Springtime in Southern California

My favorite season is Summer. Maybe that's because I was a July baby. I have fond memories of school being out and pool parties for my birthday that often extended into the Fourth of July festivities. Now that I'm the grownup, Summer means having my kids all to myself - well, as much as they'll let me have them anyway. I relish in lazy mornings where I'm not methodically marching through my school day morning routine of breakfasts, lunchboxes and double checking - Do you have your PE clothes? Do you have your homework? Is your Chromebook charged? 

So if Summer is my favorite, I suppose Spring is the runner up simply because it means we're on the runway to Summer. I get excited by blooming wildflowers and bright, plump strawberries coming into season. Here in my corner of Southern California, the vegetation is pretty brown. This Winter was abnormally rainy, so this Spring has been phenomenal. I'm sure you've seen all the "Superbloom 2019" photos. I must admit, I will miss all the color once the heat of Summer begins to settle in.

That being said, I absolutely love it when I can barbecue dinner out on the patio while barefoot. Even better, after the start of daylight saving time I can barbecue dinner with the sun still up in the sky! Though it still feels a little cooler than it should for a week out from Memorial Day weekend, it's still just warm enough for dining al fresco.

When we moved into our house 16 years ago, Memorial Day weekend, I imagined being able to host friends and family on our patio for barbecues. One of my favorite things about our small home is our big patio. It's an outdoor extension of our house that has grown as our family has grown: host to big wheels, inflatable pools, a trampoline, basketball hoop and nerf gun battles.

So this week I'll begin the patio tidy-up as we prepare for the unofficial start of Summer. All the rain we've been getting has the flower beds looking like a jungle. Once we get back into the steady 80s daily, I'll be serving dinner outside nightly. Our boys used to get such a kick out of eating outside! The novelty, for them, might have worn off, but not for me. This Summer kid is just about to be back in her element.