Summer has officially arrived, and for me, that means lots of activities over the coming months. Summer is by far my favorite season, so what better time to get out and do something fun?!
Last summer’s “main event” was a trip to Panama City Beach, FL that I took with Adam and Kiwi. We had a lot of fun and ate at some really cool restaurants. So, what’s on the agenda for this summer?
4th of July Events
Independence day is less than a month away, and I am already looking forward to it. Last year, we hit downtown Memphis for their annual fireworks show. This was my first opportunity to test out my photography skills at shooting fireworks, and I think I got some pretty decent shots. Hopefully we will be doing the same thing this year.
On July 5, we will be heading to Buffalo Wild Wings to check out UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is my favorite UFC fighter. He has some devastating power slams, is also from Memphis and is an absolute trip! He will be defending his title against Forrest Griffin, winner of the very first Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division. Rampage FTW!!
Camping trip… sort of
I was trying to think of something that would be fun to do this year with “the gang” and decided that a camping trip of sorts would be really fun. My original plans were to hit Spring River, Arkansas for a weekend of canoing / rafting. I talked to a few people and everyone was game, but then Keith mentioned that we might be able to use his Aunt’s condo in Hot Springs. The condo is right on a lake, so we could rent a pontoon boat and hang out on the lake for the weekend. He is going to find out about the condo tomorrow. The condo would be awesome because, well we wouldn’t be “roughing it” in tents and such… but really, either way is cool with me and should be a lot of fun. I estimate around 7-8 people for the trip - most certainly the highlight of the summer. We are aiming for sometime mid-late July for this trip.
Fishing
It’s been nearly two years since I last went fishing, which is of course way too long! Our last trip was in September of 2006, when we went out on Sardis Lake with Molly’s dad on their pontoon boat. We caught a ton of fish, took them back, cleaned them and had one heck of a fresh fish meal. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! There are no specific plans for this just yet, but hopefully we can find time to make it happen. I know everyone had a blast last time!
Jet Skiing
Jet skiing is something I have done with Adam the past two years and it is so much fun. I was a bit apprehensive my first time, but after getting out in the water, that all quickly went away. Word of wisdom - don’t drink a lot the night before! Other than that on my first trip, it was really cool. Again, nothing solid is planned yet, but hopefully we can do this again this year.
Moving, Finally!
August 1 can’t get here fast enough! That is the day I will be moving back closer to my hometown. I have been “stuck” an hour away from all of my friends for the past 15 months and am anxious to get back closer to everyone. I already have my new apartment picked out and am just waiting for an opening. I still have plenty of time so I am not worried about it… yet.
Stone Temple Pilots
I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that Stone Temple Pilots were going to be playing at the DeSoto Civic Center on August 3. I am not a huge STP fan, but they do have a dozen or so songs that I really like, so I thought it would be fun to go check out. Unfortunately, it seems that not many of my friends like them, so it seemed I was out of luck.
I was talking to Stephanie the other day and mentioned the concert and she said she was def. going and that it would be cool if I tagged along, sweet! They have access to a suite, even better! I think this will be a really fun concert, and I am looking forward to hanging out with Steph since I haven’t done that much since she moved from Oxford over a year ago.
Birthday
My birthday is August 5, and although I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing, I am sure there will be something or another going on, especially since I will be back closer to everyone. Any ideas??
College Football Season
Ole Miss kicks off the 2008 college football season on August 30 at 5:00 p.m. in Oxford against local rival Memphis. I am a huge Ole Miss football fan and have attended every home game since 2003. I keep a close eye on recruiting, practices and such during the offseason, so by the time the season starts, I am itching for it! My predictions for the year: 7-5 and a bowl game bid!
The Total Money Makeover Live Event
Financial expert Dave Ramsey will be hosting a live Total Money Makeover event Saturday, October 11, 2008 in Birmingham, Alabama. Josh and I will be attending the event and decided it will be a “once in a lifetime” type thing, so we are going “all out” and getting a pair of Platinum Seating Tickets. This gives us access to “Dinner with Dave” before the event with catered food and the opportunity for a meet-and-greet. We also get priority seating at the event (aka front and center), an autographed copy of his latest book as well as several other goodies and access to the platinum break room (the event is five hours long).
CHL Hockey Season
The Mississippi Riverkings hockey season kicks off sometime in mid October (couldn’t find a specific date on their website). Yeah, I know, hockey is about as boring as golf… when you are watching it on TV. Being there in person is a totally different experience and it is so much fun! I only went to one game last year, since I live so far away. But now, I will be about one mile from the Civic Center, so I plan to hit a lot more games with Josh this year.
This looks to be a pretty action-packed summer / fall and I am totally looking forward to it after sitting at home doing nothing all winter! What type of activities do you have planned for this summer?
