Summer Bucket List 2012 + Bonus

 After I graduated from High School I felt like I also graduated from having awesome summer vacations.  So, a couple of summers ago I decided I would make a Summer Bucket List so that I didn't get to the end of my summer and realize that I hadn't done a dang thing all summer except work and go to school. It worked! I found that if I made a list of even the fun things I wanted to do, I got things done.  I'm highly, highly motivated by the act of crossing something off my list, can you tell?  So, here is my Summer Bucket List of 2012.

1. Take my last required in-residence general education class.

I took "Gender and Globalization".  It was really interesting. It dealt mostly with how globalization affects women's lives. I learned a lot, it was really eye-opening. I didn't agree with everything that was taught, but for the most part I enjoyed it.

 

 

Check.

(And, just for the record, I got an A. Woot!)

 

2. Spend as much time in Utah with my sisters as possible. 

Some of you may know that my family is spread out across the nation, with one on a different continent.  But for a few weeks this summer, we closed the gap and were able to spend a couple of weeks in St. George (except for our Missionary, and we missed her!)  We had so much fun talking, laughing, swimming, playing games and spoiling the kids rotten.

It was good for my soul.
 

 

Check.
 

3. Go tubing down the Virgin River in Zion National Park.

While I was in Utah I was determined to go tubing down the Virgin River.  What I really wanted to do was go camping or hiking in Zion, but tubing was as close as I could get.   I had done it once before, while I was in college in Utah and had a blast, so I made my siblings come with me.  They were glad I did, we laughed the whole way down the river and decided that someday we would need to bring the whole family to do it. 

 

Check.

 

4. Sew my niece a quilt.

I have been wanting to make another quilt, and since I made a quilt for my nephew when he was born I decided to make a quilt for my niece.  This is the only picture I have of it, and it's not completely finished here, but you get the idea.  It wasn't the pattern I had intended to use for her, but when I got to Utah I realized I had brought everything to make her quilt, but I was missing some pages from the pattern I was going to use.  So I went online and found one for free that would work with the materials I had.  I really love the way it turned out!

 

Joss decided to do a little crafting of her own while I was working on her quilt. I'm sure her mom appreciated me letting her play with pins...

 
Jossie with her finished quilt top.  I think she liked it.

Now it's out of my hands, being quilted! I'll post the final product!
 

Check.

 

5. Finish the various projects I started throughout the year.
I made this cute monogram board, which I got the supplies for months ago. 

I made this curtain to hide all the crap that we have to store under our bathroom counter because we are officially out of closet space. It's nothing fancy, but it serves its purpose!

I made this simple, but ridiculously comfy blanket with minky fabric that I got at a going-out-of-business sale for dirt cheap.  I love it but I never want to sew with minky again, it's such a pain, and all I did was sew around two pieces of minky put together!

Check.
 

6. Read at least two leisurely books.
Putting reading on my Summer Bucket List really just my way of making myself feel good about sitting down and reading for hours on end and not feeling guilty about it because there are so many other things I could be doing.  Hey, I'm just trying to cross one more thing off my list, I'm not being lazy... Plus, I desperately needed a break from text books. Lucky for me, I was able to squeeze in more than two!

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak was my first choice, and my absolute favorite. I highly recommend it.

Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull was the second book I read, because my neighbor and her husband love the series, and let me borrow her copy.  It was kind of a fun story, but I didn't love it and I don't plan to read any of the others.  I'm just not into fairies and such, but it's always good to read something that you might not have ordinarily chosen.

The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann was another fun one.  The cover says it's like a mix between the Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but I'll tell you right now, it's nothing like Harry Potter - nothing is.  It is a little Hunger Games ish, but there's a little magic thrown in so it's different enough. I love the young adult books!

 

I was also required to read Half the Sky for my class, so it doesn't count as my leisure reading, but I really kind of liked it.  It can be a little much, because they tell some really sad stories about violence toward women, but there are also some amazing stories about some very resilient women.  Plus, it talks about how we can make a difference in the world. Yeah, girl power!

 

 
Check.

7. Get more organized.
This is mostly in reference to the paperwork that comes in and out of this place. I wanted to have a more organized way of dealing with bills, receipts, budgets and stuff like that. So, I did some research online to check out some of the ways that people organize their lives and found a way that I hope will work for us. It's nothing complicated, and I don't have a picture, but it's clean, crisp and filed nicely in hanging folders with a place for everything. Woot! Too bad when I organize one thing, I immediately see all the other things in my house that need to be organized. One step at a time...

