Summer is unofficially here, though it’s felt like summer for weeks now in North Carolina! Summer typically signals the arrival of endless pool time, jaunts to the beach, cookouts and grilling with friends, nostalgia for childhood summers, ice cream date nights, hanging our American flag and celebrating the 4th of July, catching fireflies, lots of watermelon, hosting friends, family vacations, and enjoying all that our city has to offer this time of year.  I have to admit, it makes me a little sad to think that summertime will be a bit different than we usually know it. I don’t see too many grand adventures or romps around the city or trips being taken, at least for us. I love summertime so much, and we plan to savor this season and make the best of it, despite the changes that 2020 has brought. I adore making seasonal to-do lists (as evidenced in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013), and Rob and I have been brainstorming what we want to check off this summer’s annual bucket list of fun together!

Without further ado, here is this year’s Summer Bucket List:

• celebrate the 4th of July, one of my all-time favorite holidays! (We would have been with my family at my cousin’s wedding, and I’m not exactly sure what our 4th will entail, but we will certainly be celebrating this favorite holiday!)
• enjoy a day trip or two to the beach (I have been craving the beach so very much, especially since our annual family beach week was canceled.)
• hang patriotic bunting on our front porch
• read lots and lots of books in the sunshine
• enjoy the little kiddie pool on our deck (in lieu of our neighborhood pool this year)
• cook lots of seasonal meals and desserts, as well as enjoy round three of our cooking challenge! We executed round two last night with a pistachio cooking challenge, and it was just as amazing as our first strawberry challenge!
• go for lots of walks around the neighborhood and nearby parks
• enjoy several picnics in our yard and date nights on our deck under the string lights
• make plenty of homemade ice cream and experiment with new flavors (we’ve made so much homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate-peanut butter stracciatella, and pistachio gelato)
• make popsicles, banana pudding, and a summery pie
• watch a movie outside on our deck with the string lights overhead and stovetop popcorn
• host some close friends on our deck for a socially distant gathering or two (we haven’t seen any friends since early March, and goodness do I miss seeing our people!)

It’s a little hard to see so many of our favorite summer adventures, activities, and trips removed from our usual summer to-do list, but we still plan on embracing this season, finding ways to be creative, finding joy, and having as much fun as we can while making new memories!

What are you most looking forward to this summer? I’d love to hear what you’re excited about!