Hey, stranger.
Often when I sit down to write, I feel I need to write Something Serious And Real for it to be worthwhile enough for you, dear reader, to open. But I have been feeling extremely nostalgic for my teenage, pre-teen years of sitting with my friends at school lunch, writing down our summer bucket lists on a scrap piece of notebook paper, smudged with hummus or grease from a packet of chips. Given that so many of my friends and family are scattered across the states right now, I want to share the bucket list I’ve comprised while at the laundromat, no scrap paper or loud cafeteria in sight. I’m determined to have The Best Summer Ever— the type I used to daydream about when life felt mysterious and big and easy to romanticize.
Evie’s Summer 2025 Bucket List
Picnic in the park. Maybe bake something fun, bring a giant bowl of fruit, sparkling lemonade, fresh tomato sandwiches.
Aperol spritz on a patio somewhere, preferably with live music.
Tanning on the docks.
Rooftop party!
Go to one of those Movies In The Park situations with a group of friends.
Need to find myself on a ferris wheel at some point.
BASEBALL GAME! Bonus points for a stadium hot dog and a crispy Diet Coke.
Introduce new friends to old friends.
Swimming, swimming, and more swimming. My gym has an outdoor pool, thank God, so this will be doable in the city but I’ll probably have to wait until I’m in Portland to swim in a lake.
Go to Maine to stay with family friends for a weekend. Eat lots of lobster.
Walk the length of Manhattan. Stop for coffee and lunch somewhere.
Get up to watch the sunrise.
Watch the sunset from the piers.
Absolute must: barbecue somewhere, somehow. I am a wizard on the grill (not really) and need to make some chicken skewers.
Get tinsel in my hair. Sparkly summer incoming…
Find a new Karaoke bar to frequent. I used to go all the time in Seattle and I miss it so much.
Go to Sunriver to stay with my aunt and uncle.
Wig night out with my friends— I have to wear a bright pink bob at some points to compliment the tan I will be getting from laying at the park.
Brunch. Lots of brunches, hopefully. Brunch after a night out. Brunch that last three hours.
Ride bikes across the Brooklyn Bridge, get ice cream somewhere.
Have a slumber party.
Browse the weekend flea and farmers markets. Pretend that I want to spend 30$ on local produce.
Lots of evening walks when the weather is perfect, take my journal to sit and write.
Start lap swimming again. There is no more euphoric feeling that an early morning lap pool in the height of summer.
Buy papaya in bulk.
Go camping with my family when I’m in Portland.
Manzanita Beach with Erin and Sadie when I’m in Portland, eat pizza on the beach.
Have as many Saturday’s as I can where I leave the house in the morning and don’t get back until late. Fall asleep with sore feet and maybe a slight sunburn.
Go paintballing.
Eat an impressive amount of strawberries and tomatoes and mangoes and corn.
Make root beer like Grandpa used to.
Invite my friends over for coffee and breakfast.
That’s it for now, I’ll most certainly add to this list and if I’m lucky, complete some items over and over and over again. I think the most beautiful part of summer is the anticipation, the sheer potential, that you feel at the start. It’ll pass possibly too fast and we’ll have another winter, but we get to be giddy about the start for now.
Send me your bucket list, if you have one, or suggestions for me to add to mine. Something that is on my list every season without fail is to write as much as I can. As always, I’m grateful you’re here.
xoxo,
Evie
regret to inform you i will be stealing your entire bucket list
Yes!!! Please come to Sunriver.