Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

Bernat Casaro

Favorite Thing #4

Favorite Thing #4 - Back To School Season

Back To School

Even though I'm 25, graduated from high school and college, I still love when it's time for everyone to head back to school!  When I was in elementary school, I loved back-to-school shopping.  Call me crazy, but it was usually no later than July when I was already begging mom to take me to Target to start checking things off my list.  You would get new crayons that hadn't been flattened yet, vibrant new Crayola markers, fresh bottles of Elmer's glue and clean blank notebooks.  I'd come home, dump out all of my Target bags on my bedroom floor and organize it all in my backpack.  Something about starting fresh with all of your new supplies and heading off to the next grade was so exciting back then!

School Shopping

In the second grade, I had this little blue plastic Aladdin pencil case that I loved.  It had this distinct plastic-y smell.  Sometimes when I'm walking through the school supply section in Target, I'll get a whiff of that same plastic smell and it instantly takes me back to the second grade.  It's amazing how something that simple can bring back so many memories.

I also loved getting new textbooks.  I went to a small Catholic school and they would always make us wrap our textbooks with brown paper sacks at the beginning of each year to keep the books in the best condition.  We'd take out our markers and write "English" or "History" on the front of the brown paper and decorate them with hearts and stars.  Usually, the books would be well worn and weathered before we got a chance to use them.  But every once in awhile, we'd get to be the first group to use a brand new set of textbooks!  They would make that distinct cracking sound when you opened them and all the corners would be sharp and perfect.  I've always loved bringing textbooks home for the first time - even in college.  They made me feel smart and prepared just by having them.  

Textbooks

 Here in Tennessee, the ridiculously hot weather is finally starting to break.  I woke up this morning and to my surprise, it was only 70 degrees outside!  Since it's usually already 90 degrees at 8am, 70 degrees felt like Fall.  It reminded me of all the little kids stuffing their backpacks with brand new boxes of crayons and fresh sheets of paper, prepping themselves for their next big adventure.  While I'm certain my next new adventure won't involve backpacks and textbooks, I've got some pretty exciting plans waiting for me around the corner.  Details to follow...

Waiting For The Bus

Favorite Thing #3

 Favorite Thing #3 - Seeking Out Cold Drinks On A Hot Summer Day

Root Beer Float

There's nothing better than an ice cold drink on a steamy August afternoon!  Yesterday, my husband and I were out running errands.  We were thinking out loud about how nice an icy cold Orange Crush in a bottle sounded.  Later in the day, we were walking through our local Farmer's Market (another 'favorite thing' of mine!) when we saw that one of the booths had a huge cooler full of ice.  Hidden underneath all of those frozen cubes were dozens of pretty little bottles of Orange Crush!  We were so excited!  We popped open the cap and drank in the deliciousness!  Ahh!

Ice Cold Orange Crush!

So, whether I'm licking the salt off a frozen margarita, slurping up a perfectly blended smoothie or popping the cap off an old-fashioned Coke in a bottle...I'm a happy camper!

Sangria

Delicious Lemonade!