Happy Friday, folks! It’s been a busy week over here in the PNW. Between COVID restrictions beginning to ease up, the kids transitioning back to daycare so I can work, hiking trails opening, Ryan being TDY, and more, we’ve been on the go nearly nonstop. I’m excited and grateful for it though because after being quarantined for so long, real life feels, well, real. For those who’ve followed and read my blog for some time, you know that I’m a big fan of bucket lists. Since this military lifestyle is transient, we usually have a finite amount of time at any given duty station to see, explore, and discover what’s around us. The crazy thing is that today marks two years at JBLM, which means the countdown is on. This fall, Ryan’s marketplace will open, and we’ll likely receive orders this winter for a PCS and new duty station next summer. What does that mean for us?
Well, it means that it’s time for a JBLM bucket list update, for one. I made our original bucket list back in the summer of 2018 when we had just arrived, hoping to give ourselves a list of places to visit, things to see, and more. Between Ryan’s deployment, having a baby, and coronavirus though, a lot of our plans and goals were pushed back, thus changing some of our priorities on that bucket list. And, sadly, a lot of the events we’d hoped to visit were cancelled this year because of coronavirus, which means we have one last shot next spring, if we’re lucky. We did, however, cross of quite a few on our bucket list.
First, check out our original PNW bucket list here (hint: we’ve marked what we’ve done!) And now, here are five things on our summer 2020 JBLM bucket list.
1 // Visit the Hobbit House at Brothers Green Houses
This one isn’t too far from us, and I’ve been wanting to get some plants anyway. I think it could make for a fun day trip to see something cute and simple without going too far. It could even work on a rainy day, too.
2 // Drive up to Canada
We’d planned on doing this before coronavirus, but with mileage restrictions and border issues, it’s been on the back-burner for a while. Ryan’s never been to Victoria, and I think it’s been about 10 years since I’ve been, so it’s definitely on our list – hopefully before Spencer starts kindergarten this fall!
3 // Explore Paradise, Rainier
Okay, this one is big. Guys, it’s been repeatedly on my list, and you’d think it would be top priority, but we’ve had a few roadblocks. One – I’d hoped to go last winter, but the road was closed due to rockslides. Two – last summer, I didn’t have it in me to go solo with a baby and two little ones while Ryan was deployed. And three – it’s been closed due to coronavirus. It’s opening up though, and we need to do this!
4 // Hike Around Moulton Falls
I’m hoping we’ll be doing this one sooner than later, honestly! About two hours from JBLM, it’s a kid-friendly, dog-friendly hike, and it’s a pretty accessible trail. Since my boys are just breaking back into hiking and learning to do slightly longer ones, I really want to do this because I think it would be the perfect picnic spot, as well.
5 // Visit South Lake Union Saturday Market in Seattle
Seattle is a bit of a dumpster fire right now, but once restrictions relax and the market opens, I plan to do one evening trip to the SLU market. It’s the perfect blend between farmers market, ready-to-eat market, food trucks, and more. We may not be big-city people, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t go just once!
I’m not aiming too high this year, guys. I’m trying to keep it simpler because, let’s be honest, half of 2020 is gone already, and most of the spring events we’d hoped to see were a wash. Summer is coming though, and if someone could tell that to the PNW, I’d really appreciate it. Until then though, we’re excited to start tackling our summer 2020 JBLM bucket list because the clock is slowly ticking on our time in Washington!
Tell me – do you make seasonal bucket lists, or if you’re military, do you make bucket lists for your duty station?
