I can see the finish line! Just a few more days of classes, a couple of papers, and a some exams, then it will be here. Summer will be here! I cannot wait for summer because my boyfriend is not going back to Russia, but instead staying with me. The bad part is that I have to work during the summer, so it is not going to be all fun and games for us. However, the other day we were talking of all the things we would like to do over the summer, so I started writing them down. Thus, our summer bucket list was born!

First off, I am excited that we decided to make a bucket list for the summer that way we can break up the monotonous schedule of work and afternoon boredom. We created enough things to do and multiple places to explore that we have at least one thing to do every week. We even have plans for things that have little to no cost. Since, my boyfriend is Russian, he has never gotten to explore a lot of places, especially Small-Town U.S.A. where I am from. Places that I have been to as a child and have lost interest in will become new again as I take him around and make new memories.

A lot of the items on our list involve going hiking or exploring. This is great because we can save our money for the bigger trips, while also having a fun time exploring new places. He is happy that we won't just be connected to electronics the whole summer, and we will go out and enjoy nature. We always seem to have a fun time when we go explore, instead of watching Netflix or staring at our phones. As I said, our bucket list gets us away from electronics and out into the world.

I know that my boyfriend loves to travel. I mean he has already seen a lot of the world, but he has not seen what my world looks like. It makes me so happy that I can show him all the places that I have seemingly outgrown. We also have places to explore that even I have neglected to explore before.

Some of the places on our list have a cultural value about them that preserve my Appalachian heritage. He has lived in this part of Appalachia, but I think it will be cool to show him more about the better parts of my culture because I have already learned so much about his.

This bucket list also gets us to break away from our normal routines. Instead of going to a theater to see a movie, we will go see a play. Instead of going shopping at the mall, we will go shopping at the small business places in the heart of downtown.

Honestly, this gets me so excited because I love to do things out of the norm. I am so happy that I have found someone who enjoys these kind of adventures just as much as I do, and I cannot wait for summer so we can begin our summer journey.