How to Enjoy Your Summer in the 417
It’s summer and the possibilities are endless!
Summer holds this amazing blank slate and also simultaneously this incredible pressure if you’re not careful. Let’s keep it fun and remember that you don’t need to have a “successful” summer.
Or maybe you do? But you get to define what “success” is and it’s not related to social media or keeping up with anyone. Including the long list of ideas you’ve got swirling around.
Put the Important Things on the Calendar First
Decide on your non-negotiables for the summer. Maybe it’s 3 things.
What 3 things do you absolutely want to make happen this summer?
Vacation, kids ballgames, swim lessons, road trip, brunch with a friend, start a new hobby. What is important to you?
The difference between the summers people remember and the ones that blur together is usually just whether the important things were actually put on the calendar.
Pick a date. Make it real. The lake trip, the road trip, watching the sunrise — none of it happens on accident.
Spend Time at the Lake
Pomme de Terre is right there and it’s genuinely beautiful. An early start when the water is still and the light is incredible and there’s nobody else around yet. Bring the people you care about. Leave your phone in the bag for a few hours. Be somewhere with no agenda. This is the stuff that becomes a core memory.
Do the Local Things You’ve Always Skipped
Every town has things that locals walk past every day without ever doing. The festival you’ve driven by for years. The hiking trail everyone talks about but nobody actually takes.
The overlook that’s apparently incredible but you’ve never made the drive. Do them this summer.
You might be surprised by what’s been right here the whole time.
Document It While It’s Happening
Take the photos. The candid ones, the silly ones, the ones where the light is perfect and everyone looks like they belong in a movie. You don’t need a professional camera — your phone is enough for this. The goal is just to capture what this summer actually felt like so you have something to hold onto when the next chapter starts.
Give Yourself Permission to Do Nothing Sometimes
Not every day of the last summer needs to be packed. Some of the best summer memories are the ones with no agenda — sitting on someone’s porch, driving with nowhere to go, doing absolutely nothing and somehow having the best time. Let those days exist. They’re part of the story too.
Book a Photo Session
Practical note that we fully believe in: summer is great for a photo session. The light is incredible, your schedule has breathing room, and you’ll have your beautiful photos ready headed into the school year.
Do what matters to you!
