My son gets his love for the outdoors naturally from both parents. I love being outside, and there are certain activities I love more than others while getting some Vitamin D.

In my book it is officially summer with students gone from campus. All I can think about is how to get outside more and what funtivities we can do.

My brother and I circa 1995.

Here are some of my favorite things to do in the warmer weather:

• Swimming-Put me in a pool or a lake and I will be as happy as a clam. I love to be in the water. When we were younger, my family rarely went fishing because I would always run through the water and scare of all the fish. Above is one of the few times my swimming didn’t impact my brother’s fishing.
• Trail Hikes-I love exploring new nature trails. There is just something about walking through the trees that is very calming. I try to do this at least once a week since there are so many around us here in mid-Missouri.
• Miniature Golf-We haven’t been in awhile, but this was our favorite thing to do while we were dating. I love it!

• Sitting by a campfire-Roasting marshmallows and talking by the glow of the fire. So relaxing. I am so happy we got our fire pit set up this month!
• Baseball-I mean really is there any surprise here? I can’t wait to get to Kauffman to watch my Royals play!
• Carnivals-I love street fairs and carnivals. It’s a great place to watch all the locals. While I won’t ride the rides-ugh hello I grew up working at a theme park and doing safety checks-but the games sure are fun. And I love the food! We live in a place that has street stuff all the time. I can’t wait for these this summer!

What are your favorite summer activities?