An Ode to Summer

Oh, summer time...the season of sun-kissed skin, sandy toes, and windows and sun-roof rolled down to let in the summer breeze. No one ever mentions the over-friendly mosquitoes, "Palmetto Bugs"-aka cockroaches-the size of your hand, or the miserable humidity.  My "summer look" consists of an abnormal amount of freckles and moles (thanks, English/German/Irish ancestors!); my "sun-kissed" skin turns just slightly pink all summer, never tan or brown, and the humidity makes my wavy-ish hair frizzy and disgusting. (What's up with girls loving their "beachy waves"? No such thing exists for me. My hair turns into dreadlocks after I emerge from the ocean.)  Also, I'm not going to beat around the bush...I don't have a summer glow; I'm just sweating from the humidity. ALL THE TIME. (And everyone wonders why I prefer fall in the mountains so much?)

Now don't get me wrong, living in a sleepy, Southern beach town during the summer does have its perks:
1.) I don't have to drive far to get to the beach. (Which would be more of a perk if I actually tanned.) None of that packing up all your crap and driving 2 hours. It takes me less than 5 minutes.
2.) Our town has a ballin' fourth of July parade. And a boat parade. TOP THAT, AMERICA.
3.) The likelihood of meeting an attractive guy that you DIDN'T go to high school with increases ten-fold because it's tourist season. (Downside: he leaves after a week and it's back to the same old familiars.)
4.) I don't have to work in the summer because I'm a teacher. To all of those who didn't choose this career path because of the monetary aspect: You don't have summers off, suckas!
5.) I get to see scenery like this, every day:

(Yes, that's my leg. It actually looks tan thanks to the filter. Thanks, Instagram!)