If you haven’t heard, we’re giving Hot Girl Summer another go this year… and if you know me, summer is my least favorite season of all. A lot of people are giving this summer alternative nicknames, but I truly believe Hot Girl Summer starts from the inside out. Since last summer was rough, I’ve decided to make an effort this year, so I put together a bucket list to help inspire and motivate me to enjoy this season of life!
Go on a staycation with my besties
I’m not sure if this counts since I just came back from the staycation yesterday, but it was a great way to kick off the summer. My besties and I stayed at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek for the weekend and spent time relaxing, laughing, and enjoying a few of the restaurants/lounges on Disney property. I highly recommend going to the Enchanted Rose lounge at the Grand Floridian Resort; it’s Beauty and the Beast-themed and absolutely gorgeous inside. The drinks are pricy but good, and I feel like the ambiance also made the price worthwhile. We also had brunch at The Wave (at the Contemporary Resort) with refillable mimosas, which was great, but I heard the restaurant will be closing soon :/ We had a blast, 10/10 would do it again!
Implement a budget/savings plan
One of my goals for this year is to increase my financial literacy, which was actually a leftover goal from 2020. I’m actually making really good progress with it and although I’m not totally where I want to be (which is okay), I feel a lot less anxious because I have an understanding of what I need to do. I signed up for the cheapest Ellevest membership a couple of weeks ago and I’ve already found it very valuable. I’ve signed myself for nearly all of their webinars this summer and am currently working on an e-mail course. I also recently purchased Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche aka The Budgetnista, one of my favorite Instagram accounts. I’m hoping to implement my new budget before the end of the summer!
Watch a movie in theatres
This is another item I recently accomplished (I saw Cruella yesterday), but I didn’t realize how much I missed the pre-pandemic activity of going to the movies. I’ve already pre-ordered my ticket to see Black Widow in a couple of weeks because there’s nothing like seeing a Marvel movie in theatres!
Go to a flower field
To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t done this one yet, but the weather probably explains it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this over the summer since it’s been raining every day, but I have been longing to go to a flower field for the past couple of months. If anything, there’s always my sunflower field tradition. One day I’ll make it to lavender fields or the superbloom in California, but for now, there are wildflowers and sunflowers.
Dress boldly
Another one of my goals this year is CONFIDENCE. I have been working on self-love and confidence and now is my time to shine! I want to wear all of the outfits I’ve dreamed of wearing but talked myself out of, like the House of Sunny Hockney Dress. I hope to document more on social media or here. Also, the outfit I’m wearing in the pictures on this post is from Zara and comes with a matching headband (not pictured). I LOVE the Pucci-inspired print and can totally see myself wearing it at an Italian villa sometime in the near future (~wishful thinking~).
Rise to the 12-3-30 Challenge
I came across Lauren Giraldo’s 12-3-30 workout a couple of months ago on TikTok after completing Kayla Itsines’ BBG 1.0 and immediately accepted the challenge. I wanted the emphasis to be on strength and endurance rather than losing x amount of weight or x inches off of my waist, so I have been taking it slowly and listening to my body. I started in May at an incline of 5.0 and now I’m in between 8.5 and 9.0. It’s been a challenge, but I have already seen differences when walking up and down the stairs, and I seem to be looking a little leaner these days. I’m hoping to get to an incline of 12.0 by the end of the summer.
Become a rooftop enigma
I have recently re-discovered my love for rooftop bars and want to enjoy them as much as I can this summer. Again, it’s been a flop in Florida due to the rain, but I’m hoping to grace a few rooftops with my presence in the next couple of months! So far, the PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown NYC did not disappoint. I’m looking forward to going to Magic Hour at the Moxy this weekend.
Start my Book of Dreams
Since my summer will mostly consist of trying to juggle full-time work and summer classes, I need something physical that will keep me motivated and inspired. I want to create a book of dreams where I can make collages and jot down all of my hopes, goals, dreams, and ideas. I believe that anything can happen, so let’s see what magic I can create!
Declutter
Nothing says welcome to your late twenties like adding this to your summer bucket list. I have about three weeks off between summer and fall classes so I want to make the most of them… and what I need to do is declutter. I’m anticipating feeling like multiple weights have been lifted off my shoulders once I do that; it’s long overdue. And yes, this does mean I’ll be relaunching my Poshmark shop.
Complete a Google certificate program
After wading through work-related strife, I finally quit my job and now I’m looking to acquire new job skills. I’m interested in learning more about the tech space and want to complete a program that will give me hard skills, so I have my eye on a Google certificate program. There’s a 7-day free trial, then the program is $39/month until you finish, plus whatever the certification exam costs. That’s way less than my current grad school courses and I’ll have something to show for it almost immediately.
As you can see, I’m working to become the best version of myself, but I also realize I need to relax and recharge from time to time. It’ll be interesting to check back in at the end of the season to see what I got to and what I’ll have to save for another time. What’s on your summer 2021 bucket list?
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