Texas Summers

I am not 15 anymore. This was made clear to me the other day after riding a wave runner multiple times on a windy and rough watered lake. The entire right side of my body is aching. I thought at one point that I must have slipped a disk. That's what people over the age of 30 do, they slip disks. I remember when I used to be able to slalom for 15 minutes at a time and barely break a sweat. Now I get jarred a few times by the waves and I think I've broken something...or everything. But it was so worth it!

I am concocting a plan of how I can spend my entire summer at my parents lake house and still get paid.














Who wouldn't want to stay here all summer?

I admit that I have experienced jealousy pangs of my little brother just beginning his three months of summer. Do you remember those days of studying hard for hours and days to make good grades on your finals and then suddenly you're done? The feeling of driving around in Bunny's old red blazer with the windows down and singing at the top of our lungs to Ace of Base's "All That She Wants is Another Baby" and realizing that we're done...DONE...can hardly be beat. All the summers held for me were a month of kamp (heaven on earth), cheerleading slumber parties and driving my friends in my cherry red 1992 Toyota Celica. Ahhhhhh, Texas summer nights.

Maybe I should become a teacher. I'm not sure what I would teach. I love art history but that would mean teaching at a collegiate level. Collegiate level = summer classes. Hmmmm, maybe not.

Another thing I love about Texas summers is the feeling of walking inside and feeling the blast of cold air on a 100 degree day. Then there's the thawing out as you leave the ice box buildings and step into the heat. Fresh cut grass, cold lemonade, icy watermelon, cookouts, luke warm pools, baseball games on the radio, cicadas, cold dark movie theaters, lightening bugs, sunburned skin, no makeup, slapping of bare feet on hot cement, 9:00 p.m. sunsets, late night ice cream runs...all of these are a part of my childhood. This past weekend made us feel like kids again.

Or lab rats...