Check.

 

8. Go paddleboarding.
I have been wanting to get out more and be more active, but I basically hate the idea of just going for run, I get bored just thinking about it. I would happily get my exercise though, if I was actually doing something like hiking, playing volleyball or paddleboarding.  I have been wanting to try paddlebaording for a long time, and Brad and I decided we would go this summer...but we didn't.  However, it wasn't a complete fail, because we didn't buy a Groupon for Paddleboard lessons and a two hour Paddleboard rental so we WILL be going on the next available Saturday.

 

Fail.

9. Clean the carpets.
I have nothing else to say except this just did not happen. We have lived here for 3 years and our carpets really need a little extra love, despite my constant vacuuming. We planned on renting a carpet cleaner but, well...we didn't.

Fail.

BONUS!
I feel pretty good about accomplishing most of my list, although I have a nagging feeling that I'm forgetting some...oh well. Here are some things that I didn't plan on that turned out to be amazing.


We went to Lehi, for a week to spend time with Brad's family.  While we were there I made about two dozen bottles of Salsa with fresh ingredients that we picked out of their garden the night before.  Every single thing, except for the cilantro and garlic came from the garden.  (I'm more determined than ever to have an awesome garden someday.)  Brad's mom is the canning QUEEN and graciously shared her wealth of knowledge with me.

1. Bottling Salsa and Blackberry Jam
The salsa, by the way, is absolutely delicious. Even though we had already put a lot of work into making Salsa, Brad's mom also let me make Blackberry Jam with, fresh Blackberries from their garden too! I don't have any pictures of that process but it was seriously so much fun! I loved everything, from smashing the berries to pouring it in the bottles. I kept saying "Oh look how pretty it looks in the jar!" or "It just smells SO good!". I'm pretty sure Kay, my mother-in-law thought I was a little ridiculous, but it really was so pretty and did smell so good!

 

2. The Hogle Zoo
We also went to the Hogle Zoo!  I was a little nervous because it really bothers me when animals live where they wouldn't naturally live, like an elephant living in Salt Lake City, or a bird that can't fly, or big animals that live in small spaces.  But the zookeepers were very educational and made me feel better, and assured me that they're better off where they are, because they would not survive in the wild.  It was a lot of fun, I'm glad I went, maybe now I'll be able to face Sea World...

 

3. Olympic Women's Volleyball
Did you know that Anaheim is the official home of the USA Olympic Men's and Women's volleyball teams?  I didn't until a couple of months ago!  Well, the women's team was playing a match against Bulgaria at USC, so Brad surprised me with tickets because he knows how much I love volleyball.  It was literally their last game before they got on a plane to go to London!  We had a blast, and it was fun for me to be in my element and teach Brad a thing or two about the game I love.  Oh, and of course, they won!
 

4. Watch the Olypmics 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We got cable for the sole purpose of watching the Olympics, and it was basically on at all waking moments.  I love the Olypmics.  Did anyone else get a little obsessed?

5. U.S. Open Surfing Competition
My friend, Jyl, invited me to go to the U.S. Open Surfing competition at Huntington Beach with her, and I was glad she did, because that was another thing I have always wanted to see since I've lived here...and I'll probably never do it again.  It was very Spring Break-ish, there were tons of teenagers that creeped me out big time by writing "Free Hugs" on their stomachs or "I want kisses" on their lower back.  That's creepy, right?  Plus, it was just wicked crowded.  But definitely worth seeing once!

6. My sister came to California to visit.
I was planning on spending time with my sister in Utah, before she went back over seas, but it was an especially fun surprise to have her and my mom come here!  I took her to an Elvis themed Mexican Restaurant, the beach and, of course, Disneyland!

7.Watch every season of Parks and Recreation.
This is literally our new favorite show.  Since we don't have cable (unless its the Olympics) we watch all our T.V. on Hulu and we haven't been able to stop watching this show.  I'm pretty sure we have now seen every single episode.  Anyone else love Parks and Rec?

 
Ron Swanson is our favorite.

8. People I love and don't see enough of in general.
I got to see and catch up with a lot of good friends while we were in Utah, both times.  I wish I had thought to take more pictures of them, even if we were just meeting for lunch. 

Overall, it was an absolutely fantastic summer!  I am fully rested and rejuvenated to start my busiest semester yet, with a clear mind.  Summer, I love you, it's been fun. 
And heelllloooooo Fall!