By this time next week, it will be June. And June means summer. And summer means hot and sweat and sunburn and mosquitoes and also a bunch of other unsavory things. But it is also a time of magic and rest and blah, blah, blah (or so I’ve heard).

Full disclosure, I kind of really dislike summer, guys. I’m very partial to winter, in case you’d forgotten. In comparison to the pristine cold of winter, summer is a sweaty sock (read: no bueno). But, being the extremely mature human that I am (because it’s not childish at all to abhor a season) I have decided to make the most of summer and try to enjoy myself a little. So, I’ve put together a bucket list for Summer 2017.

In no particular order….

– finish Draft Four of Beasts *internal screaming*.

– submit Beasts for its editorial review (lol, kill me now).

– reread The Out of Time Series by Nadine Brandes (shocker).

– submit another piece of flash fiction in hopes of publication.

– finish my study of the book of Isaiah (I’ve got 21 out of 66 chapters done).

– purge some of my things in an attempt to have less things and live more simply/less tied to this world.

– launch my newsletter *cue the applause*.

– stay up through one night to see the sunrise.

– take advantage of all the daylight by getting up earlier and making use of long days yet still get my body enough rest to function healthily (doing this well is like trying to bring balance to the force: it may only work in theory).

– keep a vegetable garden (I will be taking full advantage of all the garden-wisdom of my friend, Amanda–she’s like a garden ninja-queen who can grow thyme from seed, and also she introduced me to bullet journaling, and so there’s that too).

– make decisions on the Penprints redesign and implement them (yeah, we’re all just going to ignore that I mentioned this like two months ago and still haven’t done it).

– drink allllllllll the water because I love water and I love drinking water because water is life and water keeps me from totally dying in awful summer.

– reread Embracing Obscurity by Anonymous (this is a book I think I’ll have to reread every year).

– go the month of July without listening to music (this one may kill me, but I want to rediscover the beauty in silence and the sounds of life).

– submit a devotional somewhere (um, wut?).

– go a day without technology of any kind.

– get a hammock; nap and read and write in said hammock.

– wear henna.

– visit two different farmers’ markets.

– wear face paint (because I can).

– get a skateboard and try to skateboard without colliding with the ground or cars or other people.

– go on a retreat.

– try to make a Nepali dish (Nepali food = so. good.).

– make soap (also with my friend, Amanda).

– own my pale skin. (I’ve got some very strong European lines on both sides of the family, and the little bit of Cherokee that’s in the mix all seems to have gone to my brother, Luke, who can tan in three minutes flat. I, on the other hand, have all the pale, European genes that just burn. This year, though, I’m not going to try to get tan in any way–no sprays or lotions or unprotected time in the sun. This year, I’m owning that I’m pale and choosing be happy that super light skin is healthier for me than burned or slightly tanned skin. *overly long spiel ended*)

– wear sunscreen like it’s my job (^^ refer to the previous item^^).

And that’s all I’ve got for today, kids.

What about you? Any fun summer plans? Do you have a summer bucket list?

With love,

Rosalie <3

P.S. – there is no post script for this post *collective gasp*.