We read recently that a giant percentage of people feel that they don't have the time to enjoy summer while it's here. We really wish sometimes that we were still in school where we would have months to just soak in the hot summer days, hang out with friends, go to the beach and just really make good use of summertime.

We're half French, so we have some of that 'quality of life' gene in us. A couple of years ago, against all odds, we took 3 weeks off work to go visit family in the south of France. We hadn't relaxed like that in ages, and we really needed it. We spent time in the sun, with family, around the table, exploring little towns and all around not having to think about when it would end. We don't always have the chance to spend 3 weeks on vacation, and it can be all too easy to stay busy doing things and planning, forgetting to relax and enjoy summer. Can you relate? How do you take time to soak in summer? Here are our plans for this weekend:

• Cut the to do list in half (and the shoulds for that matter)
• Make lemonade ourselves
• We plan to walk around our garden without shoes on and taking the time to leisurely water all the plants, instead of the rush we're normally in
• Take the time to sit and drink the lemonade in the sun in the garden (wearing sunscreen of course).
• Take a long walk and take the time to notice the gardens and the birds
• Eat outside with friends as the day slowly turns to dusk (either at home or at a restaurant).
• Don't think about monday coming fast, just luxuriate in each day.