Over the past week, I’ve taken the time to sit down and really start fleshing out our PNW summer bucket list. I know I’ve mentioned before that I have an overall general Fort Lewis bucket list, but I’ve learned through all our deployments and separations that staying busy is often the best way to be. Because of that, I felt it was important for all of us – boys, Mieke, our Danny dog (literally, all of us) – to have a list of things we want to do and accomplish. What’s more, I even asked the boys for their suggestions, and I love their answers most of all!
Through writing out our PNW summer bucket list, I’ve discovered that my boys’ hopes and wishes are so much simpler. It’s the little things that make them happy, and I decided to take that to heart when I wrote out our list. My next step is to write these on our chalkboard and hang them up for the boys to see and check off as we go. It’ll be a fun way for us to keep trucking our way through this deployment, piece by piece. So, without further ado, here’s our summer bucket list:
- Eat ice cream at the playground (Spencer’s choice)
- Catch crabs at the beach (Porter’s choice)
- Visit Ruby Beach
- Have a staycation at a nearby hotel
- Go to the Boeing Factory & Future of Flight Aviation Center
- Have a proper picnic outside
- Decorate and send individual care packages for Daddy
- Find more sand dollars at the beach (Porter’s choice)
- Go on lots of family bike rides in the morning (Spencer’s choice)
- Try out the splash park on Lewis Main
The biggest theme of the summer for us is simplicity. I love a big plan as much as the next person, and making goals is my bread and butter. This list, however, is the picture of simplicity and lowering our standards for an easier, happier summer for all of us. Sometimes it’s those big trips that actually make us more stressed, and I’d rather we focus on the little, more meaningful moments than the grand ones for now. Everything is new for us with Mieke now in tow, and that makes it special, too!
What’s on your bucket list for this coming summer? Do you prefer to make big plans or keep things simpler?
