Summertime reminds me of smiling, going on adventures, meeting new people and spending all day outside. Whether it’s throwing a football around or going on a road trip. We never know what the summer will bring. 

This summer, my friends and I want to plan a road trip down Route 66. It’s a popular road trip stretching 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Most of the states crossed, I have never gotten the chance to see. Driving, which is one of my favorite things to do all this way with my best friends would create memories I know I will never forget. 

No details are final yet. We haven’t discussed money or how many people are willing to take off work for the two week time. No exact destinations are picked out. All we know is that our desire to go be free for this week or two is strapping. To explore with no worries. Go live life as if there are no responsibilities. We could live a free life. No parents. No working. No drama brought by others. All there would be are mountains and cities we’ve never seen, singing along to our endless amounts of throwbacks and country songs with hair twirling through the air as we ride with the top down. Experiencing the fresh air of Nevada and California. Places we’ve never been. 

Moments like these are why I crave the summer sun. Everyone is happier, smiling and laughing. Less stress from working and the daily chores life brings us. More time spent together. There’s a different type of bond between friends during the summer. There’s friends you meet once and may never meet again. There’s sitting at a late night bonfire type of friendship. The friends you stay up all night with gossiping about some boy you’ve met. Different types of memories. Hair blowing in the wind, top down, music pumping. Lots of pictures and videos to capture every moment. Reminiscing on them in the future to one day bring them out and show our kids. These summer memories are the most important memories of our lives.