I can be guilty of wishing time away.  I just love to look forward to things, so no sooner than one exciting event or milestone passes am I on to the next.  Right now I’m having a great deal of difficulty focusing on the here and now, since all I can think about is meeting our baby in October.  October, October, October!  When will it GET HERE ALREADY???

But the thing is, there’s a whole summer and early fall to get through before the little miss will be ready to come out and greet the world.  And it’s also the last few months hubby and I will have in the time B.C. (meaning “Before Children,” as my parents used to say).  I don’t want to wish that time away – I want to savor it and enjoy it and make the most of it.  So in that spirit, here’s what I’m looking forward to enjoying this summer:

~New York City!  Twice!  One day trip up while hubby meets up with his dad for a Yankees game and I entertain myself (I’m thinking NY Public Library and the Strand for sure), and then a babymoon, perhaps around the time of our anniversary.  We’ll see a Broadway show (but what to see? I’m torn between my old standby – “The Phantom of the Opera,” which I’ve seen at least five times – and something new, like maybe “Wicked”).  And there will be afternoon tea, breakfast at Sarabeth’s, more shopping at the Strand, wandering Central Park, dinners out…

~Browsing for used books at Second Story and The Book Bank, and carrying home a steal or twelve.

~A visit from the beautiful and talented Katie and her husband.  I can’t wait to show them around my favorite DC haunts, and to take a few days off work to play tourist.

~Tart yogurt with my coworkers, a welcome break on hot afternoons.

~Wandering the trails in Rock Creek Park and at Great Falls – once this current heat wave evaporates, that is.

~Grown-up dinners out with hubby.  We’ve made a pact to eat out at least once or twice every week this summer, which is something we don’t usually do.  But there’s not much time left before frequent dining out in nice restaurants will be a rarity, and goshdarnit, we’re taking advantage of this time.

~Summer reading.  Of course!  Sometimes that means a big chunkster, and sometimes it means lots of light fare.  This summer, I think it means revisiting my favorite childhood classics, like the Anne and Emily books by L.M. Montgomery, and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  And further denting of the TBR list, naturally.  And along with this one goes: having time to read, period.  I don’t know how much time I’ll have come fall, so I want to get in a few more lazy afternoons of lounging with a book in before the little miss shakes things up.

~Peanutty preparations.  We’ve got a nursery to get ready!  You all know what that means: SHOPPING.  I don’t love shopping for myself (well, sometimes I do – definitely for books) but shopping for adorable baby decor and tiny dresses?  I’m so there.  (Oh, it also means childbirth and infant care classes.  I’m excited about the infant care classes, but approaching the childbirth classes with considerable trepidation.)

~Welcoming R home from her faraway job.  I can’t wait until she’s safely back Stateside for good.

~Evening walks with hubby around our hilly neighborhood, where we hold hands and smell the fragrant summer blooms and carry on two separate conversations simultaneously.  (I babble about all things pregnancy and baby, and he critiques the neighbors’ lawns.)

~Visiting the farmers’ market regularly.  And eating delicious fresh fruit, as much as I can.  Especially cherries and peaches.  And watermelon.  And strawberries.

~Spotting fireflies in my backyard.  They’re my favorite bugs.  I can watch their little glowing butts for hours.

What are you planning to savor about summer?