Lately, we’ve had summer on our mind at the nest. Long days. Lighter layers. Friends who linger after a long run. An endlessly setting sun refusing to disappear behind the horizon. Oh summer, we love how you open up your days to us, and let us fill them with life.
Enter Seattle. In March. It literally snowed today. The quirky weather in our corner of the country sometimes makes it hard for us to summer in the spring. Which got us thinking — what is summer anyway? Sure, it’s the weather, and the daylight, and a series of months where a bunch of kids get to run around like maniacs with too much sugar and too little supervision. But summer lives somewhere deeper in us all.
Maybe its the smell of salt water, and the ability to rock messy hair just about anywhere in the name of summer fashion…
Maybe it’s pushing off the responsibilities of tomorrow in favor of the present...
Maybe it’s a fleeting feeling of sentimentality...
Maybe it’s laughter, adventure, ice cream, companionship over cold coffee on warm patios...
Maybe it’s the quiet whisper of footsteps on the road, the dusty companionship of the trail, or the familiar smell of a track baking in the sun...
The more we talked about it, the more we realized... summer might just be a state of mind. So a group of us birds set out find that summer feeling, sporting the new summer rogas to make sure we could take it all in with a lighter, airier roga.
CATHLEEN KNUTSON
"Summer is about reunions and friends and being OUTSIDE! It’s about meeting up on bikes, running adventures, lake swims, road trips, and lounging on the deck. It’s music festivals, farmers markets, BBQs, and trying new recipes with the abundance of produce from the garden. “Dressing up” in summer can be the same pair of cut-offs, sandals, and sunglasses, with a new top. Summer has a feeling of flirty, casual confidence."
SYDNEY TAYLOR
"Summer feels like summer any time I am laughing at home with my loved ones, especially my big sister. Getting to play outside with my nieces and nephews and dogs is an added bonus. Cozying up in the living room after a big family dinner reminds me of childhood summers. Being outside at night or strolling after dinner gives me those vibes, too!"
SUSAN KOSIK
"For me, summer is when my kids are out of school. It's speedy track workouts where the boys cheer me on while chasing me on their bikes. It's about hikes as a family where we laugh until we cry telling stories on the trail. Summer is for dance parties. (the worm is optional!) Summer is the feeling I have when I run on my favorite mountain listening to my favorite tunes. It's the feeling of meeting new friends and having an instant connection that puts you at ease and fills your heart with joy. Summer is about feeling relaxed and confident in going on adventures, whether they be trails that you return to time and time again, or new, out-of-your-comfort-zone adventures that stretch you to do things you never thought you could do before (aka running a 50mi race ...eeek!)"
ANDREA LOUIE
"Summer means being in an environment of pure learning without the added stress of tests or races. Both summer classes and summer running help me to take a break from high-pressure events and allow me to just do what I love doing! It doesn't need to be any specific time of the year for us to take a step back to focus on enriching ourselves without the self-imposed pressure of deadlines."
Where do you find that summer feeling? We found it with each other. And the freedom of the summer roga made it the perfect summer accessory for our adventure.
Summer’s out there. Happy searching!
xoxo
Jess, Andrea, Sydney, Cathleen, & Susan
