SUMMER '16: the bucket list + backyard camping

After last year's complete FAILURE of a Summer Bucket List, I believe it's time to put some money where my mouth is.  I want to start from scratch and really buckle down.  And I've got an ambitious plan to do exactly that.

This summer is a bit of a special summer.  It's the last summer before my lovely boyfriend (see pic below!) heads off to the university of his dreams and begins the first of four years as a college student.  I wanted to put together something special for him this summer - the last summer he has as a high schooler - before he heads to university in the fall.

So what better to do than to create a summer bucket list together?  Hopefully at the end of the summer when all the great memories are made, and the time for him to leave has come, we will near the end of the list and have a lot of pictures and videos to remember it by.

While this list is made mostly with him, there will be a few items that I expect to do with other groups of people or just solo.  So don't be surprised if he's not in a couple.

Without further ado, I present to you...

SUMMER '16: the bucket list

(if you get the drake reference, you win)

THE RULES: Complete and blog about at least one of these items per week.  There are 10 weeks of summer before move in day, and I have a list of 20 items to choose from.

THE LIST:

1.  go hiking

2.  have a picnic

3.  go stargazing

4.  fly a kite

5.  bike the virginia creeper trail

6.  go to a festival

7.  go to a farmer's market

8.  kayak

9.  go camping

10.  find the best vegan donuts around

11.  mini-golf

12.  swim at sunset

13.  perfect a recipe

14.  have a game night

15.  go to a baseball game

16.  watch fireworks

17.  pick fruit

18.  eat a whole watermelon

19.  have a vegan bbq

20.  spend a day at the lake

Just like past summers, there will be a blog post about each of these items as I complete them and they will be crossed through (like this) on the master list here. Want to check my progress throughout the summer? Come back to this post.

As a BONUS I wanted to include the first activity I completed on the list (yay!).  This past Saturday night my friends and I decided that to kick off summer we would pitch a tent in the backyard and have our own little camping adventure.

We roasted s'mores, 

sang around the campfire, 

had tinfoil dinners, 

swung on the hammock, 

stayed up way too late, 

took polaroid pictures,

 and, well, had the time of our lives.

I totally recommend doing this as a cheaper and more convenient alternative to renting a spot at a campsite.  It may be local (and right in your own backyard), but it can feel like you're in a whole new location.

Much love,

Sydney