A RESPIRE GUIDE: TO THE PERFECT MIDWEST SUMMER

Growing up in Missouri is one of the things I am most proud of and most honored to have experienced. 

Every season has its own charm and magic. Hopeful springs bloom into lush summers, which blend into vibrant autumns that fade into melancholic winters. One day you are in your room praying away the dragging final weeks of winter, and before you know it the world outside is a tangle of leafy vines and floral blooms. 

The arrival of summer in the Midwest is akin to the opening scene of a heartfelt 90s movie. The camera pans through the main street of a small town as the cafes and bookstores flip their open signs for a fresh day. 

After 24 years of practice, I would like to think that I have the motions of a Midwest summer down pat. For those of you who are less accustomed to the idea, I have compiled this special little resource. From a cardboard box, scrapbook paper and clay, A Respire Guide to the Perfect Midwest Summer is born.