7days: Day 5 - I Need My Water Wings

What is it about a pool? The smell of chlorine, the laughing, screaming kids, games of Marco Polo, cold drinks and squeaky rafts. When I was a kid we spent nearly every summer weekend and some weekdays too at my grandparents' pool. Jumping off the diving board, eating frozen grapes while wrapped up in huge beach towels, the pool was the definition of summer. As a kid you don't know all the work and expense that goes into having a pool, you just know that if you keep practicing you'll master that cannonball.

But as adults, Joe and I tend to see the obstacles instead of the fun. So after our delightful Florida vacation, where we had easy access to a pool, we both have decided we'd really like our own pool one day. In our current house it's just not realistic. Neither one of us is a big fan of public pools. We are spoiled. So until we buy a new house with an existing pool, years from now, Joe bought a 10' inflatable pool at Target. No diving board, no deep end, but still somehow it captures at least a little of the essence of having a pool. The water flowing over your arms, the relaxing sound of birds chirping as you rest your head against the back of the raft, and the cool breeze that raises goose bumps on your wet legs as the sun bakes your face. Summer's here, I'm slathering on the coconut scented Banana Boat and I'm back in the pool!