Summer is Coming! #HAWMC

Summer is Coming:  What are the 3 things you look forward to the most in the summer? Whether it’s travel, the weather, family cookouts or another activity, share with your readers why you’re excited for summer!  #HAWMC

The three things I look forward to are a family reunion, seeing New Kids on the Block in concert, and not tripping or falling.

 1.  Family Reunion

I have a large close family.  Most of  my mom’s relatives live in the same city.  We see each other often; my mom has four siblings and I have a lot of cousins.   On my mom’s side, I am the youngest of fifteen. This summer, my maternal grandmother’s side is having a reunion–the first in thirty years.  We have four days filled with activities.  I’m eager to meet everyone.

2.  New Kids on the Block (with TLC)

I’m really looking forward to seeing NKOTB’s The Main Event Tour this summer.  As has been well documented in this blog, I have loved the New Kids since I was five-years old when I first heard Please Don’t Go Girl.  I have too many favorite New Kids songs to count.  I’m going with my cousins; most of us are Joey and Jordan girls.  I, of course, am 100% both.  When I see the New Kids, I revert to my 1989-self every time.  Getting to see TLC perform is an added bonus; it’s almost like an embarrassment of riches to see both acts on one stage.

One of my favorite childhood memories  was when my cousins and I were having fun playing at some now-defunct Disney game place (the name escapes me).  And we had a big family dinner coming up.  We lost track of time, and were running late to the restaurant.  We got into the big van, bundled up, on a cold winter day.  We were worried about getting in trouble; at least that’s how my young mind remembers it.  Nobody was talking; it was tense.  Then, TLC’s Waterfalls came on the radio.  As soon as the chorus started, everyone started singing:

Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast…

3.  Not Tripping And Falling

This may not seem like an exciting thing to look forward to, especially compared to the other two things I listed.  I previously reviewed the product, STABILicers, traction for boots in the snow and ice.  They kept me from falling this winter and I had a few close moments.  To some people, winter means skiing, snowboarding, and other such fun activities.  When I think of “winter,” the first thing that comes to mind is tripping and falling.  I have a neuromuscular illness (Myasthenia Gravis), which is why I carry a cane–her name is Erica Kane.  Other things come to mind when I think of winter like the holidays, hot cocoa, and gingerbread but tripping and falling are foremost.  Christmas is one day, but avoiding an accident is something I do everyday in the winter.  This is the reality of having a disability (visible or invisible).  I admire my friends and readers in wheelchairs.  In fact, I have a friend with muscular dystrophy who is moving to a warmer state soon.  Where I live, winter feels like forever.  So I welcome the summer with open arms.

See you tomorrow!  The next #HAWMC question asks me about stress–I’ll be blogging about stress and depression.

–Your Stylist, Jessica Gimeno