As the summer kicks off, I have been keeping an eye out for things to do in our local community. We spend so much time in our virtual networks or at school or work, that we often overlook the activities that are happening right in our neighborhood.
Last week, I was needing to get out of the house. Primarily working from home gives me the desire to get out and do something at the end of the day. I get a little stir crazy always being at home. So, one evening last week, I thought it might be nice to go get some ice cream. But, it wasn't so much the ice cream I was craving as much as it was just to do something.
Since the weather was nice, I decided that we should walk to Skeeters, our local frozen custard store. Layla wasn't too keen on the walking part, but because there was ice cream as the end goal, she obliged. We also decided to take Addy, our 1 year old Australian Cattle dog, on the walk with us. To get to Skeeters from our house, it is just a little over a mile walk. Addy and Layla both did great! When we got to the ice cream place, I was worried that Addy would go nuts because there were so many people there. But, she didn't! Although she is a friendly dog, she is also pretty shy. She just stayed right by us and was in heaven when we gave her a pup cup.
While we were out for the walk, I noticed the sign for the Concert in the Park coming up the following Wednesday. On a whim last month, Layla and I met Laura and Charlotte to go to the first Concert in the Park. We didn't really know what to expect but thought we'd check it out. It was at the park just down the street from my house, so if it was terrible we didn't have to travel far to get home. Upon arriving, we noticed the food truck from Pappy's and were stoked to eat some barbeque. We were looking for the place to buy tickets to purchase the food when were informed by the city staff that this was a completely free event. They handed us each a food ticket and we were in shock as we received our completely free pulled chicken sandwiches and chips. In true Pappy's fashion, the food was delicious. Laura and I got settled into our seats as the girls enjoyed playing at the park.
I don't remember the name of the band that night, but they did a great job of covering some popular songs. It was a lovely evening and a much needed break from being at home.
So, this week I noticed that the June Concert in the Park was scheduled. Since Layla and I had such a great time last month, we decided to go again. This time, she brought her friend Mia along with us. Once we got there and got set up, we went on the hunt for food. Instead of a food truck this time, the city was grilling cheeseburgers. We got our food tickets and waited in line for a burger, chips and drink. By the time the burger was placed on my plate, I was starving! The girls and I found our spot in the grass and dug into our food as the band began to play. I was about half way through my burger when I the bite I took was clearly not cooked through. At that point, I couldn't even think about taking another bite and threw the burger away. The girls had better luck with theirs, however. As the girls took off to play at the park, I enjoyed a quiet evening by myself listening to the band.
Over the weekend, I went out of a walk on Saturday morning. After completing my normal route (2 loops around the block, down the street to Church and back and another loop around the block), I decided I wasn't quite ready to be done walking. I stopped inside quickly for a bathroom break and to grab my wallet. I then walked up to the local coffee shop, LaJoy's, and got myself an iced coffee. The coffee shop is super close to my house, but I decided to take the long way home as it lead me by the weekly farmer's market that was still going on. I didn't spend much time at the market, but did do a quick peruse of the selections. For a small town, there was quite the variety of homemade goods. I made a note to myself to come back at some point over the summer to do some shopping to support our local businesses.
By the time I got home, I had walked over 5 miles that morning. I got to see parts of the town I don't frequent often and was reminded just how much there is to offer right in my own community.
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