Starting the Summer Off Right
Make summer 2024 more exciting with a bucket list, beach reads, and BBQs.
Just like I used to do in elementary and middle school, I pulled out my arts and crafts bin and spread out every colored pencil, sticker sheet, and paper I had on the hardwood floor. My 12 year old self would not expect that ‘Read 2 Books a Month’ was on my 26 year old bucket list, but here we are. She’d also think it’s so lame that I only have 18 things instead of her typical list of 50 things, but I no longer have a 3-month summer vacation sadly.
Amid adult responsibilities and work hours continuing to be long in the summer, it felt great to reclaim the sense of creativity and joy that summer has always brought me. Creating it also gave me a chance to think about my priorities, passions, and goals for the next 3 months. I hung it up on my wall, right next to the monitor that sits on my desk. I view it every single day as a reminder and I can’t wait for the memories to come.
Mine is pretty specific to my area and personal hobbies, but I found the best way to come up with my list was to go through my saved Instagram and TikTok collections labeled “Places to Go” and “Ideas to Do”. I scrolled through and found 8 different art classes I’ve saved over the last 2 years and decided it’s finally time I hold myself accountable to take one. I also found a few others this way, like movies in the park in Hoboken and a NYC book crawl. Then I thought about the plans my friends and I have talked about making at least 10 times over the last year that have yet to happen. I also wanted to make sure I included a personal goal or two to achieve.
R.E.P.O.R.T.
Reading: I caved and read one of the BookTok favorites: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. This romance novel (a perfect beach read) follows Justin and Emma who suffer from the same curse: after a breakup, their exes go on to find their soulmates. After meeting on a Reddit post, Justin and Emma devise a plan. If they date each other, just for the summer, they can break up and meet their true loves. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other.
I LOVED the character developments, friendship B-Story, and the wide range of emotions from lots of laughter to tears. Yes, it’s a cheesy love story in many ways, and aspects of it remind me a lot of a Funny Story by Emily Henry. Overall it’s a powerful and realistic portrayal of overcoming your past to move forward with love. 4.3/5
Eating: One of my favorite parts of summer- grilling. Nothing hits as hard as eating a burger (in this case- a slider) or a hot dog right off the grill in the backyard with friends and family.
Playing: Hozier on REPEAT. Seeing him live was an out-of-body experience, I’ve never been so in awe at a concert and I went into the concert only knowing 6 songs.
Obsessing: Over the way Not a Speakeasy bar on the UES serves their drinks. I never thought I’d be drinking out of a giant Lego or bathtub in my entire life.
Recommending: the Daily Tracker app for your iPhone to get your life together in so many ways. It sends me a reminder every day at 6 pm to get my To-Do List done, and another reminder at 10 pm to write in my daily journal where I write 1. My win for the day 2. My disappointment of the day 3. Something I’m looking forward to tomorrow (also known as Rose, Bud, Thorn)
Truth Learned:
