the summer diaries.

There's always been a magic that permeates the sun soaked months of May-August; my childhood memories have always been the most prominent in these sacred months.

Treehouses & stargazing & crushes & hazy nights & missed curfews & adrenaline & lemonade & fireworks; it's all a heart racing fairytale.

& this summer, I decided to write my fairytale. I'm trying to remember this summer for eternities to come. Starting in June, I wrote down every glossy and starry moment I could think of, so I could read them & relive them

over

again. :)

Here's to my fairytale summer (I've also included a song that matches the feeling of each memory).

june 2nd

"homemade dynamite" (REMIX) Lorde, Post, Khalid, SZA.

i bustled into the room squealing and bursting with joyous energy, making myself busy with engulfing my people with hugs. something about that mix of people brought out the florescent part of my personality; i was joking unceasingly, dancing in front of everyone, and laughing until i couldn’t breathe. i was liberated. i was so free.

it was such a pulsating, wild, crazy night for me. i felt intoxicated & so purely June that I could barely stand myself.

june 8th

"give yourself a try" the 1975

we were the sundance kids. the shimmering, giddy, kids that wandered around the campus that one parched, lazy afternoon. after getting kicked out of exploring inside, we found a fountain that shot up streams of icy water. they immediately started playing in it, splashing each other & soaking their sky blue shirts navy. it was all so ridiculously impractical- we had classes in twenty minutes. the sound of joyful laughter filled the air as i surveyed the scene, holding back as i tend to do in risky situations. i wasn’t about to ruin my impeccable hair and makeup.

i started slowly walking up the stairs, hating myself for being so concerned about my appearance that i'd sacrifice memories for mascara.

then, i thought, i should break my own rules. i threw my checkered vans off and ran to join them in the fountains. i laughed hysterically as the water soaked through my bones. it was awakening and giddy and such a rush and i didn't care about anything or anyone. i just didn't care.

there's a liberation in just not caring.

we strutted into the dining hall, soaked to the bone, our hair frizzing and mascara haphazardly smudged. we were literally leaving footprints of water. i smiled at the spectators. i pitied them, because they were dry and bored. the flawless girls? i pitied them too. it's no fun to be perfect all of the time.

june 22nd

"mr. brightside" the killers ;)

don’t stop believing!!! it was what we were shrieking at the top of our lungs in the black of pickett state park. only the sparkling constellations and our speaker, with dizzying disco lights spinning in all directions. i was dancing embarrassingly, terribly, fully, liberatingly. my throat was stinging with the strain of screaming every. single. pop. lyric. we all took turns twerking in the middle, all a support system full of love and laughter as each timid girl had her moment under the disco lights. it was teen euphoria and i really really will never forget it.

july 3rd

"balance" by future islands

i was lying on the grass in the shade with one of my best friends; anything to quench the blazing desert heat of provo. the sky was distinctly cloudless, a gorgeous cerulean, one that's authentic to the utah skyline. she was rambling on about her boyfriend back home, and i did what i do best: i nodded and laughed and listened, living vicariously through her tremendously wonderful romance. it was all so perfect then. my heart felt like it was going to overflow for my unbearably sweet bleach blonde friend. i felt so insanely blessed to fly all the way from Tennessee to find a home on campus & in the other human beings. it was a magical two weeks.

july 7th

"latch" sam smith (acoustic)

the stadium was bathed in lights, glowing and buzzing and fluttering phone lights! the chords of “Latch” started playing and i felt like i was floating. i was so happy i didn’t even know what to do with myself. sam smith said, tenderly, “nashville, you look so beautiful.”

july 12th

"Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" Four Tops

it was a staple summer day for Audrey, Caris, Maddie, & I: we discussed existential crisiesis in the seclusion of my grandma's electric-blue pool. I had picked up all the lemonade & cookies, and spread a blanket out by the poolside. We had been coming to this very pool since we were three year olds; it was a certifiable Morgenegg-McKellar summer tradition.

after swimming, we went into the basement and uncovered my grandma's archaic jukebox. the deep adoration for music was positively GENETIC in my famiy; my grandma was practically a Woodstock, daisy wielding groupie growing up & she had every single song from the 70s on that jukebox. fate itself helped us make the jukebox work, and soon enough, we were twirling around to "My Girl" by The Temptations. Maddie hopped onto the pool table and started dancing outrageously. We soon joined her, flipping our hair and laughing as throwback after throwback echoed through the basement.

I've had 17 years worth of memories with these three girls, but this has to be one of the most ecstatic memories of all time.

july 18th

"ocean eyes" billie eilish XD XD XD

the stars always seem to appear when i need them the very most.

i was walking back to my dorm Wednesday night, laughing and high off of the giddiness that comes as a package deal with camp. i was talking practically glowing alongside this boy, who in short, just got me. after our usual quick banter, he stops me midsentence. "skylar, i just want you to know that you're my best friend."

something about that struck me deeply. it was simple, but something that ignited the entire rest of the week for me. i wish i could share more of this story, instead of just a starry snippet, but i gotta maintain some subtlety :)))))))))

SUMMER 2018,, thank you. you will be remembered forever & ever & ever.