OK, easy one this week. I know February is not the start of Spring here – we often have pretty cold/cool Marches and Aprils – but the last 2 days of the month were so nice by afternoon, that the feeling of Spring has wormed its way into my mind. So without further ado, here are 13 things I am excited for during that season. (This list also includes things we plan to do very soon, during the season, not necessarily season-specific.)

1. Flowers, obviously. Our camellia bloomed when it got really cold a few weeks ago but the other stuff will begin exploding around the yard very soon.
2. Yardwork. Sounds nutty, I know, but as I tried to fall asleep last night, I was thinking about how much I want to get out there and trim bushes and get things nice and clean. If I start now, by the time summer is in full swing, the yard will look nice for all those pool gatherings we host.
3. Those nice days when it’s low 70s. Man, those are the best! Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, clear blue skies. I love them!
4. Baseball! We used to always play baseball (I say we but I mean my oldest son) and I miss it. Isaac played one season and Dakota has never played but she is signed up now. I also requested Coach Todd, who we’ve had for both flag football and soccer (he’s better at soccer) and the thing is, he’s just a nice guy. Always on time, always patient with the kids. It’s the coach-pitch league and I think it’ll be good for her.
5. Getting the pool ready. Much like the yard, it feels good to make your place look nice. We will probably pull the winter cover off in late March and start the cleaning and re-salting process. Walmart had it’s normal $5.98 bags of salt on sale for $2.50 – so we bought 20. We will probably have way too much for this season but hey, you can always stockpile.
6. Sitting on the deck. This one ties into better temps but we have a huge deck and since some trees have been cut down, it’s a nice vista to take in, perhaps while drinking a cold one. (FYI, Ash and I did this one day last week!)
7. Brewing. We have 2 on tap now and two ready to be carbonated but we only have the 2 taps so they’ll have to wait. Which they can, technically, but it stresses me out. LOL. A friend of ours, Lee, keeps many beers fermenting for months before putting them in his keyser. We are hoping to make one of our own; it’s really just a deep freezer with an additional high cuff around it so you can keep kegs inside and convert it into a kegerator.
8. Birthdays. Mine, specifically. I don’t care to really celebrate my birthday, to be honest, but a friend of ours shares the same day and he is turning 50. We’ll probably be having a gathering for his and I guess mine, by default. My son will turn 11 in April too and I am totally having a party. He missed it last year due to corona but at this point, it’s safe enough. Plus. he has been to multiple parties since and everything was A-ok.
9. Biking. Last April, we went all-in on getting our bikes fixed up, getting new ones for the kids, and riding around the area. Granted, it was during lockdown/corona-time but there’s nothing keeping us from doing this again.
10. Tanning. I sat out the other day and got some sun, proving to myself how early I can get that color. If weather permits, we should have warm enough temps I can spend more time outside.
11. Soccer. I have signed my boys up for another soccer league – the semi-premier one in town – and it is their first time. Though they have both played the sport since they were four, they have never gone into these other, more competitive leagues. But I wanted them to have something to do after city soccer ends, It’s along time between this coming Saturday and late August when Flag starts up again. This league is quite a bit more expensive (maybe by 150-175 bucks!) but I hope, worth it.
12. Motivation. This one ties into a lot of the others but I can already see it. As temps get better, we feel the pull to the outdoors, to projects, to being active.
13. Seeing my family more. My parents visited 3 times between August and February. We went there twice. This is great but we also normally see them much more often. I am hoping they will try to travel more. It’s so funny because my mom has her head on straight about the virus. Yes, she and my dad are in the “vulnerable” range but they do not have comorbidities. My mom vacillates between being reasonable about it all and being worried, which is natural. But they get their first shot tomorrow and maybe that will help ease her mind.