Summer! Summer! Summer! Summer! At the end of the school year, no matter how old the movie is, High School Musical wraps around my brain when one gets all excited about receiving a Tesla. Summer coincides with happiness and freedom. Whoever tells you that they hate summer is lying. Summer is one of our closest friends that brings light into everyone's life. There are a few things in mind that I would have to say are greatly influenced by summer: the summer bod, sleeping in, warmer weather with the days lasting longer, and getting the chance to go on spontaneous adventures, wherever they may take you, and reuniting with all of your friends.

The Summer Bod

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During these glorious days, we find ourselves thriving in bikinis or trunks and we want to feel the utmost confidence in our summer body. That being said, we feel the need to exercise or "eat less". Some of us have to rid ourselves of that dreadful Freshman 15. The summer body we so strive to achieve is usually with unrealistic expectations of getting to a level known as a skinny queen. The new year of 2019 revelations have developed in all-natural and organic products- health equals happiness. From the most recent and popular Keto diet to gym memberships all over America, the winter bulk is no longer the move. This is the time us girls will have to finally take out the dusty razor that we have so leisurely used in the winter time and put it to use on our werewolf legs. During these, months ladies and gents will be tanning in backyards and spending time with their family, which is much needed, not to mention all of the a/c bills, the noise complaints, and the motto: "there are no rules." It's like spring break on steroids.

The Chance to Sleep in as Late as Your Heart Desires!

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Personally, growing up, I would go to bed later and later but have to wake up earlier and earlier. Not the most ideal way to do it but come on, Pinterest is just so addictive and so hard to get off of. Anyways, back to the topic at hand, sleep is the underlying factor of success, productivity, and one's overall health. Summer is the time that everyone or mostly everyone (I really don't want to come to terms that not everyone has the free-spirited summer that students get to relive every year) gets to relax, take a break, and catch up on sleep. One of my favorite qualities she has of all seasons is the extinction of undereye bags for 3 months. Having bags under one's eyes causes excess wrinkles which are not the youthful look that everyone strives to have. Do you see Kim K with undereye bags? NO, that's because she gets her beauty rest, case and point! For me, if I don't get enough sleep, nothing is ever worth the effort. Sad, but true. I literally cannot function without sleep. It causes moodiness and it makes others believe that it's my time of the month again. This is exactly why everyone is so happy and bubbly in the summer, because sleep is everything anyone could ask for. I am not a morning person, which is deeply unfavorable for me because everyone I know is. "Watching the sunrise is a beautiful thing Gabs", but God created the sunset, for those who love to sleep in and have lunch for breakfast.

Sunny With a Chance of a Bad Day for Cloud Hunters

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In the summer, the entire population's mood changes. It's almost as if there is a switch on the back of us like Buzz Lightyear. Happiness and sunshine are glorified across the globe. This is the time for bikinis and laying by the pool. Boys thrive over booty shorts and girls are itching to buy Gucci slides. The hotter it is, the more people are cooking like bacon while flowers are blooming beyond compare. When I got back home from my 9-hour drive leaving my first year of college behind me, I was so excited to be in shorts and sandals. The temperatures rising means fewer articles of clothing and more populated beaches. Every day you are supposed to drink 8 bottles of water but I, like many others, do not do that. Unless I just got done with a workout or endured a sizzling hot day in the sun, I rarely can get myself to casually drink water. The overall vibes given off on a sunny day are more positive than on a rainy day; unless you are one of my weird friends who feel the happiest when the sky and atmosphere are gloomy and humid. You don't hear people say, "wow its a beautiful day outside" when there is a chance of a thunderstorm.

The Urge to Make Spontaneous Trips and Vacays

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I don't know about you, but I always feel this urge to plan vacations during the summer even though my goal is to make a ton of money, but trips involve me spending money. Yes, I do understand the concept of budgeting but there is something in my head that just tells me if I want to make money I can't do all of these trips and music festivals. Once you go through your first year of college then you will truly understand the concept of being broke. In high school, I would say I was broke but was I really though? In college, you experience being broke on a whole other level. At the end of the school year, there is always a part of me that wants to make my summer the absolute best. From a counselors perspective, they would think that I internally feel like it's the last summer I have to live, but this is not the case. When I think of summer it's as if my whole body is taken over by this emotion and given a concept of no rules, no responsibilities, and definitely no financial circumstances holding me back. My friends would say hiking but I would say cliff jumping. There are so many trips and adventures to explore during the summertime that you might as well take advantage of it.

​​Endless Sleepovers and Wild Shenanigans With Your Friends​​

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In the summer I get so excited to hang out with my best friends and waste my time watching Eric Andre compilations. Picking fruit at the local farm, staying up unreasonably late and watching "Princess Diaries" are all included in our summer extravaganza. Friends are the absolute best people on the planet to cry your heart out with and to surround you with the most support possible. Going to a school that is 552 miles away is really hard, and during the summer I honestly have tears of joy when my best friends and I reunite with each other. Whether it's planning road trips or going to music festivals together, we have the best time. Meeting up with old friends gives you a chance to spill all the tea from the school year and be as goofy as you want. Summertime gives you the opportunity to surround yourself with these people and I couldn't be more excited to do so.