friends. It was awesome to have my parents and sister come up on Friday, and we spent the afternoon eating lunch at Bill's Pizza with Hank's Mom, step dad and sister, and then of course had to do some baby shopping before they headed back down the mountain. It's been two days but I'm still riding high from the amazing ultrasound, and it seems like everywhere I look now I see adorable little boys. I can't help but think about our Henry. What will he be like? Who will he look like? My heart is so full of love for this little guy that I can't wait until he arrives and we can shower him with affection!

The weekend is almost over, even though for a teacher the summer is one huge weekend, and I have quite the to-do list for the evening, after we get home from dinner. Now the countdown begins for the 4th of July, one of my favorite times up here in Prescott! My family and Autumn's family will be coming up to spend the weekend with us and I cant' wait. I hope whatever you did over the past few days you've had a great time, and Happy Monday tomorrow, to all of you!