summer is coming // a playlist

featuring:

i. songs for good times with friends

ii. songs for backyard dance parties

iii. songs for sunshine and clear waters

iv. a song from the aloha state, just because

v. songs for the lazy days

vi. songs for sleeping under the stars

vii. songs from summers past

the days are getting longer, and the weather is starting to favour the sun a lot more. i am so excited to throw my school books in the air like i just don't care, to feel the sand under my feet and the sun on my skin, and to travel to new places. while school isn't over for me yet, i know summer is coming. i can feel it.

{ P.S. what are you looking forward to this summer? :) }

How to Have a Memorable Summer

Change your perspective.

Do things you won't normally do (or don't like doing). Anything can be an adventure, if only you saw it that way.

Spend time.

Don't get too focused on being productive this summer and forget about the people around you. Talk to them, walk with them, help them, play with them, get to know them a little better. I thought my summer would be memorable because of all the things I'd get to do but, looking back, the very best memories I have are the ones that I spent with others.

Capture the moments.

Take a thousand pictures. Fill page after page, describing those precious summer days (or nights). Make a scrapbook. Maybe a montage like this one. Get out your pens, paints, tapes, and pictures and journal like crazy (here's some inspiration). These moments might never happen again, so have a little something to remember them by.

And, lastly, live.
Embrace each and every minute of your life. Dance in the rain. Watch old movies. Sing in the shower. Climb a tree. Whistle. Throw a block party. Watch the sun set. Don't live to blog. Just enjoy the moment and live.


{Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4}
{PS This post was inspired by Stella, who made the montage and the journal linked above. Her awesome blog is awesome. You should visit it.}
{PPS I updated the contact form. To those who asked questions, I'm so sorry I couldn't reply. Would you mind sending them again if you still want the reply? Thank you!}

June 2012's Joy

Words

Blogs and bloggers

More movie soundtracks

God's faithfulness

New friends

New experiences

Buses

Picnics

Smiles

Sun

Swimming

Summer, finally!

{P.S. I'm quite fond of alliterations. Haven't you noticed?}

{P.P.S. Holy macaroni. Only three posts out of the thirty days of June?! Tsk tsk tsk. Please accept my deepest apologies!}

{Image design (c) Hannah G.}

Wild Summer Days

Days of gray rainclouds suddenly giving way to blue skies and numerous white clouds (praise God!).

Days of spinning, swaying, and feeling the cool rush of the wind (aka tire swinging).

Days of homemade slides and see-saws.

Days of all-natural, no-preservatives-added salad stew lovingly prepared by a five-year-old and a six-year old (with the help of a few others).

Days of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (even the failed ones).

Days of either running, biking, golfing, promenading, or rolling across vast, open spaces (sometimes singing a la Sound of Music).

Ah, these wild summer days!

{Images (c) Hannah G.}

{P.S. Terribly sorry for the low-quality, overloaded-with-vintage-effects photos. They don't do the subjects justice at all! Nevertheless, they were the products of  "capturing the moments" despite the lack of a DSLR.}

{P.P.S I know this post is rather bland. Sorry for that as well! Final exams are coming up, and they are befuddling my brain. I'll try to write better posts during the summer!}