This post is sponsored by Harlequin but the memories are my own.
Unsurprisingly, summertime was one of my favorite times growing up because it meant no school and lots of time for reading (oftentimes in my favorite tree) and family vacations. To be honest, some things never change and summer reading is still one of my favorite things to do. This summer, I picked up Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf (released June 24, 2014), a book about the importance of family in the face of adversity (read excerpt). Because family memories are so important, I’ve decided to share a few of my favorites from over the years (the good and the funny).
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Childhood Memories – Road trip
Every summer, my family would drive to the 22 hours from Florida to Boston in our minivan. The trip always took two full days and we stopped in or around Alexandria, VA. Here are a few of my memories from that drive:
- Getting dinner at a restaurant in Alexandria, only to have something in the kitchen catch fire. I’m not sure whether it was actually my food or not, but I think it was.
- Getting stuck on the Ring of Fire at the Brockton Fair. The ride stopped with my cousin and I in it for a full 17 seconds, during which we had to prop up our bodies upside down by placing our hands on the roof of the car. I will never, ever go on this ride again. Ever.
- When I was 22, I finally picked up the Harry Potter’s. I started reading them on the drive to Boston and read the first five within a week. It was fantastic. If you plan to take a road trip this summer, I recommend bringing Little Mercies along for the ride.
Childhood Memories – Boston and Gramma’s House
I have a million fond memories of my Gramma’s house, from my invisible friend to hiding in the lazy susan to stuffing myself behind the TV under the basement stairs with a book. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Sitting on the littlest duck at the Duck Pond in the Boston Commons. For as long as I can remember, I would sit on the littles one for a photo every year. Naturally, as I got older, the pictures became a little more ridiculous, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
- Hanging out by the creek in my Gramma’s backyard. I remember when I was little I would throw rocks into the creek so that I could hop across it. As I got older, I was able to take one long step over the creek, but when I was a kid it was huge. There was also an old shopping cart in it for years and years and I have to wonder whether it is still there.
Childhood Memories – My Birthday!
My birthday is in June, which meant I never got a school birthday party. Luckily, my family is amazing and I had some really great birthday parties over the years, including an amazing one at McDonald’s when I was 5 or 6. Growing up in Florida (and living a little while in Orland0), we also spent a lot of time at Disney World.
- When I was 12, my amazing aunt and uncle rented a convertible for the day to take my friends and I to the skating rink. We hung out in my front yard for a while playing games (with boys!) and then drove around town jamming out to some rad music. This was back in 1994, so the music blaring from the speakers included NKOTB, Vanilla Ice, and Technotronic and we were so cool.
