One horribly hot day last week, I was sitting in the car at the gas station and opened the car door while Tiffany was refueling. I glanced at the people coming and going and all of a sudden I was struck with the FEEL of summer. People were in their shorts and flip-flops getting their large drinks from inside the convenience store and I realized that THIS is what summer feels like.
It was around nine in the morning, the sun was creeping its way to its zenith and it was hot. The air was that heavy hot air and it just defined summer to me, with all the things I was seeing. (The two guys in the truck on the other side of the pump were emptying the water from their cooler too.) And the next day I realized, it isn’t even officially summer yet. Oh God, please help me! 
I do not like the heat, at all! I’m one of those people that enjoy the cooler temperatures and prefer the cold and snow to the summer heat. Generally I keep my mouth shut about it but in the last several years I’ve gotten annoyed by all those people that LOUDLY voice their contempt for the cold and dislike of snow during the winter. I finally decided that if others can be so vocal about the weather they do NOT like AND the weather they DO like, then I too can be vocal about the weather I like and do not like.
At the beginning of last week I kept getting notifications on my phone that there was a heat advisory for the next several days. So, we put off running errands until later in the week. Then when we could put it off no longer, it was an EXCESSIVE heat advisory. That’ll teach me to try and avoid the heat. 
I have not been eating meat or sugar for the last couple of weeks or so. Last night I fixed a delicious southwestern salad with black beans, corn off the cob, pepitas, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, and red pepper with a homemade avocado dressing. I loved it. We made chipotle chicken for the rest of the family to add to their salad. That turned out to be VERY spicy, so it NEEDED the coolness of the salad to balance it out a bit, I’m told.
Sean does not like corn. Neither of the kids like tomatoes, so I served them on the side for Mike and I to add to our plates. Neither of the kids like avocado, so I did not pour the dressing on the salad but let everyone choose their own dressing. 
I aim to please. OH! Sean does not care for red peppers either but he did eat some.
He was not thrilled with the meal. Tiffany, Mike and I really enjoyed it though. He was still hungry after the small plate of food he picked through. I told him there was still plenty of salad there. He said he was full of THAT, which is something Tiffany used to say a lot when she was little.
The salad is also topped with tortilla strips. Sean deemed that they were a waste of money, as we could just use regular tortilla chips. But I liked them. I think they are a little bit thinner than the tortilla chips. Plus they are pretty colors. He’s a good sport. I think he ended up eating some fruit to fill up.
I love my family!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We are going to try and stay cool.
Until next time, God bless,
Michele ºÜº