kissing my summer bucket list goodbye.

When I originally posted my summer bucket list back in May, I knew that it was ambitious. There were bound to be things I didn't have time for, and some of them were expensive, so possibly not possible in conjunction with all of the other things on the list. However, I'm happy that I made this list so ambitious. It really pushed me to do all of these fun things that I may not necessarily have done had I not had this list of things in the back of my head at all times. At first it kind of stressed me out, but then I decided that I would get done what I could get done and I wouldn't be upset it there weren't things I couldn't finish.

That all being said, I have posted about everything I have complete with the exception of 'have a pen pal' and 'take more pictures'. I definitely made it a conscious effort to take way more pictures this summer, and with my summer book on my mind as well, I made sure to take a bunch of different types of pictures so that I would be able to fill my book. And as for having a pen pal, my instagram friend Carmen and I exchanged addresses back in May and we each sent each other a package during the summer and even though both of us were a little busy to keep it going extremely consistently, it was really fun putting the package together for her because I felt like I knew her so well just from instagram and commenting back and forth to each other.

Some of the things on the list are partially completed, like 'take a hot yoga class' and 'read at least 5 books'. I know, how could I have half completed taking a hot yoga class? Well, I bought a week of classes for a friend and I to take, so I have to go at some point, we're just waiting for our schedules to hit a magic alignment so we can make the most of the whole week and go as many times as possible. In terms of the books, I did read this summer but with everything else that was going on, I didn't read as much as I would have liked to. I started 'A Game of Thrones' very early in the summer and got through about 100 pages before deciding to put it down and maybe revisit it another time. It was taking me so long to read and I wasn't absolutely loving it so I decided to pick up something else. I read 'If I Stay' and most of 'Where She Went' by Gayle Forman (great, fast reads), and I read 'Blog, Inc.' by Joy Deangdeelert Cho, another awesome read for anyone who blogs or is interested in starting one. I have so many books that I want to read stored in my goodreads app, but I take them on as time allows. I've always been a reader, so I know that eventually I'll find a balance and be able to get back into reading on a more regular basis like before.

There are quite a few items on my list that I have not completed and I am admitting defeat for the summer but will definitely try to do all of these things soon. Anything in my list image that is in red are things I didn't complete, and I'm okay with that for now. I know that some of my friends and I want to get bartending licenses, we just need to find the time, and I know for sure that we want to plan a day at a vineyard, but it's hard because they're kind of far away and no one wants to have to be the DD. Along those lines, we didn't plan a bar crawl either because I think maybe a bar crawl is an experience that I will leave in my college days. The t-shirts and the pre-kegs and all of that stuff was so great and so much fun, but now a bar crawl to us is leaving one bar because it's crowded and walking to another. So I guess I can consider that one half finished, but not exactly structured. The Ikea scavenger hunt has been an idea of mine for a while, but I know that it will require a lot of time and logistics, so that will have to wait until R is here and can help me because we kind of thought of it together.

As for the doggy park, that's still a plan, but Lucas is so wild and crazy that I worry about taking him to one alone, so I need a friend who will bring their dog too or just come and spend a few hours with us sans pooch. I didn't host a BBQ for my friends and I didn't see an outdoor movie, but timing is really to blame for that one. They only play outdoor movies in my town during the summer and they were all on Tuesday nights, which is a bit hard, and I didn't have a party because it's really hard living with your parents! I can't wait to be on my own so that having a party for my friends doesn't need to be a bucket list item, it will just be a normal occurrence. And finally, I didn't have a phone-free day, but I did try to use my phone less, especially when I'm with Max because it's not fair to him that I'm on my phone.

And that's about it y'all. I'm really happy with what I did accomplish on this list this summer, and I had a lot of fun writing about them, so I think I might try and make it an every summer thing, maybe even an every season thing. But from now on I will make it a bit of a smaller operation so that everything can get completed. I highly recommend doing this though, no matter how many things are on your list because it kind of puts you in a place of yes. You may think you're too tired to do something or too busy, but if it's something that you do because of a list like this, you never regret leaving the house to do it. So make a bucket list and start doing!