Today we begin a new series on A Beautiful Blog. All month long our bloggers will be sharing their Summer bucket list! Summer time is all about making memories with the ones you love! We hope their summer adventures bring you joy and laughter! 

by Marilyn Hinders

God gives every one of us the same number of hours each week and we can choose how we use them! Every week, there are 168 hours and if you were to work 50 hours a week, get about 56 hours of sleep, you still have 62 hours left to develop relationships and create memories. Having relationships with others is just like our relationship with Christ; we have to create time to get to know each other just as we do with Christ.

Today is our 47^th wedding anniversary! Through the past 47 years, my husband and I have made it a priority to create intentional memories between us. Some of our fondest memories have been going on a hot air balloon ride, dancing in the Fount of Trevi in Rome, parasailing, traveling to different cities every year and sharing a romantic kiss on top of the Eifel tower in Paris. And how can I forget our dates every Friday- a tradition that started over 35 years ago, and still occurring to this day!

We kicked off this summer by renting a jet ski in Dunedin. My husband was in control of the jet ski, and there was a lot of speed! I found myself ducking behind him because he was going so fast! I was scared, but I trusted him and depended on him to be a good driver-and he was! We screamed in excitement and we laughed at the top of our lungs. This adventure brought me back to 20 years ago when we would spend most of our Summers riding jet skis and it brought me back to childlike ways that recreated fond memories.  This time though, we learned that an hour jet ski ride was just too long…our 70 year old knees were frozen in place! So lesson learned for our next jet ski adventure! After our jet ski ride, we went to a local restaurant to have one of the best Grouper sandwiches, ever! That day was perfect; memories were created and we relived some of our fondest.

It is important to spend time with the people in your life to make memories that can last a lifetime. Memories create breathtaking moments that lead us closer to each other, and half of the fun is the adventures you go on! 

I challenge you to start thinking outside the box. As we grow older, the things we used to do, we may not be able to do. I also challenge you to use the extra 62 hours of your week to spend time with the ones you love. Get to know their hearts, share smiles and lots of hugs; create memories. 

What is your favorite summer memory? How are you going to create moments this summer? Share your thoughts and comments below!