My Summer Bucket List (abridged)

Today I'm linking up with Deanna at Mrs. Jump's Class for her Top Ten Things I Want to Do This Summer Linky.

Now, I'm saying ABRIDGED because when I went to plan out the ten things I wanted to list for this post, my list ended up being 50+ items long.  Typically, I dream big!  It's probably more like a 50+ list of things I will only half do or never manage to begin.  But still.  I loooooove me some lists!

So, here's ten things I'll probably cry about if I don't manage to accomplish- which makes them the TOP TEN of the 50+.

1. Bi-Monthly Trips to the nail salon for a mani-pedi. (At least bi-monthly) For serious.  I'm already counting down to next weekend, as it will be the next two week interval...

2. Visit the Crayola Factory.  Aside from the fact that I love crayola.  Aside from the fact that I've wanted to visit the factory since I saw it when I was 26 years old.  Now my daughter wants to go.  And she is diabolically persistent.  So I know it's going to happen.  And hey!  You get to make your own custom marker!  How sweet is that?

3. Meet up with my Virginia Blogger Buddies!  I trust that this is absolutely in the works.  They've made up a Facebook page for it and everything- so it's going to be awesome!  Also, this will probably be my only "adult" vacation I get this summer.  And have had since, well, ever?  No- scrap that- 2003.  But I was six months pregnant, with my eventual ex-husband, and in RENO  So no- I'm not counting it.

4. Take a week long Wetlands Study Class.  It sounds totally nerdy now that I've typed it.  But whatevs. Five different classes across the week and you get to learn about making a Rain Garden as an outdoor classroom.  That is so up my alley, it's not even sad!

5. Read some books.  And ok, maybe it would be some people's opinion that I should be reading some sort of fiction genre-ish book- but I actually seem to enjoy teacher books more.  And that is why I am the life of the party...  I have three on my mind at the moment, one is a on-line book study at Thinking of Teaching, the other is a school assigned summer read, and the last one is a self-care sort of deal. Because I'm all about taking care of myself apparently.

6. My great-great-grandfather died horrifically in a Brooklyn Theater fire in 1876. Yeah.  Nuts.  Bit removed from it though, so it's more like historical genealogy hunting for me.  Anyway- I would like to make the drive up there to Brooklyn to Green-Wood Cemetery and take a rubbing of the mass grave site, and also my Great-Great Grandfathers.  My Dad used to be super into researching our family tree, and he had me get him old newspaper articles of the fire when I was in college.  I should have gotten the rubbing then- but better late than never, yeah?

Interestingly, they also have educational tours- and that might be something I'd want to check out. And this would not be an adult only vacation.  For one, because going to a cemetery isn't really "vacationy".  And two, I'm sure I won't be by myself.  Kid(s) in tow, no doubt. At least one of them will squeal if they don't get to come along.

7. Fairy Dust Teaching Summer Institute.  And shush.  I love this woman.  I love her classes.  LOVE IT, I SAY!!! And you should too.  For realz.  All her courses are superb.  I don't care what grade you're teaching, if it's elementary, you can apply all of it. I've already taken four or five, and I just want MOOOOOORRRREEEE. So there. Don't judge.  Obviously it makes me happy.

8.  Take a road trip to Tennessee and meet up with some of my homeskillet peeps from high school.  It'll be Dollywood and Gaitlinburg all the way baby!  I was supposed to go to my 20th high school reunion in April, but I ended up spending all of my vacation money (it would have been an adult only trip too!) and the money I saved up to get smaller boobs (yeah, SMALLER, not all of us like losing half our bag of potato chips in a bottomless chasm) on something actually really super important so I can't be upset about it.  But I am, sorta. #horribleperson.  I'll have to take the kids with me this time, but that's fine.  We will ride EVERY.SINGLE.RIDE and eat sugared almonds and dippin' dots ice cream. Dear Gawd, the tickets are expensive though!  Maybe I need to make a Donors Choose appeal for this trip...

9. Practice Drawing.  I'd really like to be as good as my sister.  I don't have to draw the same way or int he same style, but I'd like to be able to draw and like what I drew. I suppose I will practice a lot, and take a class or something. Maybe. But shoot, those stick figures look easy!

10.  Make some fantastic clip-art packages and Readers with my sister for our TPT store. We have so many ideas- hopefully there will also be time to do them all!

And speaking of summer bucket lists- we just made up a blank booklet for my students- and yours!  It's fourteen pages, black and white so the kids can color, and has six different prompts for what they'd like to do over the summer and six corresponding pages to draw what they wrote about.  It's super cute, and only three dollars!  Go check it out!

So, who else is over-planning their summer?