Ten reasons I'm excited about summer

1. My 8th wedding anniversary.
On December 24, 1998, Ben asked me to marry him. I did my best to ruin this romantic moment, just like I ruin most romantic moments, by being sick and whiny and basically refusing to go along with his plan to drive me to another city and propose on the street in front of the coffee house where we had our first date when we were 17. Just like living with me today, it took a monumental effort on his part. But he saw it through. On July 8, we will celebrate eight years of him putting up with me. I hope he still thinks it's worth the effort.

2. Farmer's Market.
Last Saturday was opening weekend of the downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market, but I missed it because: A) I was hung over from my 30th birthday party the previous night; B) I needed to go out of town for another 30th birthday party; and C) it was raining. This morning was quite the opposite in the weather and hangover-ness departments, and I scored six basil plants, a 4 oz. tub of chevre, and a big ole container of homemade peanut butter while parting with only 10 big ones. Five more months of this ahead. Yayskee.

3. August at the lake.
Gluttony and sloth! Also: Folksy Wisconsin accents!

4. Driving in the country with the windows rolled down.
You can't do it in the wintertime in Awa, but I love this. Especially accompanied by really loud driving-appropriate music like John Butler Trio, the Dixie Chicks, or pretty much any good rock album. I love driving almost as much as I love music, so the two make a great combo in my book; too bad driving is a worse habit than eating red meat or smoking Pall Malls. Thank goodness I've never done either of those last two things.

5. The students are gone, so I can find a parking spot on campus.
Enough said there.

6. Baseball games.
I will not watch them on TV unless it's the World Series and one of the teams I like (which is pretty much just the Red Sox, Brewers, or Royals...I'll admit I'm not such a loyal fan) is participating, but I will attend just about any live baseball game. I can swill beers and heckle Blue with the best of them. Also, I am excellent at eating peanuts and wearing caps.

7. Golf season.
This one is actually kind of a good/bad: If I could play golf once a week during the summer, I'd be happy. But I happen to be married to someone who could play 36 holes every day and not get the teeniest bit bored with it. So I tend to spend a little too much time alone (which for me is saying a lot, because I do loves me some alone time) or getting dragged out to golf courses in oppressive heat that I don't really want to experience during the summer months.

8. Festivals.
The Des Moines Arts Festival, the different cultural festivals they put on downtown, and this year we will also have the 80/35 Music Festival! I don't know what it is I like so much about festivals...they're just so darned festive.

9. I don't typically go to bed at 9 p.m. like a total loser in the summertime. I might even stay up til, like, 11 o'clock!
I am so impressive.

10. Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.
After four years hocking Blizzards at the college town DQ, I'm just paying back the Dairy Queen employees of the world when I breeze into the drive-thru at 10:29 p.m. Sorry, kids.