Nothing like a spontaneous get-together at the old high school joint. Tell me you’re familiar with the Smiley Cookie.

I had a Memorial Day barbecue with my family and neighbors back in Poughkeepsie today. The girl in the front row is Ashley. The tank sitting next to her is her fiance Mike. Ashley and I grew up together. Our childhood was spent running around in the woods behind our houses and making forts out of couch cushions. I get the privilege of being a “Bridesman” at Mike and Ashley’s wedding next Spring. Anyway, beautiful day with great people. Old friends are gold.

Advice: Never stop asking questions, noticing details, or finding entertainment from the simplest things.

I was pretty entertained by the novelty of a cheap conveyer belt sushi buffet I ate at while visiting DC for the week!

Keep on listening!

-Hillary 

These are the Sisters of the Traveling Banana (peep me in the center!). 3 summers ago, we acquired this banana at a carnival during a visit to our best friend at her summer camp. Each of us has carried this banana with us many places over the past 3 years, so you could say the thing is well travelled. This week, we put the tradition to rest, burning the banana in a bonfire (read: throwing in the trash can on trash day after having a bonfire because I don’t think you’re supposed to burn styrofoam), doing commemorative tribal dances (we are masters of dance improvisation, of course), and lastly, indulging in traditional and nostalgic activities. Mainly playing with our favorite toy, the Bingo Machine. Maybe I’ll introduce you to him later this summer.

Saturday Morning Tee Time. Mini golf. The second photo is the award ceremony. Look who walked away with the silver medal…

Meal plans don’t start for another week… so what do we do? Make pizzas from scratch in our dorm rooms! Made the dough from scratch which flour and whatnot, cooked it all in our toaster ovens… overall, great success!

Awesummer Headquarters (J)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxM42rG0a08&ob=av2e

Welcome to our summer bucket list, our soon-to-be-proven cure for the symptoms of age. We will take back youth and bring friends along for the ride. Join us on our summer adventure.

1) Rock climbing
2) Make signs and cheer at a little kids’ sports game.
3) Order a Domino’s pizza and greet the delivery man with a song.
4) Go to a county fair.
5) Go to a free concert.
6) Go to an house showing and pretend to be interested in buying… have elaborate fake backstory.
7) Devil’s Pool
8) Beach
9) Camping
10) Play with puppies at a pet store.
11) Movie Marathon.
12) Theme party
13) Hit up a Philly House Venue.
14) Picnic
15) Play the Thunderstruck drinking game.
16) Make a new friend that is awesome.
17) Be on a boat
18) Barter for something
19) Play jacks
20) Play four-square
21) Get a pinata for something (or nothing)
22) Perform at an open-mic night!
23) 5-story human pyramid
24) Dirty Basement party
25) keg-stand
26) Spend a day in public unnecessarily dressed in costumes.
27) Amusement Park
28) Fly a kite.
29) Bodypaint
30) Climb trees
31) 10 second handstand
32) One-handed cartwheel
33) Meet someone old, wise, and mysterious
34) Play on at least 3 playgrounds in 1 day
35) Make something ridiculous homemade
36) Buy a gift and give it to a stranger
37) Turn 21
38) Stage a fight in a public place
39) Rent a tandem bike at the park
40) Catch and name fireflies
41) Try at least 3 new beers
42) Play the hat game
43) Play with sidewalk chalk
44) Build a puzzle
45) Truth or dare Jenga
46) Find a new cool hangout spot
47) Go to the drive-in!
48) Teach ourselves to lucid dream.
49) Go to some kind of meditation workshop.
50) Leave our mark
51) Participate in some underground activity in Philly…
52) Rocky Horror Picture Show
53) ABC party
54) Ride a horse
55) Top of a mountain
56) Micky Mouse Pancakes
57) Drink Mate’ in the park
58) Organize and participate in the ultimate road-rally scavenger hunt
59) Do something outdoorsy in formal attire
60) Grow Something
61) Do whatever someone else tells you when followed by the word “turnip” (Ex: Hillary: “Jay, come to this naked, Native American, Twilight Book club meeting with me.” Jay: “No” Hillary: “Turnip” Jay: “Okay!”
62) Custom T-shirts!
63) Do something great for the humanity
64) Zoo
65) Make a wish tree
66) Family bonfire
67) Do a rain dance.
68) Go thrifting, or better yet, to garage sales.
69)
70) go to Johnny Brenda’s
71) Roller rink!
72) Open a free lemonade stand
73) Walk someone’s dog
74) Flea market
75) Carnival
76) Play spud
77) Write a joint letter to santa claus for Christmas in July and see if the post office writes us back.
78) Play manhunt
79) Karaoke
80) Write a song
81) Build something
82) Carve our names into a tree
83) Film activities and make a Summer montage video
84) Couchsurf
85) Grant a wish
86) Hold a seance
87) Play beach volleyball
88) Play a board game
89) Build a fort on a rainy day
90) Cat’s cradle
91) Spend an entire night using only flashlights for light
92) Sit on a roof
93) Observe the shapes of the clouds
94) Stay up to watch the sunrise
95) Climb the Spit
96) Make a photo album or collage
97) Go to Stamford to see a free taping of Maury or Jerry Springer
98) Spend an entire day in pajamas
99) Roll down a hill.
100) Ride a car through the car wash
101) Water park

And of course, 102) never stop imagining.

103) Nose-piercing
104) Water gun/balloon fight 
105) Cheap seats at a baseball game.. don’t forget the tailgate! 

I’m Jay. The other one is Hillary. We are kids. Kids trying not to grow up. So we will reclaim the summer as it once was. Mystery and wonder. Stories and Friends. Ghosts and Milkshakes. Fire and cliff-diving. Watch us.

Because I said so.

-Jay