Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it from the longer days to the hot temps and each year as summer approaches, I look forward to starting my annual rituals.
BEACH THURSDAYS
The first ritual is Beach Thursdays. I grew up in Queens, just a short trip to Rockaway Beach (yes, the one made famous by the fabulous Ramones - who just happened to go to the same High School that I did). Beach trips were just a part of the normal routine - sometimes we'd even go there for a picnic dinner when my mom got home from work.
When I moved further upstate New York, I moved away from my beloved beach. Then I discovered the Jersey Shore. I think I've been to just about every public beach along the New Jersey coast and while I definitely prefer some over others, I love them all. A few years back, my friend and I coordinated our part-time job work schedules to have Thursdays off - and Beach Thursdays were born. Each week, weather-permitting, we pile our chairs, umbrellas and cooler bags into the trunk of the car bright and early and head down to the shore for the day. We love it so much, that we start our "summer" earlier and earlier each year. This year, my first excursion happened in April!
BIRTHDAYS
Three out of four of my family have summer birthdays, including myself. We start out with my husband, who is technically late spring, but he's after Memorial Day, so we'll consider it summer. We usually do some type of excursion for his birthday, be it a NY Mets Game or a trip to the beach. This year he wanted to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. We took advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend and celebrated his special day a week early. What a great trip!
My daughter is next with a July birthday - this week actually. Last year was the big Sweet Sixteen - although not as big as others we've been to - but it was nice and just what she wanted. This year she invited a "few friends" to come over for a pool party. At last count she was approaching a dozen - what happened to Sweet Sixteen is the last big birthday party??
I'm the last summer birthday in August. So close to the start of a new school year, my birthday is rarely looked forward to by anyone but me. Last year, my family took me to see Something Rotten on Broadway - which is by far one of the funniest and most original shows I've ever seen. I've seen it twice and would go again. I highly recommend it. This year, being that it falls on a Thursday, it will merge with my Beach Thursday - so that's exciting. But even more exciting is that my son is in a musical and my birthday is opening night.
BOOKS
When you write, there's always a book in the works, whether in editing, being written or solely developing in your mind - and I've got plenty of each.
I'm working on a project that will give me the opportunity to work with several other authors and my contribution is just about ready for editing. More about this project will be posted as the release gets closer.
I'm also finishing up my newest series, The Chosen, which is my first paranormal trilogy. It's been a little delayed, but it's in the end stages and hopefully will be live by my next blogpost next month.
And last, but certainly not least, I'm getting ready to work on a new series, Faith, Hope & Joy, three standalone books. I'm hoping for a Valentine's Day 2017 release - stay posted.
What are you up to this summer?
