It’s raining in the Ozarks today. Feels like spring, which I guess for the next 20 or so days, it still is. I’m usually not a fan of summer. I hate being hot. I hate being sticky (and it’s always sticky in the Ozarks). And like most women, I’m thrilled with body in a bathing suit.

But I’m trying to turn over a new leaf this summer, and I’m embracing the warmth. Here are the top ten things I love about summer:

1. Homemade ice cream
2. Independence Day
3. My birthday (August 20)
4. Flip flops
5. Tank tops
6. Driving around town with my windows down and radio up
7. How green the grass is right after it rains
8. (Slightly) slower days at work
9. Sonic slushes
10. The smell of freshly-laid asphalt

OK, back to you. What do you love about summer?