Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Summer days, driftin' away....

Even though summer is almost over, we wanted to share our thoughts about this time of year with you! Feel free to talk about your favorite summer activities or share a favorite summer memory with us. We love getting to know you, as well as having you get to know us better.

Melissa A:

1.Where is your favorite place to vacation during summer?
I usually just end up going to Chicago every summer, but had to postpone it a bit this year. In the past, I would go to St. Joseph, Michigan for an art fair and to hang out at the beach. It was a quaint and romantic place to go with my husband.

2.Favorite “summer” food?
I like doing barbecues with lots of burgers, tater tots, corn on the cob and watermelon. :)

3.Favorite “summer” drink (alcoholic or not)?
Lemonade

4.What is your favorite outdoor activity in the summer?
Anything water related. I love going to water parks. I feel like such a kid again!

5.Favorite “summertime” song?
"Hey Ya" by Outkast because it reminds me of my honeymoon, which was very summery. Also, "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows has a fun summery feel. "American Ride" by Toby Keith reminds me of my summer move two years ago. (See next question.)

6.Favorite summer memory?
My 30th birthday party, which was Hawaiian themed and mostly outdoors. My husband and some close friends planned everything and I just had to show up. My husband also made an ice cream cake decorated with a picture of me doing a hula dance. It was hilarious!
I also will always associate my move to Maryland in 2009 with summer and the memories make me all warm and fuzzy. I've been here for two years now and still love everything about it!
Finally, I remember going to Barefoot Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin when I was a kid. It was such a fun resort and I always had a great time there. It made me think of Kellerman's from "Dirty Dancing," minus Patrick Swayze.

7.Favorite summertime treat?
ICE CREAM!!! But it's a treat any time of year too. :)

8.Summer wardrobe staple?
Sandals

9.What’s in your beach bag?
Books, of course! And sunscreen. My whole family has fair skin!

10. Best “beach/pool” book you’ve read so far?
"Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah. It's like "Beaches" for the 21st century. Beautiful story about friendship and it's what got me hooked on Kristin Hannah's writing in the first place.
I also associate Jennifer Weiner's books with summer since they come out in July now.

11. What's on your summer reading list?
I still have tons of books I want and need to read. I don't know where to start anymore! :) However, I just started "Before Ever After" by Samantha Sotto and "No Wings Attached" by Stella DeLeuze. Both have a fantasy or fairy tale side to them.

12.Favorite way to enjoy summer nights?
In an air conditioned house while eating a popsicle or ice cream bar. :)

13. Favorite thing about summer?
Celebrating Fourth of July and then my birthday a few weeks later.

14. Thing that reminds you most of summer?
Certain smells, like chlorine, sunscreen, citronella and barbecues.


Melissa P:

1. Where is your favorite place to vacation during summer?
This is a hard one for me because I DO love to go back to Chicago in the summer to visit friends, but I think my FAVORITE place is Cape Cod and Nantucket. I know that’s technically TWO places, so I’ll say The Cape and Islands. To me, east coast beaches just scream “summer” because they are really only utilized one season of the year and they completely come to life during that time.

2. Favorite “summer” food?
I love watermelon drizzled with local honey and sprinkled with chopped jalapenos. It’s an Arizona thing I guess (the hot peppers) and it just tastes so good together. Try it, I promise!

3. Favorite “summer” drink (alcoholic or not)?
My favorite alcoholic drink in the summer is “Skinny girl” margaritas (out of the bottle or homemade). I know many people in AZ drink them year round, but I usually reserve them for summer. SO refreshing. My favorite non-alcoholic drink is water. Boring, yes, but absolutely necessary to survive 4 months of 100+ degree temps.

4. What is your favorite outdoor activity in the summer?
If I am in the desert then it’s definitely swimming and trying my hardest to lay by the pool and read, but that’s not realistic. We usually have to read IN the pool, otherwise we melt, literally. If I am somewhere with nicer weather then I like to walk and ride a bicycle.

5. Favorite “summertime” song?
I have so many! I love reggae and Island music in the summer, but my favorite is probably “Turn Your Lights Down Low” by Bob Marley and Lauren Hill. No, they didn’t sing it together, but there is a remix with both of them and it’s been my favorite “summer” song since around 2002. My newest favorite is “Just Go” with Akon and Lionel Richie. It makes me want to go an a three month trip and escape with my hubby every time I hear it!

6. Favorite summer memory?
This is easy. Although I have a million amazing memories, it would hands down be the first summer that my husband and I dated. We both were working for the Four Seasons at the time and had over a month of vacation time off together. We went to Chicago (my husbands first time there and where I grew up), Philadelphia to visit his mother (my first time meeting her in person), and then went to New York City (where he grew up). While in NYC, there was a 2 day blackout! It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but it was the most memorable summer I have ever had.

7. Favorite summertime treat?
Ice cream! I really don’t eat ice cream any other time of year, but my mom always has sugar cones and a plethora of flavors in the summertime. It’s like my own personal Baskin Robbins.

8. Summer wardrobe staple?
Bikini! And sunscreen is a MUST! If you don’t have naturally darker skin (and even if you do) you will burn in a matter of minutes in Arizona. Am I sensing a theme here? :)

9. What’s in your beach bag?
Sunscreen, a book (obviously), my iPhone, a small portable speaker for my iPhone, water, a beach towel, snacks (usually goldfish crackers), and chapstick with SPF.

10. Best “beach/pool” book you’ve read so far?

“The Beach House” by Jane Green. As much as I love all of Elin Hilderbrands books, Jane is pretty much my all-time favorite author. So Far.

11. What’s on your summer reading list?
“Little Black Dress” by Susan McBride, “The Blue Bistro” by Elin Hilderbrand, “J’adore New York” by Isabelle Lefleche, “Paris, Baby” by Kirsten Lobe, and “I Heart Paris” by Lindsey Kelk. There are many more, but I could go on for days!

12. Favorite way to enjoy summer nights?
Drinking wine or margaritas and listening to music by the pool with our neighbors or my family and going for night swims (no chance of skin cancer).

13. Favorite thing about summer?
My favorite thing about summer is the feeling of being on vacation. Laying by the pool and getting together to swim and have cocktails with the family and our friends. It's always the time of year that we go on vacation to escape the heat, usually somewhere cooler! Although it's hot, there's something to look forward to!

14. Thing that reminds you most of summer?
This is a really hard one because it's summer (temp wise) almost year round here! If I base this answer off of my childhood then i'd have to say the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of sprinklers. If I base the answer on my life now, it would definitely be the smell of rain. We get some pretty good monsoon storms between June and September, so the smell of wet dirt kind of goes hand in hand with summer.

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