Oh for it to be Summer

It's that time again. That time of year where I start whining begging wishing for summer. 

I have many daydreams of walking on the beach, fresh green grass, flip flops and shorts, iced coffees, sunburns and playgrounds. This year there are a few new daydreams: pushing a baby in the swings, baby eating sand, baby going swimming, and since I'm not going to be pregnant this summer (*knocks on everything wood*), drinks outside while the sun goes down. I die a little of excitement just thinking of it all.

Although it's not all sunshine and rainbows though. It will be hard to fully enjoy my complete summer off with a baby. I'm sure she wont be down for spending long hours on the beach. She won't always want to go for a walk. And after spending last summer pregnant, I recently tried on a lot of my summer clothes from years before. A few of my favorite things are too small, and some of my favorite things from when I was pregnant are too big. Overall, I have enough to scrape by but I have a nice excuse to buy a few more summer tops and bottoms. 

The biggest disappointment of the summer, though, is the fact that almost as soon as it's over, I have to start preparing to go back to work. Full time. My planned date to start back is October 1st. The thought of leaving my baby girl with strangers for approx. 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, kills me a little. I want so badly to work a little, because I love my job and the adult interaction, but I'd much rather be home with my babygirl all the time. I have a little more than 6 months before this is going to happen, but it's still one reason why I'm not in as much of a hurry for summer. 

But while we're on the summer topic, here are some of my favorite summer photos to maybe get you in the mood too. 

End of summer 2010

Me, brother and sister

Summer 2010

Summer 2009

Nephew - Summer 2011

Me, summer 2011, nice and pregnant

The Winter Rut

There is a saying I've never liked.

Stuck in a rut.

But that's where I am. It's why I haven't felt like blogging lately. If I wrote you a 'day in the life of Venassa' post, you could copy and paste it for almost every day of the week. The 'sleep, eat, work, watch tv, go online' routine repeated, would probably scare and bore people.

It's not that I'm completely unhappy with it, it's just that I feel I'm wasting my life.

All the things I enjoy, I just can't bring myself to do them. Like go for walks, take pictures, scrapbook, go to the gym. It's not usually because I lack the energy, it's because I lack the enthusiasm.

The sad part is, I get like this every year. Winter causes my blah-ness.

In the summer I cannot wait to get outside on each nice day. I love walking, taking pictures, going to the beach, even just sitting outside. I even enjoy sitting around home more when I can do it with all the windows open. It's hard to even express how much I look forward to summer all winter, and how much I love it the whole time it's here.

But for now, I just need to force out some motivation. To get up and do something different every once in awhile. To not let the entire winter pass by without me doing a thing. I need to get out of this rut. Suggestions are welcome. 

Starting tomorrow, of course. Because now it's time for work.

Why Fall is Great

Everyone is writing about the Fall and how much they love it. I'm going to jump on the Fall bandwagon, except I'm not as happy about it. 

I've made it more than obvious how I feel about summer. I started posting about beaches and swing sets back in January. I love bikini and shorts and ice cream and sunshine. I love it all. I even love the heat, I just don't love trying to sleep in it. 

Fall may have a happy place in my heart, but I don't love it like summer. 

But it's time to be optimistic. This is what I love about the fall:

1. My birthday in October

2. Halloween

3. Changing colors and piles of leaves

4. Cuddling for warmth

5. Thanksgiving

6. It leads to Christmas

7. And the first snowfall

8. And finally: No more constant leg shaving to look great in summer clothes! 

May your Fall season be filled with happiness and may your Thanksgiving turkey wear glasses. 

30 Things of Summer - *Updated

Time to go back and take another look at my list of 30 things I needed to do this summer. I updated some as I went along, but here is the current list!

30 Things I Must Do This Summer

1. Save up and get my iPhone! (Stopped wanting it, but started wanting it again - still in consideration)
2. Instead of parking my behind on the couch, drag a book, the computer, ANYTHING, out to the deck instead.
3. Become comfortable in my dresses, skirts and shorts.
4. De-clutter my belongings like it's nobody's business. In progress/Almost done
5. Have one more try at the flea market and get rid of everything.
6. Try more fruit, even in smoothie form, just as long as it's getting into my body! 
7. Find a few new models for photo shoots and PRACTICE! - Did a family shoot a couple of weekends ago and a pregnancy one today!
8. Stop driving when I can walk instead - reconnect with my iPod and the outdoors.
9. Take a chance. Life is too short to be bored. 
10. Savor the moments, stop thinking so much about the future.
11. Try to wean myself off the internet a bit, like mother's do with their children addicted to pacifiers.
12. Nap less. I can sleep plenty when I'm dead.
13. Spend more time with the people that matter.
14. Those Venus razors work leg-shaving miracles. Invest into the expensive-ness, it is worth it.
15. Cheetos do not count as a meal. Start eating better. - I'm doing a bit better!
16. Drive to somewhere I haven't been before. Explore my island a bit more. 
17. Go out and play pool Find someone to play pool together while I sip drinks and watch because I suck at pool.
18. Camp, at least once. It's been forever.
19. Read at least 5 books. - I just started #3, I think I fail at this one.
20. Hit up the farmer's market.
21. Experience more restaurants that offer patio seating.
22. Have a picnic on the beach.
23. Have a picnic in the park.
24. Take my nephew on a beautiful day and just have fun outside.
25. Try to have more patience with people at work. - I'm trying, not sure how well I'm succeeding ; )
26. Go out for fishbowls!
27. Take some time off and spend it with myself. 
28. Get a pedicure or something along those lines..
29. Go out drinking whenever I want to.. my drinking days won't last much longer.
30. Remember this as the best summer ever. 

