summer bucket list

G: Inspired by one of our favorite queer couples (Grace and Elizabeth Baldridge of the podcast Under Our Roof), Shannon and I make seasonal bucket lists. For ease, we divide "seasons" into three-month chunks, so "summer" is June, July, and August. You can read more about our bucket lists (and our perspective on them as a menu of options, not a binding contract) in this blog post here.

S: I often find myself so busy that I either 1) forget all the little silly things I want to do or 2) do them but in my haste forget to capture the memory somehow. I love our bucket lists because they are like little time capsules of the life we have built together; when a season passes, we reflect on all the lovely things that we did together and file the page away in a scrapbook, for future eyes to appreciate and reminisce on. 

Favorite bucket list item:

G: The highlight of my summer was our trip to South Haven, Michigan (read all about it here). It really was a bucket list bonanza though - we went swimming, we ate ice cream, we ran, we went to a rooftop bar. It was a dreamy trip! 

S: I also adored our trip to South Haven, but I have to give this one to "Queer Club." Our intention for this item was to drive to a town nearby that has a small queer bar, but we ended up counting our area's Pride Afterparty for this item - it was SO much fun. We spent the night hanging out with friends, having a few drinks, and enjoying the surprisingly active dance floor. It was the dark horse of the summer for me! I think Gillian agrees, and speaks more about it below. 

One we didn't get to that you want to do in the future:

G: There are really no local outdoor pools here, which is so frustrating! I'd love to get to an outdoor pool this winter (I know of one heated one in the area). We also didn't get to skinny dip, which I guess I'll have to save for another time.

S: I want to go to Tanglewood next summer since we missed it this summer. The only other time I went to Tanglewood since living in Massachusetts, it poured buckets and drenched our quaint little picnic on the lawn. While I am a firm believer that sometimes the biggest disasters make for the best (and oftentimes, most fun) stories, I would love a redo for this one.

Something we did that didn't make it onto the bucket list:

G: We ushered at Jacob's Pillow! Shannon and I met while working at Jacob's Pillow, an international dance festival in Berkshire County. Though we no longer work there, we still wanted to see the shows and be involved. Ushering is such a life hack. We saw four incredible shows for free!

S: In theme with Gillian's above, we both chaperoned our first field trip with our dance students to Jacob's Pillow! Whew, it's one thing to monitor 10 kiddos in a dance studio, it is a fully different experience being charged with their safety and well-being on a field trip. All in all, it was a huge success! Moments like that are honestly my favorite part of my job.

Most likely to fail, but didn't:

G: After hitting a block with cooking last winter, Shannon and I signed up for (and cancelled) Hello Fresh a few times. This really inspired us to start cooking more, and we set out to cook something new from scratch on a weekly-ish basis. Highlights include making honey butter from scratch and some delicious sourdough pizza.

S: Gillian and I had been trying to get to a rooftop bar for months. Any in our county? Didn't seem to be. Other rooftop bars in Massachusetts a reasonable driving distance away? Zilch. So, when we were planning our South Haven trip, we were delighted to find a rooftop bar right in town... but were dismayed when it turned out they only opened the roof up on certain nights, nights that didn't align with our trip. We had pretty much resigned to the fact that it was a bust when my dear friend Mark suggested a restaurant in Port Huron with an open-air terrace on their top floor that would be open for dining and drinks. We stopped there with him on our way back home from South Haven and had a wonderful meal (and a yummy drink, too). Mission accomplished. 

Most surprising:

G: Ok ok, I'll admit it - we don't live in the most hip place in the country. Berkshire County is home to many retirees, and most businesses close by 7pm at the latest, so nightclubs are non-existent. When local organization Berkshire Pride announced an afterparty for their yearly Pride parade and event, I was excited, but skeptical. The party ended up being one of the best nightlife events of my life. It was welcoming and safe and PACKED. The queer folks of the Berkshires really showed up, the DJ was amazing, and we danced the night away. Here's hoping there's more of these in the future!

S: For me, it was Putt Putt. I hadn't been mini-golfing in years and had forgotten how fun (and deliciously infuriating it is) to try to whack a tiny ball under a windmill, past a horrifying frog stature, past a barely functioning bridge over a manmade stream, and into a hole. By the end of our round I was positively giddy with childish joy. I can't wait to return.

G: We're onto our fall bucket list now; sneak peeks include an apple orchard, a trip to NYC, and a wine bar. See you next time!

xo

the roommates