#2- drive in movie, #20- smoke hookah

it's been about a week and i still am at a point where i haven't decided if my list is too long, or too short. if it's even possible, or if it's something i could complete in as soon as a few weeks.

i have had a LOT of free time on my hands lately at my job, since everyone is on vacation, so i wrote the list out on a piece of paper and brainstormed and fixed it for a couple days. and it SEEMS reasonable to me, but it's hard to know until you actually start.

so that's why i wanted to take care of at least ONE thing right away. but i ended up completing TWO things on my bucket list this weekend-- and the second wasn't even planned!

#2- drive in movie



this was the "planned" accomplishment. i decided to do this one first because a) i wanted to get one of the "bigger things" out of the way (for psychological reasons), b) there are only a few months of the year in minnesota where it's warm enough to do "outdoor things"... a sad reality... and c) i wanted to do something involving my friends while they were still excited about it, because i don't know when and if they will lose interest. :)

it actually worked out better than i had planned.

i've been wanting to go all summer-- even before i made the "bucket list." as far as i know, there is only one drive-in in minnesota-- Vali-Hi in Lake Elmo-- and it's actually only about 30 to 45 minutes away. i've been there once (a while ago... i saw the dark knight there, to give you an idea) and i remembered it was a lot of fun. Vali-Hi has a huge lawn that must fit about a hundred cars and a large white screen where they play three movies for about the price of one regular movie theater ticket-- a pretty good deal! a lot of people bring trucks, SUVs, lawn chairs and some even decide to barbecue. they have a few speakers next to some of the parking spots, but most people tune their radios to their specified station and turn it up so they can hear the audio outside. because everyone else is doing the same thing, you end up getting surround sound. but the best part is being able to watch it outside under the stars. there aren't many experiences like it.

i was able to recruit alyssa, amy, jen, andrew and my boyfriend brian. jen thought it would fun to eat at sonic's beforehand-- to add to the 50's theme-- so we met in maple lake and ate burgers and shakes before we went to the movies.

brian had been trying to convince me repeatedly to bring my dog with. she's not the yippiest of all little dogs, by any means, but she is also not the kind of dog you could conceal easily. i checked the website, plotted different ways to hide her (in the trunk? under a blanket? would we just try to talk really loud or pretend to "cough" if she barked?), considered the fact that we were 45 minutes away and had a group of people joining us, and... decided not to. but, of course, when we met everyone, jen and andrew had their little puppy in the backseat of the car. and of course he got in without any problems. conclusion: i'm lame and don't take risks when i should. maybe that should be #51 of my list of things to accomplish this year.

jen and andrew were definitely the most prepared to go to the drive-in. amy and i brought our little cars, but jen and andrew had an SUV, a couple lawn chairs, and blankets. which of course they shared. :)

the line up was harry potter, transformers, and horrible bosses. ALL of which i have seen with brian. can you tell we go to movies much? although, i will admit, i fell asleep part way through transformers. i'm kind of a boring granny that likes to be in bed at 10. #52 of my list of things to change?



anyway, it said the ticket office opened at 7, so we got there at 7:30 or 8... only to find the movie didn't actually begin until dusk, which was 9:30. so we spent a LOT of time talking beforehand. and when the first movie was over, it was already midnight! so the 3 for the price of one deal is only really a DEAL for the darn kids that can stay up until 4 am. and i'll admit... i fell asleep! haha... i'm such an old lady. but i'd already seen it, anyway. and my bucketlist was technically to GO to a movie, not necessarily SEE all of it. well... i write my own rules, anyway.

#20- smoke a hookah (flavored tobacco... for those who didn't know...)



this was completely unplanned. i was kind of thinking this would end up being another "elaborate", planned night going to a hookah bar-- which i've only been to ONCE before and really enjoyed. another experience unlike most, which i can still do this year, of course. i write my own rules.

but i didn't say "go to hookah bar" because smoking hookah in itself is something i used to do every now and then, but haven't done for probably four years. and it's not really about smoking, although it does taste good, but that it's such a community thing. kind of like bonfires. it brings people together, sitting in a circle, and you just get a chance to talk and get to know people.

brian's friend, rick, had a housewarming party this weekend, which i brought alyssa to. and his friend came about an hour later with a hookah. there were six of us and two hoses (is that what you call them?) and we spent plenty of hours using it, so it was one of the first times i didn't have to worry as much about sharing as i have in the past. it was a good night. and kind of nice to check 2 things off the list. it seems a lot less ominous...