Summer Has Arrived!

I love it! Summer is finally here! I shouldn't complain...apparently we've had one of the warmest springs on record but there is just something about a day like today. It was clear skies, nice bright sun, and heat-warmed skin.

I have come to realize, the older I get, that I really do love summer. I crave the sunshine. I love the baseball games on warm afternoons. I soak in the feeling of the hot sun on my skin and the smell of freshly cut grass. To me, there is nothing better than an afternoon such as the one I had today or an evening like the one I enjoyed last night. They scream summer and all that comes with it. The smell of sunscreen on a loved one's skin, the sand between my toes, couples strolling hand in hand, the ocean waves crashing against the shore, a warm coffee to warm me in the cooling evening air...it's truly wonderful!

Last night my friend Nancy and I went out for a girls' night. We didn't really know what we wanted to do, we just knew that we wanted to head into Vancouver and enjoy all that the beautiful city had to offer. We began with an amazing dinner at the Macaroni Grill on Davie Street. If you have never been there, you should definitely go. It's not just any old restaurant...the company has transformed a beautiful old mansion into a pleasant dining experience. There are tables scattered about the lawn, and the rich wood of the interior feels luxurious. We stuffed ourselves to the gills with their delicious, perfectly cooked pasta. It was cooked to order, they even added mushrooms to mine! I couldn't finish the meal, because of course, like all other Italian restaurants, their portions are huge, but what I DID finish was incredible!

After our scrumptious meal, we made our way down to Robson Street. This is one of my favourite parts of going downtown. I love just walking the streets and seeing the hundreds of personalities wandering around with me. Short, tall, young or old. We saw the girl with the pink mohawk and the little old couple walking along steadily while holding hands. We encountered groups of teens hanging out listening to music on their phones and we heard at least ten different languages filling the air. After stopping off at Starbucks for a decaf latte, we decided to hit the beach and spend some more time people watching. We took up residence on one of the many logs placed on the sand, sipped our cups of hazelnut perfection, and spent the next hour or so just watching people, talking about life, and squishing the sand between our toes. As the water pounding against the shore began to lull me into sleepiness I couldn't help but think, "It really doesn't get any better than thjs!"

This afternoon brought more summer fun. This year, Kev and I got to start up a softball team for our church league. Now, we might be a little biased, but we happen to think that our team is one of the funnest to play on. Every single week we go out there and have a blast. We have quite a variety of personalities on our team and laughter is never in short supply when we are playing. Today's weather just added to that fun. We arrived at the ball field around 3:45 and we knew it was going to be a great day for softball. The sun was beating down and everyone was in a boisterous mood. Kev and I slathered on the sunscreen, figured out the batting order and then settled in for a few hours of fun. Although it got a little hot-I've heard it hit about 83 today-it was an amazing day. I loved standing in the batter's box and feeling warm instead of being pelted with rain as we have experienced in other weeks. Tonight I'm enjoying seeing a bit of a tan showing up on my arms and legs-yes Mom, I used sunscreen! Although it does take a bit out of me to spend all afternoon in the sun, I can't think of anything I would rather have been doing than sitting in that dugout sharing jokes with my teammates and pounding the ball into the field. I even cracked it over the shortstop once and on another turn brought in two RBIs, one of them being my husband!

Yep, I love summer...isn't it great that it's only just begun?