"Sweet Summertime"

Summer is my favorite season, I love everything about it. The heat, softball practices in the sun, swim meets, spending time with my friends, Church Camps, 4th of July Fireworks, the Beach, even down do the late night thunderstorms. With my Nanny living at the Beach and My Mom's family going once a year my home away from home is the Beach. My favorite memories from when I was younger are the times that were spent at the Beach. Building sand castles in the sand, going out REALLY far in the ocean with my Dad and then riding the waves all the way back in. Always trying to get darker than my Grandpa, which still to this day is just not possible. The trips to Ocean Isle Beach with my Moms Family up until I was 13ish (which then they stopped??? :( ) were always so much fun. We always spent one afternoon fishing out on the Beach with Grandpa, (he would always bait my hook, because I am the oldest and favorite Granddaughter....and because I wouldn't do it) my cousin Brad would always say "Ashley It's Just a worm". It was always a contest to see who could catch the biggest fish. Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Martha were always on stand by with the Cameras, and over the years all of us managed to catch the biggest fish at some point, although I liked it better when my lil sister beat me instead of Brad. On the last night we always went to play putt putt, and yes we always had to keep score. We always had the color of the ball we wanted picked out before we even pulled into the parking lot, I always got blue, Brad green, and Samantha pink, and we always had to rotate who went first so that it was "fair". Brad and I always managed to get mad at each other and not talk to one another for at least 3 holes, and whoever won always had bragging rights for the ENTIRE year, he hated to get beat by a girl just as much as I hated getting beat by a boy. The rare times Samantha by luck beat us by one or two points were easier for Brad and I to deal with. The trips to Ocean Isle were not complete unless we bought our yearly Ocean Isle Beach t-shirt, played putt-putt, went fishing with grandpa, and sang along with Brad in the back of Aunt Martha's Volvo to Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise". Life was worry free, easy, and although sometimes the family vacations had their fair share of arguments I would pay anything to get "my family" vacations back. When my parents got divorced my "family" vacations ended. I will always cherish my memories and am so thankful that my friends have always made me feel like a part of their families and allowed me to go on family vacations with them. You have no idea how much that has meant to me over the years, especially the year my parents got divorced. When my life was torn apart and I was so consumed with fear, and heartache without question my friends were there, to without a doubt welcome me into their families. God has blessed me with many families in which I have "other moms and dads", who still to this day make sure that I am taken care of, would do anything for me, and think of me as their own. I cherish these memories as well; along with so many others. Summer always takes forever to get here, and never seems to last long enough!

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