Summer Bucket List

One of my favorite blogs to read is one I recently became acquainted with, Enjoying The Small Things...it's one of those personal blogs that has sort of become famous--the blogger, Kelle, recently gave birth to a daughter with Down's Sydrome and somehow her story has captured the eyes of a lot of people. Its not just her journey as a young mom with a 3 year old and a special needs newborn...in fact it's not that at all.

Its the way she writes, the way she views her life, the photographs she takes and her sheer ability to grasp everything and make it great. She took something that would have shooken most of us--the unexpected challenge of a child with Down's Syndrome--shook it off and embraced it. Anyhow, I read her blog for many reasons. Its uplifting--sure she's a little schmaltzy and you have to wonder sometimes if she is REALLY as happy and in love with life as she comes off as. Because she's not just a "glass is half full" person...she's a "glass is running over with bubbly champagne and she's still pouring" kind of person.

The other reason I love her blog is the photographs she takes. At least 10-20 photos per post, and her kids are so beautiful that you don't mind seeing 18 shots of them in the same outfits. Her photographs are stunning, and I love that she photographs EVERYTHING. It inspires me as both a mom and a photographer.

She had a recent post about the start of summer, complete with a list of things she wants to do this summer, and I thought I'd make my own list. Some of these things are "for sure" things and some are just "I hope I can squeeze that in" and some are probably even "pipe dreams" but I'm way more likely to do something if I put it on a list, so you never know...

1. Have at least one really good summer party, complete with a "fire on the mountain" evening

2. Hit Knobels with my playgroup

3. Teach G3 to swim since my friend Jen has kindly decided to get a pool:)

4. Go to Ricketts Glen. Haven't been there in years, and its pretty close, but not really suitable hiking with a toddler.

5. Repeat of Girl's Night Out with Jeanette and Nancy

6. Dunwoody

7. Take advantage of the 3-4 days my parents are taking G3 to the beach to go on a trip somewhere with my husband.

8. Take G3 to the Philadelphia Zoo...or the Bronx Zoo...or SOMEWHERE with a big zoo.

9. Utilize my deck to sit outside in the evenings more.

10. Line up lots of photography shoots since this is prime time to utilize natural light!