Well, here it is! The end-all-be-all of my summer bucket list progress. I had so much fun with this project! Below you will find a huge compilation of photos and links to blog posts about most of these items.

Summer 2013 Bucket List

1. Trip to Disneyland √

*read about our Disneyland trip here*

2. Finish reading four books (3.5/4) √

*I was able to finish The Art of Racing in the Rain during that first summer month. I then created an online book club and finished reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane (our first book). I read A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book this past week and am halfway through Where’d You Go, Bernadette (my book club’s second book). I’m loving it!*

3. Get my splits back

4. Camping √

*read about our camping trip here and here*

5. Malibu Beach √

*read about our beach trip to Malibu here*

6. Try barre classes √

*I found an online deal for barre method classes and attended a couple of times. Though I enjoyed it, the classes weren’t challenging enough, and the studio was a far drive from my home. Maybe I can find a barre class at another studio I’ll enjoy more.*

7. Go on a walk every day √

*see photos from our walks here*

8. Repurpose our china cabinet √

*read about our repurposing project here and here*

9. Find a new hiking place √

*read about a new hiking spot here*

10. Baseball game √

*Yesterday we went to an Astros vs. Angels baseball game for our friend’s birthday. We represented Texas in our Astros jerseys, and thankfully, the Astros won!*

11. Sign with an agent √

*I was so excited to sign with my first Los Angeles agent commercially. Now I just need to find theatrical representation!*

12. Declutter our apartment and my computer √

*This is an ongoing process, but I have been steadily pulling clothes out of my closet, cabinets, and drawers, recycling stacks of paper, and trying to organize my computer files.*

13. Sand and stain IKEA counter top

14. Kayaking Stand-up Paddle Boarding √

*read more about our paddle boarding experience here*

15. Make homemade ice cream √

*read about our homemade strawberry ice cream here*

16. Use our deep fryer √

*We finally got the deep fryer out this past weekend and fried up some homemade french fries and mini-corn dogs (veggie for me).*

17. Sign up for a new acting class √

*This summer I took my second round of improv classes at UCB and am currently still in my commercial workshop class. Improv still terrifies me, but I’m so glad I took the leap and challenged myself (I survived!). My husband finally got to watch me perform improv, which I know he was pretty excited about.*

18. Spend time with friends  √

*read about our fun with friends grilling, camping part one, camping part two, Austin part one, and Austin part two*

19. Bike rides (count: 1) √

*This is one item I definitely wish we had done more. We will have to try and make it a habit this fall.*

20. See at least one summer blockbuster √

*We made it to theater this summer to see Monsters University and World War Z (double feature!).*

21. Spend time with family  √

*read about our times spent with family on Father’s Day, on Fourth of July, in Houston, and at a wedding*

22. Eat breakfast √

*find my go to smoothie recipe here*

23. Plant basil and parsley √

*find a DIY herb pot tutorial here*

24. Scour a flea market √

*I loved walking around the Renegade Craft Fair (not technically a flea market) one Sunday afternoon. Because we’ve spent so much money on other summer adventures (and because flea market shopping kind of goes against the whole decluttering thing), we ended up not visiting my favorite flea market at Melrose Trading Post. Soon enough we will!

25. Find a great Mexican restaurant & margarita

26. Take more photos with my DSLR √

*I think it’s evident by my posts that I have been picking up my DSLR quite a lot this summer, and I couldn’t be happier about that!*

27. Finish my scrapbook √

*read about my scrapbooking ventures here*

28. Meet new friends √

*We played volleyball with Whitney’s coworkers and went to several barbeques. Read about the Texas Exes alumni event here.*

29. Visit a new dog park

30. Hang out at a pool √

*see photos from pool time with my niece here*

31. Eat a snowcone

32. Mail letters/postcards √

*I sent a lot of just for fun and camping postcards, as well as handwritten letters and cards, this summer. I love snail mail!*

33. Bake a cake √

*read about my vanilla cake baking (from scratch) here*

34. Try a new recipe √

*find recipes for quinoa salad, quiche, mushroom pasta, and vegetable stir-fry*

35. Be outside as much as possible √

*It’s beautiful just about every day here in Southern California, so I try to get out and enjoy it as much as  I can by taking walks, reading outside, lounging at the beach, etc. Of course, I could always do more!*

Who else had a summer bucket list? I can’t believe how ridiculously productive I was by having this list in writing and holding myself accountable here on the old blog. Of course, most of these bucket list items were things I wanted to do, but seasons always pass too quickly without me getting to accomplish all the fun things I’d hoped for. I’m a little bummed I wasn’t able to complete the list, but I got pretty dang close. But the point of this list was not to make me feel bad if I didn’t complete it; I’m happy with what I was able to do! It’s important to make time for those “just for fun” projects in your life (just like this blog!). It keeps you sane. It keeps you inspired. It keeps you looking for the beauty in life. I’m planning on keeping these bucket lists going through each season, holiday and otherwise. It doesn’t hurt that I also put some beneficial items on here that I needed to do (eat breakfast, spend time with family, declutter, etc.). Here are the items I didn’t get to:

*get my splits back

*sand and stain IKEA countertop

*find a great Mexican restaurant and margarita

*visit a new dog park

*eat a snowcone

Maybe these items will end up on my fall list. I definitely want to go on more bike rides and need to continue to declutter our apartment and my computer. Reading books will of course continue and so will daily walks. And of course, we’re still on our never ending quest for that great Mexican restaurant.

Here’s to fall!

-wonderland sam