Summer Livin'

It's the weekend! Yay!
The end of June is fast approaching... which means we are definitely the midst of summer! I love, love, love summer. And the longer I'm away from my hometown roots in Minnesota, the more I acclimate to our hot, dry summers out west.

I woke up this morning, enjoyed some of my favorite summer brew, and put some of my favorite product in my wild mane, and then wondered what other women's favorite summer things were. I feel like I always indulge when it comes to summer. But hey, life's too short not to be in love. And I am in love with summer!

I love good summer reads. Who doesn't? Kick back beside the pool or on the beach and fall in love with a story. (I'm getting sparkles in my eyes just thinking about this.) Here's a few of my favorite summer reads:

-Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot: Chick-Lit, Fiction, Romance. This is a quick, flirty, happy read. I couldn't help but fall in love with Lizzie, the main character, as she fumbles, literally through life.
-A Hundred Summers by Beatiz Williams: Historical Fiction, Chick-Lit, Mystery. This summer read keeps your mind turning as you try to figure out the 'true story', with a sweet romantic story, set in the late 1930s.
-Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: Fiction, Mystery, Comedy. Not only is it a light mystery read, it's also very comedic as we look into the mother/daughter relationship between Bernadette and Bee, set in a very quirky world.
-The Boy Nextdoor by Meg Cabot: Chick-Lit, Fiction, Romance. Another quick, flirty, happy read written in a unique manner as it tells the story about Mel, and NYC gossip columnist, who gets in over her head with the handsome boy next door.

All those curls!

Like my must-have summer reads, there are certain beauty products that I couldn't live without while living under the hot summer sun!

-Clinique Pep-Start: because we always should wear a broad spectrum sunscreen if we want to keep our faces from looking like jerky by the time we're in our 50s... start now if have don't already use a sunscreen for your face.
-Rusk 12 in 1: I used this leave-in treatment in my hair whenever I'm going to straighten it and keep it down. It's great at getting through those post-shower snarls, and keeping your hair smooth and silky.

-DevaCurl Light Defining Gel: for the days I want to embrace my curly side, this helps manage my hair chaos (I have a ton of hair).
-John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Waves: this is to manage my day-2 curls... gives them a wild and free beach look.
-Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen, Green Tea SPF 45: more sunscreen! I love this product for my kids as well as myself. If we're going to coat ourselves in something on a regular basis, make sure it's high quality. This product uses aloe vera, green tea, and palm kernel oil. It's free of oxybenzone, octinoxate, PABA, and many more chemicals that are harmful to things like coral reefs. Go green!

Summe at the lake... Yuba Lake

*please note, I have not been paid to represent any of these products.

Favorite To-Dos... who wants to be stuck in the house all day?
-Beach! (I'll take a pool, too): I love spending my summers on the water. Typically we go to MN every summer and spend nearly every day on the lake. But that isn't happening this year, so our local faves at Willard Bay and Pineview Reservoir. In MN it's BugBee Hive Resort on Lake Koronis. And later this summer when we're in So Cal, my faves are Santa Monica and Newport beaches! Give me a cocktail or Diet Coke with a little lime and I am good to go all day!
-Aviary and the Zoo: they're a great place to see the animals, both local and exotic, while the kids (and I) have a great learning experience while being out in the fresh air.
-The library: This is a great, cool option when it's just too hot out! And again... it's a learning environment for the kids. And of course, I just get swallowed up whole in a good book.

Provo Falls, Uintah Moutains

Wall Lake, Uintah Mountains

Real Soccer

-Camping! We love heading up to the high Uintah Mountains for some camping. The window to go is quite limited... July is about the only time to survive up that high in a tent or tent-camper. In June we still have to contend with winter snow, and August it starts getting super cold at night. I mean, colder than July, where hot rocks in the base of your sleeping bag are always a good way to get cozy. Despite the cold nights, it's always pleasantly warm during the days.
-Sports Games: I love going to SL Bees baseball games and the Real SL soccer games. I know very little of the rules of soccer, but there are few sports traditions that rival the atmosphere in a stadium when the home team scores in soccer!
-Amusement Parks/Water Parks: They're always a great way to get outside, even on those hot days, and get some walking in and exhilaration on those roller-coasters and water slides.

Narrows, Zion N.P.

-National/State Parks: Utah boasts some of the most beautiful natural scenery and summer is always a good time to get out and explore. Last summer we did Zion N.P. and Bryce N.P. We hiked the narrows at Zion, and despite my fear of flash floods, I had the best time, and all we decended the canyon of Bryce, which is one of my favorite sight ever. This year we'll head into the red sandstone world of natural arches (highest concentration in the world) when we head down to Moab for Arches N.P. and Canyonlands. Some summer I will make it to Lake Powell.
This weekend we'll also head out to the Hill AFB Air Show, which we look forward to every time it comes to base, which is about every other year. It's stinking hot walking around the flightline, but you can escape some of that unyeilding sun by stepping into the hangars for a bit. This year we'll be following 5 kids around. But those Thunder Birds make it totally worth it!

