Summer is still on its way to Ontario, with the weather being slightly above 20 degrees Celsius this May. However, I try my best to stay excited about upcoming summer months by anticipating upcoming adventures and creating a list of things to do.

What makes me excited about Summer 2017:

• Starting a new job. Changing jobs really impacts my lifestyle and outlook on life, and starting in a higher level role is really exciting
• Making a difference. I am getting involved in redesigning a website and creating a lot of communication materials for a local charity that delivers free meals to those who cannot cook because of illness or age. It is really exciting to see my ideas actually being implemented and seeing the difference they make (when you work in government administration where everything goes through levels and levels of approvals you begin appreciating little things like this)
• Patio work! Since we moved to a townhouse our backyard always needed work. My husband built a dinning table out of the ceadar wood and we got two benches and planted some trees. My ultimate dream is to have a gazeebo with old fashioned lights above the dinning table like in commercials.
• Fruity wines. They taste like juice, they are cheap and they are light – a perfect summer drink with less calories then regular cocktails
• Albanian songs. I just discovered a few amazing Albanian singers. Their music reminds me of a summer in Greece with Arabic notes.
• Songs in Spanish. They have amazing beats and are perfect for summer parties. Our neighbors just had a party and we did not mind at all – just kept a phone ready to identify and get all the good songs we liked.
• Our upcoming trip to Quebec and Montreal. We also plan to see Prince Edward County – heard a lot of good things about their shops, food and wine.
• Daily trips around Ontario. Niagara on the Lake, Tobermorie, Oakville and Unionville are definitely on my list.
• Daily bbq in the backyard. We got our first barbeque and it is dangerous because every time it is more than 20 degrees outside we are using it to grill various meats and veggies. Check back soon for summer recepies and rubs.
• European diet. It is very simple – buying food like they do in Europe- every day, just for that day. Bye bye frozen meat and fish that lost all of it taste and hello fresh bread and organic fruits!
• Daily smoothies. I tried it once and it was so good that we started making smoothies every day, replacing store-bought juices. I perfected the recipe. A simple smoothie I make includes just 1 step: blend together a banana, handful of frozen strawberries, some peach slices, few mango pieces and peach cocktail as a base.

Now that I made this list I am actually more excited for the summer to come. It is almost here!