Blog

01 July

Author Round-Up: Favorite Summer Memories

A new week means a new Blink Blog! This week was asked our authors to share their favorite summertime memories as well as give an update on how their summer is progressing so far. Keep reading below to find out their answers!

What is your favorite childhood summertime memory? 

Annie Sullivan: My favorite memories are playing outside with our neighbors until the fireflies would come out. Then, I’d try and catch them. Then again, I also had a particular fondness for the ice cream truck when it would come around!

Christina June: I am lucky to have parents who value experiences and travel, so our annual summer vacation has provided me with many awesome memories.  I loved playing in the sand at Myrtle Beach, walking down the Matterhorn and waving to the hikers going up, meeting characters at Disney World, and panning for gold in Alaska.  Visiting new places is something my husband and I carry on with our daughter.

Kimberly Gabriel: Growing up, my family and I spent every 4th of July at my grandparents’ home on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For an entire week, my mom’s seven siblings along with my fourteen cousins would spend time together riding bikes, water skiing, swimming, fishing, kayaking and barbequing. Nicknamed “Camp Kimberly,” my week in Oshkosh was always my favorite week of the entire year. (Fun fact: Kimberly is my mother’s maiden name. I was named after my grandparents, and it’s the reason I go by Kimberly instead of Kim). 

Lauren Mansy: Some of my favorite summertime memories are from camping trips in Michigan. There’s not a whole lot I love more than s’mores around a campfire, hiking sand dunes, and spending time with wonderful friends!

Laurie Boyle Crompton: My family piling blankets into the car and heading to the drive-in to see a double feature is one of my absolute favorite childhood memories! I now drive a conversion van we call Vandura 3.0 that is pretty impractical to maneuver through traffic, and there’s always traffic where we live in Queens. But I love Vandura for several reasons; 1) it can fit ALL THE THINGS plus bicycles inside, 2) the seats are super-comfy and make it feel like we’re driving around in a living room, and best of all, 3) it’s PERFECT for the drive-in. We have to travel to upstate NY to go, since the last drive-in on Long Island closed many years ago, but it is totally worth the road trip! 

McCall Hoyle: From sunup to sundown, my childhood was pretty much spent meandering through fields of hip-high grass, exploring shady patches of forest, or splashing in the creek with my pony Duchess. She was my best friend and definitely one of my favorite childhood memories. 

Stephanie Morrill: When I lived in California in elementary school and we had a pool in our backyard. Swimming after dark was the best!

How has your summer been so far?

Annie Sullivan: My summer has been great! I went to Disney World for the first time since I was six, and I had a ton of fun! I’ve also been spending time reading and hanging out by the pool—some of my favorite summer activities!

Kimberly Gabriel: The beginning of every summer is always chaotic as I transition from a full-time teacher to a full-time mom of three until I get my systems down. That said, I love my summers and spending time with family. July and August are typically the months I get to relax the most with my kids. 

Lauren Mansy: Though the weather in Chicago has been less-than-ideal (endless rain!), this summer has been filled with many wonderful memories — I’ve visited family, traveled to places I’ve never been before, and enjoyed sweet moments with friends!

Laurie Boyle Crompton: I’ve been trying to juggle several jobs and writing projects and teenagers, and DOGS and miss the days when summer meant being free and OFF and constantly at the beach. I haven’t made it to the beach just yet this year, and also hope to make a trip to western PA where I grew up. But I’m such a fan of being outside in the summer, I try to make time for it every day no matter how busy I get. Even with my postage-stamp-sized lawn here in NY, there’s nothing quite like being barefoot in the grass. Of course, it looks more like ‘pacing inside the fence’ than ‘frolicking through the field’ these days but that sensation of cool soft blades between my toes is the perfect de-stressor and works on me every time!

McCall Hoyle: Amazing. I’m catching up on my to-be-read stack, visiting with family, and chilling with Gordon, my golden retriever. Stephanie Morrill: My three kids are out of school and home all the time, so it’s been high on fun and low on productivity. I guess that’s what summer is for, but I’m a To Do list girl, so sometimes the balance feels stressful for me.