Almost every year at the beginning of summer, my friends and I always try and make a summer bucket list. Since I am from a small town, we can be limited when it comes to activities. So, my friends and I always start the summer off with saying something similar to "this summer we actually have to do stuff." We plan to take weekend trips, go on small adventures, do something creative, but somehow, we always fall short. Instead, we end up spending almost every night in my basement watching a rom-com or a horror movie. This summer is going to be different. We will make a list and hopefully get the majority of it accomplished!

Train for a half marathon

That is something that I never thought would be on my summer bucket list. Recently, I have gotten excited about running, so I thought it would be a good idea and motivator to get signed up for the Lexington Half Marathon in November. I know that my dad, being a big runner, is excited that not only me but also my sister wanted to run a half marathon. I am actually excited about running, which is cool because I didn't think that I would ever be excited about running. It's more about setting a goal for myself and achieving it. But, isn't that what life is about anyway?

A summer around the world

These lovely ladies are the framily! Our waiter is in the front and told us all about Thailand's culture!

For years, a good family friend (framily) always talks about trying different foods from different cultures each summer. Our goal is to spin a globe, and whichever country our finger lands on is the food we will try. However, we don't realize that we didn't carry out this plan until the end of summer. Ideally, we want to cook the meal ourselves, but we figured it would be easier to get done if we just went to a restaurant! It's fun to just sit around the table and talk with our framily, so we love any excuse to spend time together! This week, Thai food was up first. Who knows what different food we will try next!

Girls' trip (because why not?)

Something that my high school girlfriends and I have always wanted to do is take a beach vacay. This is definitely on our summer bucket list. Being able to get out of Henderson for a couple of days would be so much fun!

Be adventurous

There are so many beautiful scenic areas in this world, and we are so lucky that Kentucky has so many! Something on my bucket list this year is going out and enjoying nature. Kentucky has so many spots nearby to go explore. This is not something that I have always wanted to do, but I think it's important to be adventurous and go explore what our world has to offer! It's so easy to get lost in scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, lose track of time, and wasting a day. Going out and exploring will be a great motivator to get up and out of my house and keep me from being on my phone 24/7.

Hopefully, all of these activities will get checked off this year. Making a summer bucket list is a great way to encourage yourself to purposefully spend your summer. Whether is simple things that you enjoy or planning a trip, I hope everyone reading will get inspired to also make a summer bucket list!