summer bucket list.

I love summer. It is- unquestionably- my favorite season. I love the sun and festivals and popsicles and daisy dukes. Bonfires and Katy Perry songs and hot pink towels and cocktails that taste like sunscreen and Harvey shows and open windows and afternoon rain and The Bachelorette and BBQs and fireworks and warped tour and white dresses with TOMS and MY BIRTHDAY.

Summer Roberts is my all-time favorite tv character from my all-time favorite tv show-- The O.C. Summer is in my top 5 of future baby names and Summer means freedom. No school. No rules. NO PANTS.

SUMMER.

This is the boyfriend and my first summer together and I put together a list of all the things I want to do, see, and consume with him.

*We have a rad, retro Dairy Queen in our neighborhood. It’s a few minutes from the beach and I stopped here last summer on the 4th on July after the fireworks show. It feels like summer and this time- I won’t go after having drank a 40 of DCL.
*Hotel Getaway
*We LOVE the Presleys. I call him Elvis- he calls me Priscilla. A little lame, a little Look Who’s Talking—but whatever. Regardless, we love them. There’s a photo exhibit at the Boca Museum of Art on ‘Elvis at 21’ and I’m stoked to go total teeny over those pictures of extreme fandom.
*Every single day we see the glass bottom boat drive by on the intracoastal. We LOVE water creatures-- River Monsters and the like—so, I’m pretty sure we’ll geek out over this.
*Kayaking – I’ve been a handful of times—the bf hasn’t. I’m totes not a hiking boot wearing, peeing in a hole, ponytail-wearing nature girl—but I actually really like camping and a lot of outdoor activities. Surprising, I know, but I can pitch a tent like it’s my job. Oh, camping! I also want to go camping this summer!
*We’re HUGE Guy Fieri fans—well, I’m a huge fan, bf indulges me in playing along. We play this game—usually on the late-night, usually not sober—in which we watch Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network and we try to call each other out on the things about Guy that we ‘love.’ For example: Me: “You LOVE his frosted tips.” Him: “You LOVE his pinkie rings.” Me: “You LOVE his man shorts.” Him: “You love the way he manhandles that cheesesteak.” It’s REALLY fun. Anyway, we’re HUGE Triple D fans, and there’s a tiny seasfood joint on the water in Miami that Guy recommended, Blue Marlin Fishing Co. We went a few months ago and the crabcakes and salmon burgers were FIRE. It’s a shlep, but it’s a major to-do this summer.
*Bowling - $5 pitches, cheese fries, and a chance to wear short-shorts with knee socks. Need I say more?
*Picnic at the baseball field
*Movies in the Park (The Sandlot, Avatar, Marley & Me)
*Morikami Museum
*There’s a lighthouse just north of our spot on the beach. We live a block from the water and we’re lucky to be located on a private strip of sand between two touristy areas. We’re at lifeguard stand 8 (my favorite number) and whenever we’re there, we say how cool it’d be to walk to the lighthouse. Lighthouses rule.
*Go to the race track— horses, not NASCAR-- yet. I’ll wear a sundress, he’ll wear a fedora (‘what are you in the Buena vista social club?’) We’ll gamble and drink and trash it up!
*Fishing at the pier
*Planetarium
*SONIC.
*Recently, we saw Bobby Flay make fish tacos and have kind of been obsessing about them ever since. The thing is, neither of us has ever had them, so we’re VERY interested in doing so in the immediate, immediate future. Like, tomorrow. I know I’m going to be ALL over these. A few people have recommended Tarpon Bend’s fish tacos to us, but I DEFINITELY want to grill them myself to. So, this is really a double bucket point.
*Frozen lemonade
*Mini-golf
*Lunch at the marina on the corner
*Farmers Market
*Annie’s Pizza after-hours

Summer Rachel is my favorite version of myself. Summer Rachel is tan and fun. She lives in bikinis, works out regularly, and drinks a lot of fruit smoothies. and beer-- Summer Rachel LOVES beer. and margaritas. and Bob Marley. and laying poolside. and dragging the boyfriend into said pool every day as soon as he gets home from work. So, here's to the summer version of you-- hotties!!



xoxo,
R