My Summer To Do List

Summer may be partially through…but the fun has just begun! To me, summer is the best time to plan fun activities with your friends. As an organizer, I’m sure you can guess, I tend to be the one making and organizing the plans. I’ve got a list a mile long of summer fun activities, but number one is being surrounded by the good company of my friends and family. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to keep these summer vibes up all year long.

Here’s my list….

1) Swim in the ocean (or lake or pool, whatever is accessible to you!) Nothing says summer like taking the plunge into a cold body of water…or a hot one! I’m always up for a beach day, or a nice dip in a hot tub when the weather cools down at night. A couple weeks ago I went to Deep Creek Hot Springs near Lake Arrowhead and it was amazing. Despite the hot temperatures, the water felt awesome particularly because each of the hot tubs spilled out into cooler waters. If you position yourself correctly, you can get the best of both worlds, hot water coming from one side, cold water from the other! Beware, the hike to get to the springs is for sure *treacherous* (steep, hot, slippery rocks), but sooo worth it. If you wear sturdy shoes with traction and bring a filter to refill your water bottle, you should be good to go.

2) Make a watermelon+feta+arugula salad. My summertime fave for dinner - just combine watermelon cubes, crumbled feta, arugula and toss with olive oil or your favorite vinaigrette, salt and pepper! So simple and delicious! Watermelon is something I always love having on hand throughout all of summer anyway.

3) Attend a concert at the Hollywood Bowl - a summertime tradition for my family and friends! Our Composed Living team is going to see Sheryl Crow at the bowl this summer for some bonding team. We’re ready for some girl power!!! Is there an outdoor music or movie venue in your town? Grab some friends, a picnic, and make a date!

4) Read a classic beach read. At the top of my list are Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels that all my friends have stormed through and raved over but I haven’t yet gotten to: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six. But check out Refinery 29 and Reader’s Digest’s beach reads lists for inspo!!

5) Host! If you’ve been here for a while then you know there’s nothing I love more than getting people together in my home, whether it’s a planned out event, or on the fly gathering, I’m in! Check out last weeks blog for some tips for outdoor entertaining!

6) Go see an outdoor movie. There are soooo many options to do this. Bring your own picnic, blanket, or lawn chairs for Street Food Cinema, with tons of outdoor locations all over Los Angeles. There’s live music before each film begins and if you don’t feel like prepping your own food, there’s yummy food trucks there! If you’d like a blast from the past, hit up a local drive-in theater: Electric Dusk Drive-in in Glendale, Mission Tiki Drive-in in Montclair, Paramount Drive-in in Paramount, Van Buren Drive-in in Riverside, or Vineland Drive-in in El Monte.

7) Volunteer! What better way to spend a summer day than give back to your community? There’s so many options to get involved, no matter what city. You can research your local food banks and hospitals to see what they need. Or, research your favorite local orgs. Sign up with the LA food bank and they’ll email you with upcoming volunteer opportunities. Thrillist put together an awesome list of ways to volunteer in the line of climate change. Volunteer LA is a great resource to find organizations sorted by category, so you can find orgs to reach out to that are in line with your interests and L.A. Works is an amazing search engine where you can find all sorts of volunteer events by date.

8) Make a frozen beverage! What a great time to revisit that watermelon and take it to the blender. The options are endless! I love something fruity, with a dash of simple syrup. Alcohol not required, but add your favorite spirit if you’re in the mood! Oh man, now I’m craving a piña colada! Check out Insanely Good Recipe’s list of necessary frozen cocktails. Make a virgin batch too to share with the kids!

9) Picnic! Pack a bag of treats and meet your people out for a lovely day at the park. Bring blankets, and maybe even a hammock to hang between the trees and people watch under the sun.

10) Evening bonfire. Head to Dockweiler State Beach early and snag a fire pit. Get all your pals on board and bring snacks. On the weekends, the beach is like a huge block party. People everywhere, tons of grills, such a blast! Then into the evening, start up that fire and roast some marshmallows!! Seriously, get there early, parking gets nuts!!

11) Road Trip! Whether near or far doesn’t matter to me. But, this is such a fun family activity to hit the road and go somewhere we haven’t been before! I love exploring a new city, especially if it’s somewhere nearby that I had no idea what it had in store!

12) Water sports! Rent some paddle boards or take a surf lesson! Rent boards out of Marina Del Rey or Malibu from Paddle Method. Take a lesson if it’s your first time. Poseidon Paddle & Surf in Santa Monica has rentals and classes for both paddle boarding and surfing, if that’s more your speed.