A different summer ahead...

As school is winding down this week, I am starting to look ahead to summer. It is already looking very different for 2020. There will be no Junior College World Series baseball tournament (JUCO) here this Memorial Day. The July 4th festivities in Ouray have been canceled. We are unsure if our church will be able to have VBS. It will definitely not be in June, as originally planned. I am hoping we can still do it in late July, but we may have to just wait and see.

Other things are still going to happen, like outdoor movies in a small town nearby, but they are delayed until July. I am hoping that Mallory will still be able to do the summer swim team as she has the past few years. We will probably still have our own backyard movie nights. We are trying to find ways to combat the elm seed beetles that we had so bad last summer!

There are other things that I will do as I've always done. I will create a Shutterfly photo book for one year and have it printed. We will probably still have s' mores in our firepit. We will have water balloon fights in our backyard, and maybe a lemonade stand. I'd love to help my neighbor clean out her garage and have a yard sale. We will probably make a big puzzle or two. I will deep clean my fridge and my oven.

We have to change our thinking from what we can't do to what we CAN do. It is hard to change our way of thinking. I remember my sister went on this strict diet a few years back, that was gluten-free, dairy-free, and had lots of meats and certain fruits and veggies cut out.  She said she had to learn to think about what she could eat, not what she couldn't eat. That is how I have felt about this quarantine as it is going into summer. I need to think about what we can do.

Here are some of my ideas:
-Find tours of museums, or watch different shows posted online (Hamilton?!)
-Watch an old season of a show you like now (We watched Season 1 of The Amazing Race- fun!)
-Get out craft things that you may not have used for a while (Spirograph?)
-Learn to make new recipes
-Deep clean your closets, nooks, and crannies and clear out space!
-Exercise-- try something new like kickboxing!
-Paint rocks with acrylic paint and leave them around your neighborhood when you walk.
-Tackle a home decorating project like painting a room or kitchen cabinets
-Rearrange your furniture... you may find a new layout that you like better!

-Buy a new plant, something different, for inside or outside
-Watch "Bible Project" videos on YouTube... we love them!
-Fly a kite on a windy day!
-Write encouraging messages with sidewalk chalk on your driveway or sidewalk.
-Birdwatch! I've been enjoying a bird ID app called "Merlin," which is free! Buy some birdseed and watch them come! You don't need a birdfeeder, just a dish or bowl will do.
-Coloring books for adults! (and big kids)
-Do MadLibs, Sudoku, or Crossword puzzles (-- books are usually under $5 at the grocery store!)
-Read, read, read
-Learn to style your hair a different way... try a different gel, conditioner, or technique!

-Learn and play a new card game. Learn to shuffle like a card dealer!
-Build your own house out of Legos... with your kids!
-Perfect making coffee! Try a new creamer or recipe.
-Camp in your own backyard, or even in your own living room after you clear out some furniture!
-Take a bubble bath, do a face mask at the same time

-Learn to knit or crochet or another new hobby (candle-making? Lotion bars?)
-Watch all of Tom Hanks' movies or Steve Martin's movies.
-Watch Best Oscar picture winners for the past 20 years.
-Do an indoor or backyard scavenger hunt with kids

-Make strawberry freezer jam... yummy!
-Learn Origami and make cranes. We even have a Star Wars Origami book-- cool!
-Read a book with your kids and then watch the movie... Harry Potter or Bridge to Teribithia?
-Write a short story
-Make a paper fortune teller, or teach your kids how to make one!
-Learn to braid or do different hairstyles on YouTube.
-Watch long movies that you have saved... like "Fiddler on the Roof."
-Download DuoLingo on your phone or iPad and learn a new language!
-Learn calligraphy on YouTube.
-Put on a soap opera, mute the sound and make up your own dialogue! Haha!
-Organize your Tupperware and match the lids. Toss the others!
-Practice an old instrument
-Read long books (Anna Karinna, anyone?)
-Read your Bible, pray, and meditate!
-Learn old English words and use them in a conversation!
-Write a song or a poem
-Learn other ways to wear a scarf
-Make ice cream from scratch

-Try photography! You can find tips and tricks online.
-Make dinner to go with a movie that you watch, like pizza with "Goonies"!
-Watch Mark Rober videos on YouTube... he is a scientist who tries out cool things, so fun!
-Go to the park! Hike! Walk! Enjoy the outdoors! Try a walk or hike in a new spot.
-Make dinner for friends
-Do a summer reading program at the library, or on your own... they have a program for adults! You could set your own goals of reading 100 pages a week, or 5 books, or 1,000 pages for the summer! The app Goodreads has ways to make goals for the year... I'm trying to read 15 books this year.


Some of these ideas are my own, and some were from a newspaper article. I think lots of the above ideas would be fun for adults, families, and kids. I know I always have a pile of books to read, and I am looking forward to diving into several of them! What about you? What would you add?


1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

2 Chronicles 7:14
... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.