my summer bucket list*

Summer may seem short, but here’s my list to make sure I soak it up before it’s gone before I know it:

1. Read, read, read!

2. Cook some new recipes with fresh local foods.

3. Visit Kprime in NYC.

4. Find a way to organize my mail. There are envelopes everywhere!

5. Neaten up my closet and get rid of clothes I don’t wear. Take some to the consignment shop and some to the thrift store.

6. Use my $50 gift card I won from The Boston Day Book! Thanks again, Natalie and Melissa!

7. Get into a yoga routine to get back in shape.

8. Take long walks a few times a week.

9. Find a fun DIY project to try my hand at.

10. Find an apartment for September. Hardwood floors, ample light, big windows, gas stove. Hopefully beggars can be choosers too. I’ve been spoiled by my last two apartments!

11. Look for pretty throw pillows for my new couch!

12. Ditch my car and take the train as much as I can.

13. Head up to the beach to feel the sand in my toes.

14. Dance the night away at two fabulous weddings.

15. Visit the farmer’s market once a week.

16. Plan a weekend getaway with my high school girlfriends.

17. Spend a weekend (or two!) up in Maine with Hannah!

18. Put some new and updated photos into my frames.

19. Visit yard-sales on the weekends for cheep deals.

20. Use my groupon to take a photography course.

21. Use my camera as much as I can to capture the beauty in the little (and big) things around me.

22. Watch Grey’s Anatomy, Season 7. Hulu, baby.

23. Hike Mt. Washington in NH. And take pictures at the summit!

24. Spend a weekend at the Farmhouse. Ahh, the simple life.

25. Head up to the beach early with Zan to enjoy a quiet morning while he dives for lobsters!

26. Enjoy a delicious night at Toro. With yummy drinks too.

27. Explore Cambridge more. See all that Harvard Square and Davis Square have to offer.

28. Meet up with old friends in Boston.

29. Meet up with new friends in Boston.

30. Canoe on the Charles. Why not a picnic while I’m there?

31. Enjoy a few afternoons in Beacon Hill. And the South End. And the North End too!

32. Go on a camping trip one weekend. Maine? North Shore?

33. See Taylor Swift in concert. This Saturday!!

34. Buy fresh flowers once a week. They make the apartment look so lovely.

35. Drink good wine and enjoy sleeping in.

36. Have dinner at The Fireplace in Washington Square.

37. Make our own Sushi (we used to do this often a few years ago!)

38. Eat more fruits and veggies. Use them in recipes and enjoy them by themselves too.

39. See the last Harry Potter. I can’t believe it’s almost here!

40. Eat lots of lobster with butter. YUMMMM.

41. Discover new music. Listen lots and enjoy the lyrics.

42. Take a break from the computer more. Spend less time double-tasking.

43. Find new table top lamps and shades that I like. I’m thinking turquoise to compliment the couches.

44. Soak up my week long vacation in Chatham, Cape Cod!

45. Use lots of sunscreen and wear my adorable straw beach hats.

46. Wear white pants as often as I can. I love them!

47. Visit Syracuse and spend most of my time at my family’s camp on Skaneatelas Lake. And eat pulled pork and corn bread at the Dinosaur BBQ. And frequent Wegmans too, of course!

48. Be thankful for my job: That I have one that I love, that’s super fun, and especially one where I get summers off.

49. Take a nap in a hammock.

50. Drink champagne with strawberries while watching the sun set.

* Inspired by Beaktweets (and Mama Kat). Thanks for the idea, Claire! I had fun with this one!

(photo credit)

Hello, summer!

I feel this freedom in my soul that I haven’t felt in a loooong time.

I am on my first official, real live “summer vacation” of my adult life. Being a teacher is dang hard work, but for the accomplishment you feel at the end of the last day, and the relaxation that summer will bring, it is all worth it.

Yes, summer. I’m thrilled we’re together again. Stay long and stay sweet.

(photo credit)

weekend.

What a weekend. Summer days are here again and this one was the perfect start to summer. Saturday we went up to Salem to enjoy the morning at the Peabody Essex Museum and to see all the history that the town has to offer. Then we spent the afternoon and early evening up in Rockport getting a taste of goodness at the ocean.

Happiness.

And I love it.

heaven in a cone.

My life is complete. I can die happy now.

I have found my one true love.

Graham cracker ice cream, my friends. Heaven in a cone and then some.

Me and graham cracker ice cream go waaaaaaay back. Circa 1993 to be exact. The best summer of my life. I was in Lake Placid enjoying my carefree days as a 10 year old. And it was there in Lake Placid that I walked into Stewart’s Shop and discovered Crumbs Along the Mohawk. The best ice cream ever. Crumbs Along the Mohawk is graham cracker flavor ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and caramel trickled throughout.

Insanity, as you can imagine.

And Stewart’s Shop is a little ol’ gas station in Upstate New York. It’s amazing. They have the best ice cream on earth. But Stewart’s is not located anywhere in Massachusetts. Nowhere. Nada. Not like it matters anymore, because this past winter when I was in Lake Placid reliving my childhood days, I so painfully discovered that Sterwart’s Shop DOES NOT SELL Crumbs Along the Mohawk anymore. Surely the greatest tragedy of all time. Or so I thought, until this afternoon.

And the story goes on…

Tomorrow my first grade class is walking to the local homemade ice cream stand in Maynard. Yeah, first grade!! It’s the end of the year, and they’ve earned it, and heck, I love ice cream. Plus Erikson’s is totally famous for their delicious homemade goodness. How could we not? Anywhooo, this afternoon I went to drop off the ice cream list so our ice creams can be ready when we arrive from our long trek from the elementary school, and as I was handing over my ice cream list my eyes couldn’t help but glance at the current specials. Graham Central Station? What is that I see?

So of course, I had to try some.

And bless my soul, we have a winner.

Graham cracker flavored ice cream with chocolate covered honeycombs and graham cracker bits. Life could not get any sweeter!

And so it goes, my life is officially complete. And it tastes sooo good.

Luckily for my figure, I only have a week left at school and then I’ll be saying g-bye to Maynard for the summer. Ice cream every day could get ugly. Another cone tomorrow with my class won’t kill me though. And I can’t wait!