Summer Plans

Summer is my favorite season.  I need warmth and time outside.  When Chris and I first started dating, he revealed that his favorite season was fall.  What?  I told him he was crazy.  He's the one always talking about the majesty of palm trees.  Fall is the sign that summer is ending and there will be no more swimming through the long, cold winter.  Every year, he concedes that I am right when we are stuck in winter with no end in sight.

On this rainy, winter morning, I'm making my summer plans.  I am so looking forward to this summer.  We'll have beach trips at the beginning of the summer.  Baby Jack will be born at the beginning of July.  We can go to the water park if we feel up to it.  And Chris is planning to open the pool early in April.

I even loved summer in Lynchburg without an ocean in sight and in a house without ac (we had three window units, which kept us comfortable enough, but the house was usually just under 80 degrees).

 I'm not so silly as to think that I'll be swimming in April as soon as the pool opens....  I'm picky when it comes to water temperatures.  I need it at least 80 degrees, so I won't be swimming until June probably.  And then I won't be swimming much after Jack is born.  However, it will still be nice to simply look at the water and dangle my feet in--and I really love watching Eliot and Chris play in the pool together.  I just hope it isn't too much of a fight keeping Eliot and our dachshunds out of the pool when they aren't allowed in--fortunately, we have a fence around it!

This is my parents' pool.  I haven't even seen mine in action!

The other day, I was shopping with my friend Kimmy for her soon-to-be-born nephew's shower present.  I noticed a pair of newborn swim trunks.  It is so hard to find newborn swim trunks!  Even though I've been trying to NOT buy much for Jack too early, I couldn't help myself.  And the fun thing is that Chris has a pair with a similar pattern, just slightly different colors.  And we all know Chris loves to match his boys.

To be honest, I have been worried that I wouldn't be able to participate in the fun this summer since I'd be (very) pregnant and then have a newborn, but I'm keeping in mind that Chris is eager to turn our backyard into a tropical oasis.  He has palm tree plans and wants to buy patio furniture.  We've been using plastic white chairs that belonged to my parents for six years now and then we've been using a glass table that the previous owner of our first house left three years ago.  I am encouraging him, though, that we don't have to make the yard perfect in our first year here.  The yard already has amazing landscaping.  However, we will be acquiring a hammock.  And I will be curling up in that hammock after I have Jack.  And Jack and I will not be moving for the rest of the summer except to maybe get re-fills of my non-alcoholic pina coladas--actually, I'll just have Chris bring the re-fills to me.

I.am.so.excited.for.summer.  Until then, we'll just have to keep on dreaming and paying the ocean short visits when it isn't freezing.