So I have this thing where I pretty much still believe in summer vacation even though I’ve been out of school for nearly ten years. It’s just ingrained in my brain that the end of may through the beginning of september is SUMMER! and it won’t even stop. Regardless of what I’m doing at the time or where I’m working or how much time I even get to spend in the sun. Summer is soon.

summer bucket lists I howsweeteats.com

One of my favorite people ever makes a bucket list every summer with her kids and I just love the idea. I can’t wait to do that with kids someday. In the meantime, I made up my own little bucket list. Trying to make 2014 the best summer ever. I may even make a summer inspiration board. #howannoying

This is what I’ve got so far!

  • Make a watermelon keg.
  • Read 20 books (between June-September).
  • Paddleboard! We’ve wanted to do this for years but never have. This is it!
  • Do paddleboard yoga. Another thing I’ve wanted to do for.ev.er.
  • Make killer strawberry pimms cups. Everything’s better with strawberries.
  • Walk outside everyday (as brain exercise) and set my fit bit daily step goal to 20,000 instead of 15,000. And meet it! Sometimes I feel like I’m cheating when I wear my fit bit to workout (such as doing Turbofire, I get around 6000 steps in 35 minutes or so) and I need to stop that ish.
  • Grow some freaking herbs, organically and successfully. You know I struggle with this every year. I always start out organically and then they die and then I use miracle grow on them and then I refuse to eat them. HELP. Maybe I’ll get a self watering vertical planter. Because they look cool.
  • Go to the zoo. Because it’s fun.
  • Plant flowers and actually give a crap about them, like water them and take care of them. I’m successful at this about every OTHER year, so we should be good this summer of ’14.
  • Make some to die for nachos – on the grill.
  • Go to as many country concerts as I can because I’m the pop country convert that everyone hates.
  • Take a last minute weekend trip. Just pick up and go!
  • Taco night every single week. With chips and guac. Every single week. With lots of variety.
  • Go to the drive in. Can you believe I’ve NEVER been to a drive in? So deprived.
  • Make a different fruit infused water every week. I have some of my favorite combinations in my cookbook, but I’ll share them in the next few weeks.
  • Master trashy nail art. Think neons and glitter and white polish oh my.
  • Freeze some awesome cocktail popsicles. Have one on hand… at all times.
  • Go six weeks without blow drying my hair – last year I made it about four weeks or so. So healthy!
  • Make old-school fruit pizza. I’ve been craving this for a month and I think it might happen this week.
  • Sit around the fire pit every other week or so. With adult beverages and SNACKS.
  • Convince Eddie more than once that a stellar cheese plate is dinner.
  • Go to a movie by myself. I love doing this. (the trashier the better.)
  • Finish my ginormous summer playlist that gives everyone but me second embarrassment. (hello bette midler. and pitbull.)
  • Improve my gourmet hot dog game.
  • Tie-dye white tanks. I’m a child.
  • Remember to wear sunscreen on my hands every single day. I rarely do this. I put it everywhere else though.
  • Make homemade shaved iced and custard. Can I make homemade Rita’s? Teach me.
  • Bike ride every weekend. It’s so freeing!
  • Take a vacation to somewhere we’ve never been. I’m absolutely DYING to go back to Nantucket, but I feel like we should explore and try somewhere new. We will obviously be going to Michigan later this year so we should go somewhere new to us too.

Now tell me! Dying to know what’s on your summer bucket list. Also because I want to add to mine. Over the next few weeks I’m going to come back and add a few things as well as mini-update on what we do. SO FUN. Checking things off is my dream.