Today is the first day of Autumn, and I for one am grateful to give it a big hello! Change is good for us, you know.
But changing to Autumn means saying goodbye to Summer. And Summer’s been awesome. Okay, it’s been challenging, too, but as part of my longing for joy, I’m choosing to focus on the positive. That means counting my blessings. With that in mind, here are 10 of my favorite things about this past summer (in no particular order)…
- John Oliver subbing on “The Daily Show.” Good Golly, Miss Molly. I loves me some John Oliver. (I love Jon Stewart, too, y’all, but the man has a life and needs to get away from that desk once in a while.) When John Oliver did his little dance move each time he spoke about “Carlos Danger,” I about rolled up in a little ball on the floor, overcome with the laugh-ies. I swear, that move killed. And just thinking about it makes me smile.
- News of Adidas’ plans to re-release the Stan Smith sneaker (come January 2014). This probably means nothing to most of you, but the Stan Smith sneaker stands out as my very favorite kick from childhood. For serious – I’ve got this marked on my calendar and will be looking for my own pair in January!
- Rock Camp! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ll volunteer with this group for as long as they’ll have me. Because I’ve seen the positive effects of this non-profit, it is definitely one of my very favorite charities.
- Jumping waves with Mister in Hawaii. I cannot tell you how amazing those few precious days were, or how much it meant to me to share that time with the love of my life. Or maybe I can tell you. And maybe I will – soon.
- “The Way Way Back” – I loved this movie so very much and it made me feel all the wonderful things that summer can provide. Okay, it also made me feel many of the painful things summer often presents. But ain’t that just life. I will always love this movie.
- Going to “Butterfly Wonderland” in Scottsdale, Arizona. I wrote about this one, and I’m still in awe. What an amazing experience! I’m so grateful I got to go there!
- Completing P90-X! Those 91 days just about kilt me, y’all. But they didn’t! And I came out of it stronger and dare I say, braver.
- “Camp” on summer television. This sweet, little show became something Mister and I looked forward to each week. It was fairly innocent (by today’s standards), and it was also fairly simple. But I was okay with that, and I loved the idea of all those families going to summer camp together. Each episode’s music was great, too, by the way.
- Summer Food! Each season brings its own array of edibles and this summer was no exception. Tomatoes, fruit, fish – wow! Here in SoCal, we’ll be blessed with summer’s bounty for a while longer and hallelujah to that. Y’all do know I likes to eat, don’t you?
- The auto show and auction I attended a while back! That was one of the best days ever and I loved it so much, y’all. Just being around all those old cars was a blast, and watching the auction blew my mind. I have no desire to own an auto of such esteemed provenance (good thing, too, as I can’t seem to find my spare half a mill just lying around), but I sure do appreciate the danged thangs. Beautiful!
I’m limiting this post to 10 items, but if I’m honest, the summer – with its challenges and hurdles – held far more gifts. I sincerely hope yours did, too.
And now, let the games begin! Time to tally up an entirely new list of fabulous fall moments. It’s gonna be awesome! For reals…