The south is one of the most beautiful places; there's the beach, friendly people, and lovely weather, well, most of the year. Don't get me wrong, the weather here is lovely in the fall and spring, the winter is quite mild, but summertime here is like standing in an oven... for 5 months. Add the extreme heat and add a whole lot of humidity, and it's practically impossible to do anything outside unless you plan on getting drenched in sweat or you're headed somewhere with water. Around mid-July, the whole heat and humidity thing gets really old, and us southerners rely on many things to keep us going through these rough months. After being born and raised in such a unruly summer environment, I've found many things helpful for escaping the heat.
Clothes
Even though most of us would rather wear our bathing suits everywhere during the summer, we normally need more clothes than that. For the summer I rely on my collection of collard button-ups (or oxfords) because they are light, easily paired with shorts, and universal to any events that may pop up on the calendar. Skirts are nice to wear, but during the summer I normally find skirts to be quite annoying (the wind picks them up, not good for adventuring, etc.) so I stick with my good selection of shorts. Last summer, I visited a local thrift shop, picked out some jeans that were in good condition, cut them into shorts, added lace trim to the pockets and bottoms, and voila! I haven't stopped wearing them since! In the case of shoes, I would love to say I spend the summer prancing around in my fancy sandals but honestly, you can't tear my Rainbow flip flops off my feet when it's this hot outside. However, if you're looking for a fancier shoe to pair your outfits with but are worried they'll get ruined over the course of the summer, there is a brand (click here!) that sells knock off Jack Rogers. I know several people with these shoes and they say they're extremely comfortable and they don't have to worry about ruining a $100 pair of sandals. After I get ready before going out, I usually slide in one of American Apparel's hair bows to add style to any boring pony tail.
Snacks
Obviously, if you've ever visited the south, you'll find that the drink of choice is sweet tea. Even though I'm not a fan of it, it's cold and sweet and that's all that matters here! Frozen treats are also typical for any hot day, but most treats are full of corn syrup and unneccisary amounts of sugar. That's why lately I've been making my own. They're extremely easy to make and there are so many recipes!
Now don't these look simply delicious?
Activities
At this point of the year, it's way too hot to be just hanging out outside, and even though the AC calls everyone indoors, there's only so much one can do when cramped inside for long periods of time. So what do I do? I'm a bike ride away from the pool and 10 minutes away from two beaches, so I take advantage of these resources. Other than that I can be found filling my RooCup with a coke ICEE. RooCup's are $7 cups that give you 25 cent refills at any Kangaroo gas station all summer, and because there's plenty of these gas stations around, I'll bear the heat and ride my bike to one.
I'd like to sprout off more ideas, but other than those two options, I'm usually reading a good book indoors, checking social media, taking pilates and yoga at a local gym, or catching a movie with my friends (I'm pretty much in hibernation mode all summer, oops).
Hope y'all are beating this heat!
Love,
Natalie
