17 Summers: Goals for the '13.

Last year I wrote about how the "18 Summers" phenomenon was a pile of crap, because it is: life is made up of more than a countdown, and we should enjoy our time on earth simply because it's beautiful, not because we get less and less of it every day.

That said, a girl can still make goals. Summer is short up in hurr and I want to make the most of it because I feel that too much of it was spent indoors last year, on account of it being hot and me blaming things on the newborn. (She was three months old, does that count as newborn?)

Well, she's a straight-up toddler now and exploring the world around her and I am out of excuses. Plus, who doesn't want a sweet tan? I don't not.

So without further adieu, my goals for summer 2013, not at all inspired by guilt or shame or lack of time. (And if you for a moment are feeling a touch of guilt / shame / clock-tickingness, you snap out of it, woman/man! Do something because you want to do it, because you love it, or because you love the God who loves it! Not for any other motive.)

1. Make it outside every day (that it isn't raining). Even just for 45 minutes. My toddler needs to explore the worms around her. Gardening counts.

2. Actually construct the button craft that has been sitting on my shelf for two - almost three - months. Kudos to John for his everlasting patience.

3. Find larger living quarters. Pursue sacrifices. Those two things sound incongruent. They're not.

4. E...exer...cize..? NOOOOOOOOOO. Yes, Sam, you have to, or else you will get fat. (I have become quite happy with a little pudge, I blame it on the fact that we consume whole fats... but things could slip out of hand what with summer ice cream and french fries and such.) Gardening doesn't count as exercize. Tried that one. Good squats, though.

5. Make this recipe, hopefully on a regular basis. Pursuant to point 4, RE ice cream consumption.

6. This is ongoing but it applies this season more than ever: figure out how exactly to balance work life, family life, copywriting, blogging, and making healthy food. And keeping the house tidy. And watching sufficient amounts of The Office. ...And visiting with friends. And socializing The Caterpillar. And exercising, see point 4.

7. Watch my words. The out-loud ones. And the in-loud ones. In the last 2 years, my goals have been to practice gentleness and kindness, which (believe it or not) I have truly made advances in. I have actually gotten compliments from those who don't know these have been my goals (I haven't put them on the blog 'till now!) which has been a huge encouragement! Now I'd like to extend that kind of grace into my daily life in terms of the around-the-house stuff. Less use of the words "dumb"& "stupid" and "ohhhhhhh-my-goooooossssssh" (that's in reference to myself, others around me, and people on television/YouTube/just in general).

8. Make one juice a day. More is great, but at least one fresh juice.

I think eight seems good. I'd like to add "9: Get Pregnant" but that's outta these ol' hands, am I right?

Yeah, let's go with eight.

Oh yeah,

AND MAKE THE MOST EPIC SUMMER FOR THE CATERPILLAR EVER
(UNTIL NEXT SUMMER, AT WHICH POINT THAT WILL BE THE MOST.EPIC.SUMMER.EVER.)
UNTIL THE NEXT ONE
AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.

Just kidding.