Not to be Negative Nancy, but the school year is sneaking up on us. We are less than a month away from our first day of the semester. Maybe your summer has been a work-filled bust, or you accidentally spent it doing nothing but Netflix, or maybe you've had the best summer of your life and want to keep that ball rolling.
Nonetheless, you refuse to let these last few weeks of summer slip away. Here are ten things to do before this summer comes to an end.
1. Go to a Concert
My concert of the summer will be Drake and Migos in Kansas City so this image was necessary.
Lose yourself in the music and crowd before we turn our attention to the books for a whole semester. Splurge on a big-name artist with some friends or find a small local concert you can enjoy!
And for the love of all things good, please don't put the whole thing on Snapchat. Cherish the feeling you get hearing a song live, not the low-quality video you recorded. These memories are for you, not your followers!
2. Have a Family Night
When the school year is in full swing, things get hectic and you can't always get home for family events. Before you leave for the semester, plan a night to get together with some extended family, or even just your parents and siblings. Schedule a night everyone can be together for a dinner and some games, or anything else you all can enjoy.
You will not regret spending quality time with family as you dive into this new semester. Our families always understand when we can't be there with them, the least we can do is give them a little slice of our summer free time before we head back to school!
3. Grill Out
These beautiful kabobs I made a few weeks back.
Personal
If you don't own one and don't know anyone with a grill, find a local park that has some available for use! Spend an afternoon in the sun with good food and good people. Grill up some classic burgers and dogs or get creative with it. Try grilling something different like salmon or shrimp.
I personally enjoy making kabobs with chicken, peppers, onions, and fajita seasoning. Pinterest is a curious chef's best friend, I could spend hours digging through recipes on the app. Grilling up fruits is always a yummy option too!
4. Discover a Swimming Hole
Make a day trip out of finding an awesome swimming hole. Do a little research and find some place in your state that has a hidden swimming hole. It could be a half hour or three hours away. You'd be surprised what you can find!
Get your hiking shoes on and make your way through trails for it or find one you can pull up to in your car. Bring a camera and capture some of the amazing scenery you discover! Take a break from the in-ground pools and indulge in some nature.
5. Movie Marathon Day
There are bound to be a few more stormy days before school starts or maybe a disgusting heat wave and you, like myself, strongly dislike being sweaty 24/7. You can't go wrong with a movie day to avoid the outside elements.
No one is going to judge you for watching Harry Potter all day (if they do cut them off you don't need that kind of energy in your life). Make sure to stock up on snacks BEFORE you start the first movie.
For the thriller/horror fans out there, "Missing 411" on Hulu had me shook. "The Boy", "13 Cameras", "Hush", and "The Perfect Host" on Netflix are also very good ones to scare yourself.
6. Have a School Preparation Day
Okay I know this is list is to get your mind off school, but I promise you this will make that first week hit a little less hard. Spend some time looking at your book-list, see all the prices and cry for a minute. Then figure out where you'll be renting or buying from so when it comes time to actually do it you've got it all lined up.
Sign into your school accounts and make sure everything is good to go with the financial aid office. Those lines are horrific once classes start and the office employees will appreciate you taking care of it ahead of time. School supplies are already up and out in most stores and are typically cheaper before those last two weeks of summer.
Pick up a few necessities while they're still under a dollar. Tape your receipt to one just in case you bought more than what you need. Come school time, while all your peers are scrambling around and standing in lines for what they need, you can stay home and watch some Netflix.
7. Closet Purge
Before you load everything up and prepare to move into your new place at school, do a deep closet purge. This will help cut down on the amount of packing you have to do and open up some more storage space. If you haven't worn in it a year then toss it! I am one of the worst at holding onto things way longer than you should.
I'm not just talking about clothes here, I mean go through everything, the miscellaneous shoeboxes of stuff, the jewelry boxes collected over the years. Every now and then we need to de-clutter our lives and let go of the 50 mismatched pairs of Claire's earrings that you've had since 2009.
Or that outfit that you absolutely loved the first time you wore it, but it has yet to see the sun since. It might be hard, but I believe in you. Just toss it. Even if you only end up getting rid of one tiny bag of stuff, that's better than nothing.
Invite a friend over to sit and keep you company while you work, it's more entertaining to find all the weird stuff tucked away when you have someone to share it with!
8. Visit an Amusement Park
I honestly am not the biggest fan of roller-coasters but there is something to be said about spending an entire day running around an amusement park getting 90-second thrills from a ginormous potential-death trap. It's a freeing feeling to walk away from a roller-coaster than a minute before had you thinking you left your stomach at the top of the ride.
If you are like me and would rather not ride the big ones, take a little cousin, nephew, or niece and have an excuse to be on the smaller rides that don't leave you wanting to cry. Of course, you can't make it an amusement park trip without paying for overpriced funnel cake and lemonade!
9. Enjoy a Drive-in Movie
Load up the car with blankets, pillows, and snacks (of course), and head out to a drive-in theater near you! While they aren't as popular as they used to be, watching movies at the drive-in is a classic way to spend a summer night. Make it a romantic date night or bring all your friends to revive some childhood memories.
Attending a drive-in movie is just one of those things to make you feel good inside. Take in the sunset while you wait for your feature film to start. my favorite thing about the drive-in is the feeling of community as everyone tunes their radios in to play the sound. I think it's safe to say the drive-in is the best way to enjoy a nostalgic night of summer.
10. Go on a Float Trip
Float trips are the perfect way to spend a day relaxing on the water. Get a group of people together to split the cost of a raft, pack a cooler of snacks and drinks to last the day, and bring plenty of sunscreen. I would recommend designating someone in the group to be in charge of monitoring weather.
The last thing you want to do is end up in a severe thunderstorm mid-float (trust me, I've experienced it). Remember to be respectful to nature, bring trash bags with you and leave the glass bottles at home.
