Summer is such a magical time. June begins with so much hope and anticipation for long, lazy summer days (even for those of us who work, summer always seems a bit more relaxed), relaxing in the pool, finding new adventures with the family, and staying up past our bedtimes. But then August rolls around and suddenly the summer is winding down, and I’m grieving as I think about all the things I hoped to do that I never got around to doing.
And that’s how I came up with my first Summer Bucket List in 2011. At the beginning of our first summer as a married couple, my husband and I sat down and made a list of all of the things we wanted to do over the summer, from having a date night on the Trinity Trail, to watching a sunset, to eating a leisurely dinner on a patio, and running a triathalon. And then one by one, we crossed almost everything off the list (well, except the one where I planned to lose 15 pounds that summer. . . .
It has become a fun tradition to create our list each summer since. In 2012, one of my goals was to wear shorts and heels and put my toes in the sand. During the summer of 2013 my list only had one item: Have a baby (she came in July). This year our bucket list is written on a giant chalkboard in our kitchen so we can easily add to it anytime a new idea for an adventure hits us. Now that we’ve got an (almost) two-year-old, many of our adventures revolve around things we want her to get to experience – from riding the train, to taking swim lessons, to going to a splash pad. But we managed to squeeze a few things on there for us as a couple too (like an overnight date with no kiddo). And I can’t wait to reflect around Labor Day to see how many adventures we managed to experience.
I created a Summer Bucket List that you can easily personalize for your family so that you too can plan out some adventures. Click here to download. And for some great ideas for adventures in Fort Worth to add to your list, be sure to check out Emily’s Cowtown Summer Bucket List, these ideas for your budding artists, these fun places for frozen treats with the family, and these places to add to your restaurant list.
What items do you plan on adding to your family’s Summer Bucket List?