Getting to Know You

1. If you could have one of Superman's, powers which one would you want? Superhuman strength..Flight..Superhuman speed..X-Ray vision..etc
Flight. Gas ain't cheap.

2. The best thing I ever won is....?
$75 dollars from Bingo? I was very young and had to split it with my grandfather though, since he paid for me to go.

3. Have you ever skyped with a bloggy friend?
I've never skyped at all.

4. What is your favorite Summer month?
July. It's the only month where we're likely to get good weather. I think it was last summer where it rained for basically 2 weeks straight in August.

5. Pool, Lake, or Ocean?
Pool to swim in. The ocean is beautiful though and I love walking and laying on the beach. Lakes have creepies that I dont like.

6. One of my favorite Summer memories is.....?
Hmm... the first time we had a beach party in high school.

7. What's your favorite secret bargain?
$10 bikinis at Wal-Mart! They actually fit me right, and they're cheap, but it's not really a secret.

8. Do you plan on or have you been watching the World Cup?
No. Not really into it.

30 Things of Summer

I am a couple of days late but I wanted to take part in this writing prompt. So I am listing my..

30 Things I Must Do This Summer

1. Save up and get my iPhone! 
2. Instead of parking my behind on the couch, drag a book, the computer, ANYTHING, out to the deck instead.
3. Become comfortable in my dresses, skirts and shorts. 
4. De-clutter my belongings like it's nobody's business. In progress/Almost done
5. Have one more try at the flea market and get rid of everything.
6. Try more fruit, even in smoothie form, just as long as it's getting into my body! 
7. Find a few new models for photo shoots and PRACTICE!
8. Stop driving when I can walk instead - reconnect with my iPod and the outdoors.
9. Take a chance. Life is too short to be bored. 
10. Savor the moments, stop thinking so much about the future. - I'm doing this a bit more!
11. Try to wean myself off the internet a bit, like mother's do with their children addicted to pacifiers.
12. Nap less. I can sleep plenty when I'm dead.
13. Spend more time with the people that matter.
14. Those Venus razors work leg-shaving miracles. Invest into the expensive-ness, it is worth it.
15. Cheetos do not count as a meal. Start eating better. - I'm doing a bit better!
16. Drive to somewhere I haven't been before. Explore my island a bit more. 
17. Go out and play pool Find someone to play pool together while I sip drinks and watch because I suck at pool.
18. Camp, at least once. It's been forever.
19. Read at least 5 books.
20. Hit up the farmer's market.
21. Experience more restaurants that offer patio seating.
22. Have a picnic on the beach.
23. Have a picnic in the park.
24. Take my nephew on a beautiful day and just have fun outside.
25. Try to have more patience with people at work.
26. Go out for fishbowls!
27. Take some time off and spend it with myself. 
28. Get a pedicure or something along those lines..
29. Go out drinking whenever I want to.. my drinking days won't last much longer.
30. Remember this as the best summer ever. 

NEW: Kill the neigbour downstairs who insists on playing his guitar outside all the time. Somebody needs to let him know he is not good at it.
(Note: People leaving neighbors place tonight were overheard saying they spend hours listening to some d-bag stroking his ego playing the guitar all night. Made me happy. -June 25

Starting today. 

I miss...

I miss that summertime feeling.

The feeling you get when you spend the whole day outside. You feel the cool of the morning, the too-hot of the early afternoon, the relief when it cools in the evening, and the reach-for-your-sweater kind of feeling when it gets really cool at night.

I miss freezing in a tent all night, but waking up in the muggy, almost can't breathe temperature in the morning.

I miss walking around in morning-damp grass.

I miss laying in the grass at night with someone you kinda sorta like, and the crazy rush of not knowing what will happen next.

I miss falling asleep on the beach to the sound of the water. I miss the anxious feeling you get when it sounds like the water is too close to your tent.

I miss dancing on picnic tables.

I miss the rush of swinging, when you feel like there's so much in the world to be hopeful for.

And have those moments where you feel like life just couldn't get any better than this.

My mind in pictures

This just a tiny idea of what is going on in my head right now.









So to sum up, SUMMER.

Summertime has got me happy

After working so little the past two weeks, I'm dreading getting back into the working swing of things. I only have 48 hours this week, which actually makes it a pretty easy week for me, except my only day off this week was yesterday. Boo.

I went into the bookstore today to spend the rest of my $25 gift card. After looking around for about 20 minutes there were probably at least 10 books I really want. I saved a couple of authors names into my phone so I don't forget them. I basically want to own and read all books. I'm just having the hardest time getting through the book I'm reading now (Black Rose - Nora Roberts) even though she's one of my favorites. And it's the second on a trilogy. So the third book might have to wait. I want to get into more exciting things. Books that make me laugh out loud and never want to stop reading. Those are the books that add a bit more happy to life.

Speaking of happy, I've managed to get myself so excited about summer. I just can't stop thinking about the beach, the swings, summer clothes, the sunshine. Even all the snow melting in the spring (because today was a sunny, snow-go-slush day) has got me excited. Since I'm not the most optimistic, happy person, I'm glad to feel it. I just want to look at all things happy and summery. So I'll post them here.

Summer <3