Here’s To Summer! #SummerBloggerChallenge

June 21, 2014

This summer, along with my usual blog posts, I will post some summer themed ones! I am joining a bunch of other amazing bloggers in the #SummerBloggerChallenge hosted by Charlotte, blogger for Velvet and Vinyls. I am very excited to share these amazing topics with you and I would definitely suggest checking out some of the other bloggers who are taking part in it!

Since today is the first official day of summer, I’ve been thinking about what I want to accomplish. Aside from playing tennis, working out and really enjoying my summer, which I have already talked about a few times on here, there are other goals. Tennis and fitness are the big ones for me but by now they have become part of my routine. I started thinking about things I can do that are outside of my routine, unique or would push my comfortable limits.

Do some cool DIY projects. I have a whole list on Pinterest I haven’t had the time to do but this summer I really want to find the time. I think I still have two un-opened Darby Smart boxes and if my memory serves me right, they were both really awesome.
Finally sort through pictures. I have thousands of pictures from this past semester alone. Between my photography independent study and the trip we took at the end of May, there are so many pictures I need to sort through more carefully. I want to get some printed and put them on my walls. What better time than the summer?
Write more fiction. I feel like I beat a dead horse when I say this every summer. I love writing fiction but I can never bring myself to actually sit down and just write. Now that I am in the habit of sitting down to write for my blog, it might actually happen but I think I’ll still need to give myself that extra little push to generate fiction.
Make a travel scrapbook. Since we went to Japan, I have been collecting memorabilia from places we have travelled in the hopes of making this grand and awesome scrapbook of our trips. It’s not unreasonable. I discovered it is actually a lot of fun to scrapbook and I become very calm when doing it. I am a little more motivated to do it this summer than I was in the past. Now I just need to research if there is an AC Moore or Michaels near me.
Detach from my devices. This is always a major struggle for me, and a subject of a blog post in the near future. I really want to push myself to keep my devices away from me for a whole day and enjoy doing things that doesn’t involve my phone or computer. The scenery and life on the Cape is so calming and slow paced, but when I am on my phone I am the opposite. I want to challenge myself to see if I can get into the slow paced lifestyle, at least for one day.
Learn to love the beach (maybe). I have never been a fan of the beach. I don’t remember liking it as a child, and I really dislike it now. However, the beaches in Cape Cod are really beautiful. The sand is a perfect texture and it is usually slightly cooler with the breeze. I don’t know if it’s the sand on my wet feet or when it gets everywhere that bothers me most. I have never enjoyed going into the water, getting wet then relaxing on the sand, but I love walking at the beach and taking pictures. I would like to learn to love it. Maybe this summer will be the year.
Read more. I always forget how much I love reading during the school year. As soon as I pick up the first book that is not required, I fall back in love with reading. I want to discover new books and spend time with them this summer. I want to read blogs and get into the habit of picking up a book for a little bit (even when I am totally swamped with work come the fall).
Start #100HappyDays. I have seen so many friends do it and I’ve been seriously meaning to for a while now. I feel like this is quickly becoming my go-to excuse but I couldn’t find the time to start it while I was traveling. Starting on the first day of summer feels exceptionally appropriate and I can’t wait to see the impact it has on me as a person. It will probably also be the subject of many blog posts.
Start graduate school applications. I am always a fan of getting ahead on work. This next year is going to be a massive whirlwind of job applications, graduate school applications, interviews and more! Whatever I can start now will only help me come November when first deadlines are approaching.

I don’t think any of these goals are totally unattainable. I also have a feeling if I succeed in doing some of these I will ultimately avoid being on my device all the time. A lot of these are creatively geared and I love projects. One larger goal for this summer is to get my right brain working more than my left. Here’s to hoping and to a productive and creative summer!