I’ll be honest, summer is not one of my favorite seasons. While it’s awesome to be outdoors a lot more often than other times of the year, the above-80 heat makes me miserable. Great time to be training for a fall full marathon, eh? As with a lot of my life focus recently, I’m facing all the things I hate to be more at peace with things, like: humidity and sunburns within 7 minutes and OMG CAN’T STOP SWEATING.

I’m a little jealous at the boyfriend that he has a lot more free time and flex time (and vacation time) than I do, so it’s not really at all like my last few summers have been (now that I have a full-time job AND attending school full-time) where we can jet away wherever and whenever. We have a couple weekend trips planned for back home. We’re going to Toronto in August. School ends in August. But otherwise, I’m looking at a number of fun weekends in Pittsburgh. Alas, here are some of my plans:

I plan to use my courtyard A LOT. More coffees outside in the morning. Feeding the birds when I feed the cats in the AM. Maybe I’ll allow the cats some patio time with me. LOTS of hammock time to unwind from work. And probably a LOT of Claritin, if yesterday’s pollen index is representative of how summer will be.

I plan to do much outdoor yoga this summer too. Starting this weekend, I’m going to a yoga retreat on the lake, and then I’ll be looking for weekly weekend sessions in the city, in the park, on the mount, in a barrel house, by myself, with instructors, with friends. Wherever.

I’m probably going to eat a lot of ice cream. Just saying.

I plan to make good use of our membership at the club too. I will probably take some golf lessons. I will definitely be in that pool on the warmest days of the year. Above all, I’m looking forward to the time I can hang out together with the boyfriend on those days. I truly think there’s much to be said — and gained — about doing active things together.

Blogger, May I? pals: what’s on your summer schedule?