Bryce Canyon

What are your faves?? I am eager to know! Post in the comments below! And enjoy your summer!!

Good Morning, Sunshine - It's Sunday!

Well, hello there! It's a lazy Sunday morning for this girl... slept in, shamefully made a run to Rancheritos, and am now sipping coffee and listening to my next book. Audible is great, but I learned the hard way to pick non-self-help books. I'm a highlighter, an under-liner, a dog-ear reader... I can't do that with those BAM moments in audio books. So I'm going with a little lighter read today.

Same with this post. A little lighter.

NOT having to share my popcorn

My husband is out of town and my kids had an overnight with their aunt. I had complete solitude- freedom to do whatever I wanted. Hence the lazy morning. As the week comes to a close, I try to reflect on all the blessings this past week brought. Recognizing the little things makes the big picture so much greater.

You may have noticed a few changes to the blog- like the title and the domain- Girl, Dream It. I decided that since I was redirecting my goal for this site that it was only appropriate to re-title it. And in an effort to make sure these aren't always my ramblings, each month I am going to introduce and feature an Amazing Woman. From all walks of life, each on their own, amazing journey, to break down the cultural idea that we all have to be alike- the Pinterest mom (so-to-speak). So stay tuned for my pick for this month.

As summer is upon us, I ask, what are your plans? Taking any vacations? Starting or completing any projects? Running any races (I most certainly won't be doing this!). Moms... what do you do with your kids? What do you read (I'm really hoping you read, but if not- no judgement here). What are your go-to BBQ dishes?

How will you spend your summer?

For me... great books are a must!

Sometime today, Amazon will be delivering my next coveted read- 100 Days to Brave by Annie Downs. I'm freaking stoked to get my hands on this. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and 2 day shipping!!

But... until that book gets here, my current read was a recommendation from the Supreme Goddess herself... Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins

Okay, so the cover makes it look a little like smut. But I know if Rachel could give it the raving review that she did that it has to be good. Not to mention it earned itself 4/5 stars on Goodreads out of over 17,000 ratings. It's certainly light and fluffy... with a love story (which I've already established I'm a sucker for- have you read my novels? Love story. Although that isn't the dominant theme for either of them). I like happy books that make my heart melt from time-to-time, but my genres of choice... well, I don't really have one. My favorite books are all over the map! See the list on the home page.

Here's a link to all of Rachel's summer reading suggestion.

The Chic Site Summer Reads- Rachel Hollis

Moving on... I know not everyone likes light and fluffy and lovey-dovey. I promise that's not all I read! Here are some YA recommendations for the summer, which are always a good bet. And I'd say there is always minimal violence but then I'd be completely proven wrong with series like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner or Divergent. There are, however, never any racy sex scenes. So let's be thankful for that.

YA Summer Reads

Here are some recommendations on a more diverse reading level: some dark, some comedic, some non-fiction, some thrilling and adventurous (the list goes on, but you get the idea). Take your pick. And then let me know your thoughts!

20 Best Beach Books- while still impressing your fellow beach goers

This summer I plan to do a little traveling. Our family took a huge trip to Florida in April, so the rest of our summer plans are a little tame. We are skipping our annual two weeks in Minnesota- you know, time with our families and EVERY day on a lake. My heart aches over the loss of this one. I took a few days this spring to head to Fargo, ND to spend time with my sissy and her new baby. Cutest dude ever. And my husband is currently there taking on official Godfather dudy. We are making a jaunt down to Los Angeles and Temecula, CA (love me some wine country), and then a few days in Moab, UT to hike (in sweltering heat- so we'll bring lots of H20)... but despite the scaling desert temps in the summer, that place never disappoints. And in September, the hubs and I are hoping to escape to San Diego for a long weekend. Hmm... maybe that is a little more travel than I thought. But I am super excited for all of it.

My kids having fun with
auntie Ashy

Other than all that, my plans are pretty low-key. Work in the mornings, running kids up and down the valley (okay, we rarely will leave the county, but it seriously feels like driving the planet 10 times over), and enjoying life in the sun with friends and family. Have I mentioned we got a huge pool this summer? I've had to play babysitter to all the neighbor kids a little too often (it's not like I can run around cleaning my house while I have a pool full of kids- they need supervision for that activity), so needless to say, we are implementing rules. I can't sit in my dining room beside my patio door (it's too hot to be in the sun!) for 5 hours on a regular basis (and yes... 5 hours is NOT an exaggeration).

Next time... let's talk about our favorite summer foods. Do you have any suggestions we should mention? And remember... coming soon will be our featured Amazing Woman, and really, you won't want to miss it. Let's celebrate what everyone brings to the table.

Enjoy your Sunday!