Running Through Sprinklers And Outside Cookouts - Having Dreams Of Summer

Summer is finally upon us. While I love sitting by a warn, crackling fire in the winter time, I have the best memories of summer as both a kid and an adult. This post is all about remembering the amazing times we've had in the past, and our plans to make new amazing memories in the future.

As a kid the best parts about summer was running through the sprinkler and having a popsicle while we dripped dried in the summer breeze. One of my favorite song lyrics is from the Barenaked Ladies song "Pinch Me". 

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"It's the perfect time of day
to throw all your cares away
put the sprinkler on the lawn
and run through with my gym shorts on.
Take a drink right from the hose
and change into some drier clothes
climb the stairs up to my room
sleep away the afternoon."

Summer naps were the best. You would wake up refreshed and ready to go again. I remember my two best friends and I would climb trees, build forts, ride our bikes for what seemed like forever, and put the sprinkler underneath the trampoline. Yeah it does sound like a bad idea, probably because it is!

Every summer my family would load up and we would go camping for a week somewhere by the water. Lakes, rivers, beaches, a mud puddle in the backyard, etc. Those were some of the best times. It was like getting back to nature and resting your soul.
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I loved all the cookouts our family and friends would have especially on the Fourth of July. I have fond memories of going on fishing trips or going shrimping in the middle of the night with my dad, then bringing back what we had caught and having a big fish fry with family, friends, and neighbors. And still today some of the best times to be had are at good old fashioned cookouts with friends and family, although now it's mostly around summer birthdays and the Fourth of July due to time restraints.

This is one of the reasons I love our yearly beach trips, it's like a week long cookout. We have been going to the beach with my wife's family for several years now. They rent a house on the beach and we, sixteen of us some years, stay for a week. We relax, eat, have a few drinks, and play in the water, sand, and sun. We fry or boil shrimp for lunch and grill out every night. In my opinion the best get togethers serve steak tacos or fried shrimp. Just saying. 

Another one of my favorite song lyrics is from the Aaron Lewis song "Endless Summer". It takes me to the sand and sea even when I can't be there in person. There's just something about the ocean that recharges you and cleanses your soul like a childhood nap.

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"...breeze is warm and the moon is bright
This endless summer
Boogie boards and diggin' holes
Sand castles and fishin' poles
What a way to save my soul
This endless summer
Just another day in paradise, another story I can tell
These are the moments we can share
Come on let me take you there."

So summer is upon us and it's time to put together plans for a cookout or dinner party. Invite over family and friends and have a fish or shrimp fry. Let the kids run through the sprinkler while you sit back, relax, socialize, and reminisce about childhood memories. While everyone is round plan a camping trip or trip to the beach.

Hope you have yourself a wonderful time this summer making new memories to add to your cherished collection.

Thank you,
Denison

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