Summer Bucket List 2015

It feels like it's already been summer for months already in one way, but the true summer solstice just happened over the weekend and we still have lots of summer ahead of us!  I love that so far this summer, aside from our vacation, we have been just taking things as they come and being a bit more spontaneous.  That is pretty much the plan for the rest of the summer, but I do have a short list of things I hope to do this summer.  So maybe instead of a bucket list thing, it's a pocket list thing. (I know one friend will understand that statement!)  
-Visit at least one, possibly two pizza farms.  I've been seeing a lot about these for the last couple of years and there's a great list of suggestions on the Twin Cities Moms Blog too of farms in both MN and WI.  There are two of them we're looking at visiting, one of them even makes their own wine - sign me up!  It'll be a little drive for them, but they sound like they'll be worth it!
-Speaking of wine, visiting one of our wineries.  We didn't actually get to the winery we enjoy up near Itasca, but there are plenty of others around the area we love.  And almost all of them have dogs running around, so it's kind of a win/win trip for our family - mom and dad get wine, Ollie gets to play with a puppy!
-Try out a splash pad with Oliver.  I didn't try taking him to one last year because he wasn't even crawling yet, but this year with how much he loves water and loves to run around I have a feeling he will love a splash pad on a warm day!
- Go to the beach.  We have this man made beach I adore, the water is actually chlorinated, but there is still sand.  Again, we tried this a couple of times with Ollie last summer, but the days we tried to go were not super warm and being that he wasn't that mobile, he just didn't enjoy it.  I think this year he will love it and not just for the swimming.  I am pretty sure he is going to love the sand.
-Check out one of our local flea markets.  Nate and I got really into going to flea markets last summer.  He was on a quest for old Nintendo games and flea markets proved to be good places to look for those, but we also found a bunch of great stuff for Ollie.  They're pretty much a giant garage sale, but they're fun to wander around and "treasure" hunt.
-Hit up more taprooms.  We haven't been doing that as much, but now that it's nice out and we're finding more and more taprooms have food trucks/patios/family friendly atmospheres, that they're not bad places to go and bring Ollie with.  
-Have a date night at the new Betty Danger's Country Club.  So we have this pretty famous tiki bar here in Minneapolis called Psycho Suzi's.  It's a pretty fun place right on the Mississippi River, but they used to have this other location.  It's been sitting vacant, but the owner has now opened up a new restaurant in the old space called Betty Danger's Country Club.  Apparently the food is Tex Mex style and the highlight of the place is this giant ferris wheel that you can buy a 20 minute ride for and you get drinks and snacks to enjoy.  I would like to go there once just to do it!
-Go on more family picnics.  We discovered how much we enjoy having a picnic outside while we were in Itasca.  Ollie has a booster seat we can strap to the bench of a picnic table.  We have a lot of great parks in our area and we're getting more into biking, so I think it would be great to go biking and then have a picnic!
-Visit the Rooftop Park at the Children's Museum.  We've been going there a lot over the winter months but haven't been over there much now that it's been nice out, but I know they have a great outdoor exhibit that we should really check out, especially since we have the membership!
-Speaking of memberships, we have one for the Science Museum too and they also have an outdoor exhibit called The Big Backyard.  We've never checked that out in all the years we've had memberships there, so this year is the year I think we need to do it.
-Go on a boat ride.  Given the fact that Ollie kind of hated the boat up in Itasca this might have to be a date night activity, but I would love to do a boat ride.  Nate and I did a few boat rides together a couple of summers ago and I have been missing that.  There's something about going on a boat as the sun goes down and getting that fresh air.
-Go to the State Fair in August.  This one is pretty much a given, we haven't missed a Fair yet, so I know we'll be able to make that work!
-Check out the Lego sculptures at the Landscape Arboretum.  I have heard mixed reviews on this - some positive and some negative, but I still would like to go down and check it out.  
And of course, eating outside as much as we can, both out and at home, having bonfires when the weather holds, walking to the park, playing loads of disc golf and just soaking up as much as we can of the beautiful weather days!   I won't be disappointed if we don't hit all of these things, but they definitely give me a starting point for any day we're like "what should we do today?"  What's on your summer bucket list?

The Circle - Reverse Bucket List

I'm a few days late on this link up, but I saw the neatest blog topic over on the blog In It's Time for her monthly Circle link up - make a reverse bucket list.  So often we obsess over the things we hope to do in our lifetime and the things we're striving for - and of course it's important to have those goals and wishes and whatnot, but I think it's kind of a neat idea to also reflect on the things one has accomplished as well.  So that's what today is all about - a list of things that I've already done. 

My Reverse Bucket List

1. Graduate college in four years.  When I was going through college, the average graduation rate was five to six years.  My college had a "four year" guarantee, but I also changed majors after spending the majority of my first year taking courses that reflected my first major.  I really thought I'd put myself behind, but thanks to taking a couple of summer sessions and getting my generals out of the way during those sessions, I graduated on time.  In fact, my last semester I more than enough credits to graduate, I instead took a class or two for fun and worked.

2. Visit Disney World.  I was extremely lucky to not only go once in my life, but actually, four times.  This is not to say it's not still on my list to take Nate and Ollie there eventually, but I'm blessed to have been able to go as many times as I already have.

3. See the ocean.  I've seen the Atlantic Ocean both from the Florida coast and from the coast of Maine - drastically different from north to south.  Some day I would like to see the Pacific Ocean too.

4. Marry my best friend and the love of my life.  I don't think much more explanation is needed on this one.  I've spent over half of my life with him and I wouldn't have it any other way.

5. Fire a gun.  I talked about this a few weeks ago when I did a post about fears.  I never ever thought I would ever have the courage to shoot a gun, but my wonderful husband made it possible and it was a very empowering experience in the end.

6. Record a CD.  It was always one of those things I wished I'd be able to do, but never figured I'd have the opportunity.  Thanks to our music group however, I did have the opportunity to do it and while at times it was extremely stressful, it was an amazing experience and I am beyond proud of the finished product.  It's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

7. Get a belly button ring.  We all do stupid things in college right?  Well that was mine.  My one rebellious, crazy thing. I realize compared to what some do in college, it seems fairly tame!  I will say this - I no longer have said belly button ring.  Not necessarily by choice.  There was an incident.  We'll leave it at that.  Piercings and I do not always get along.

8. Take 15 teenagers out of the country and get them safely back in.  I worked as a youth minister for two years and took my kids to Canada for a mission trip.  It was post-911, so the whole leaving the country thing was a little bit daunting.  Especially when one of the girls only had a document from her school instead of a passport or birth certificate which I only discovered the day we were leaving.  But thankfully, we made it safely back into the country!

9. Sing the National Anthem at a baseball game.  When we were still at our old church, our choir was given the opportunity to sing the National Anthem for a Twins game.  It was when they were still at the Metrodome, but it was a super cool experience, especially when the Twins run out on to the field and are pretty much just several feet away from you!

10. Get pregnant, deliver naturally, breastfeed for over a year and fall in love more every day with the most amazing little boy.  I can't imagine our lives without our sweet Oliver.

So there you have it!  It's nice to really sit and reflect on your accomplishments!  Maybe someday I'll share what's on my actual bucket list, but today, it's just nice to see how far I've come.  Start the weekend on a positive note.  What would be on your reverse bucket list?  And, I hope you all have a great weekend!