Pictures of Summer: A post without words...

Summertime in Washington: Go Big or Go Home!

Survival Tip #17: Summer is beautiful here. This is one of the best reasons to live in Washington, so don't let it pass you by!

So, before I visited Washington for the first time I remember wondering in the world would anyone live up here? My friend Eric (a Californian, turned Washingtonian, then returned Californian) would talk about missing living in Washington and I thought he was crazy.  I mean, what is the point of living where it rains so much when you can enjoy the warmth and sun virtually year round? 


To be truthful, I was so ignorant living in California that I did not even recognize our lack of seasons. In the Bay Area we get a mild Winter with rainy and cold days, but the closest we get to feeling wintry is overcast skies and a couple frosty mornings. Spring arrives and passes in a blink and then Summer hits without a rainy day from July to October. Then the weather cools enough for the leaves to turn brown before it rains again, signaling Winter's return. I remember complaining if it wasn't warm enough to wear shorts by June. I genuinely thought my skin was brown because of my natural complexion. Now I have come to see this was just 20 odd years of base tan building up. 


Living in Washington has virtually stripped me of any remnants of said tan, but has developed a lot more character in its place. In California when it rained I raced to cover myself and begrudgingly hid inside, waiting for the clouds to pass. In Washington, you cannot do that. It is literally impossible. I remember being shocked seeing people jogging in the rain (perhaps even with their kids in strollers!), walking without hoods in the rain, even barbecuing in the rain, with little care for the precipitation they were being subjected to. Now, I understand that just because the weather isn't ideal, doesn't mean life stops. One must find a way to make the most of circumstances. I noticed that a lot of my Survival Tips sound something like "If the weather is bad, Do this..." Sounds repetitive, but it is just life. If you can't do something you would ideally want to do because it's raining, find something else to focus on.


All that being said, when it is Summer in Washington, I find myself thinking of a quote from Arrested Development:

"When life gives you the chance to be with someone special you just... grab that brownish area by the points and never let go no matter what your mom says!" -Buster

Buster wasn't wearing his glasses when he met a girl (who happened to be his mom's neighbor) at a party, and I love how this translates to Washington Summers. We go all out, and even if it does rain (because that happens here in the summer), we keep going hard! That being said, summers are absolutely gorgeous here! All that rain keeps it green here through most of the summer. The weather gets warm but generally not sweltering except for a week or so sprinkled throughout to keep things interesting.  And Washington seems to be a land of a thousand lakes. If it strikes your fancy your can go for a dip in a lake, or in the Puget Sound if you can brave the cold, salt water. And really, what sounds better than spending a summer on a lake? I love it.


In WA it seems you can't count of summer arriving until July 5th, but we have had a lot of nice days this year. We already took our annual June camping trip and had a mix of rain and sun. There have been several opportunities to wear cute flowy dresses (my pregnant body is grateful!) and when it gets cool/wet, I've just slipped on leggings and a cardigan. There have been several fun graduations and graduation parties to attend, and a wonderful wedding to participate in (Congrats Nate and Shawna!!). The weather was not ideal for many of these events, but it was hardly even mentioned.


As June, my MIL, says we have all Winter to hibernate and recuperate. Why waste a sunny minute of summer?


I've done so much writing I don't want to add too much more, so look for pictures and a baby update soon! (and soon doesn't mean in a few weeks).