After my first year of college I, along with all my friends, understand more realistically that college is full of many ups and downs. We all met new friends and has so many great experiences but we missed each other so much which means we want to make this summer worthwhile. I only have a few months until I have to go back to school so I want to fill my summer with new adventures, travel, fun with friends, and great memories that I will always look back on fondly. I want to travel, exercise, enjoy the great outdoors, and learn new things I never knew before.

Hiking:

I would love to hike at Wompatuck State Park, Blue Hills Reservation, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Blue Trail, Sleeping Giant State Park and World’s End Reservation. I have been looking up good places to hike in New England and these ones seem like some of the best to go to. I want to find new places to exercise without paying too much or traveling too far. It should not be hard because New England has many wonderful parks and reservations to walk, run, or bike through. I really hope I get to hike at some, if not all, of these places so I can have a great experience.

Exercise:

I want to find some new, fun ways to exercise that will inspire me to exercise more and to not dread every time I go for a run. I would love to do more yoga and hot yoga because whenever I have done that it has made me feel so amazing afterwards. Although I usually sweat the whole time, I feel so clean and healthy afterwards that it is totally worth it. And after going to yoga I usually just take a shower and go to bed and I feel rejuvenated the next morning.

I also really want to bike more. I have loved riding my bike ever since I was a kid and I love it even more now because it is a fun way to exercise. I want to bike around Boston, Plymouth, and Weymouth and find new trails and parks in that area where I can bike and look at a beautiful scenery.

Going for runs and walks can sometimes be really boring for me so I want to try to find new places to go so I am always discovering new things or just in a new environment every time. I want to walk and run places with my friends and family so we can talk and enjoy the atmosphere together.

I love swimming, so anytime the water at the beach isn't freezing I would love to swim there. Anytime I can go to someone's house who has a pool I will definitely take that opportunity. I will also swim at the free places around me like the MDC and YMCA's in my area.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors:

Carnivals are always fun to go to with friends to get gross food and go on rides that are sometimes not the safest. Although it can be kind of sketchy, it's always fun to go on the rides and see the bright lights of the Ferris wheel on a dark summer day. It's a small town staple to go to the carnival whenever it comes to town and since the carnival I usually go to is on the beach it makes it even more fun. My friends and I will walk along the beach at night, grab some food or ice cream, and then go to the carnival to ride a few of the least sketchy rides and our night will have been great. Plus, there are always great memories, or not so great, when you go to a carnival.

Going to the beach is another New England staple. I am so lucky because I live close to the beach and the city which I take complete advantage of. This summer I really want to watch the sunrise on the beach with my friends (if we can get up that early), go to the beach in the morning to tan and swim, go to the beach to watch the sunset, walk on the beach and get ice cream, have picnics on the beach when it's nice out but not nice enough to lay out, and even go for a walk or run on the beach.

Going to Boston to have a picnic and walk around with friends is always fun because you can sit in the park and people watch, go shopping at all the stores on Newbury street, and go out for ice cream or dinner. Summer nights in Boston are adventurous and eventful because there is always something to do. You can do so many things for free like walk the Freedom Trail or go to the common, watch a parade, or see famous monuments and statues. There are amazing restaurants, ice cream shops, coffee shops, and shopping centers to go to and spend all of your money which is always fun. I always leave Boston with so much less money than I went there with but it always seems worth it to have the experience with your friends or family.

Another thing you can do in Boston is go on boat rides to different islands or just to whale watch. I really want to take advantage of my closeness to the city this year and go there more. I also want to all of the beaches and bodies of water I can so I can go paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, whale watching, or just swim. I really like to paddle board and it is a great way to exercise so I would love to do that more.

Things I want to do:

Over this summer I would love to do many things with my friends and family. I want to have adventures I will remember forever and just sit with my friends and talk like we always do. I want to go to the free outdoor movies in Boston throughout the summer with my friends to make the most of the cool summer nights. I want to go to museums, the aquarium, the zoo, and all kinds of things in Boston and the surrounding area that would be fun for us to do. I want to take day trips to all the places I can that are not too expensive. I want to continue to write and read so I can become a more worldly and intelligent person. I want to go to new bookstores and try new drinks at coffee stores. I want to research places I want to go to, where I want to work, and just what I want to do after I graduate college. I want to plan for my future but also live in the now and have fun. I have a great feeling that this summer will bring me a lot of beloved memories and I hope that comes true.