I came up with a list of things I would love to work on/do/accomplish this summer, and I am excited to see what comes of the list in the next few months! 

1. Work on "projects": We have a list of projects to finish around the house, that I would love to see get worked on.  This includes painting all our kitchen chairs the same color, painting the trunk Max got me for Christmas 2011, putting curtains up on our back door, hanging our family photo collage wall in the living room, and changing out some older photos we have framed.

2. Exercise consistently: I have been slacking in the exercise department.  It's funny, because when I was pregnant with Evie, I was working out 4-5 times a week, up until the week I gave birth.  And now, 8.5 months later, I could probably count on my hands the number of times I've actually put on my workout clothes and broken a sweat!  I need to get back into a routine, because I know it will help me physically AND emotionally.  My goal is to start exercising consistently the next few months - I am thinking 4-5 days of the week, 20-30 minutes of moving my body.  

3. Eating healthy & new recipes: Y'all, I am an emotional eater, and sugar is my enemy - for real.  That could (and should) probably be an entire blog post in and of itself.  I want to work on eating healthy again.  For me, for my body, for my kids.  My goal is to focus on clean eating 80% of the time, knowing that I can't avoid a donut or ice cream forever, and I need some slack, or I'll just end up binging on what I "can't" have.  I also want to try new recipes a few times a month - I have so many awesome recipes pinned, and I would love to start trying some of them!  

4. Explore the area: There are so many neat things to do around Monterey, and I am excited to explore and have adventures.  I can't wait to take a day trip to San Francisco, to have picnics on the beach, to take the kids to the Children's Museum, to go to the Farmer's Market, to sit on the beach and watch for whales, to take family hikes in the hills, to try out some of the local restaurants.  There is so much to do, and I want to take advantage of being here, while we are here!

5. Read 5 books: Pretty self explanatory!  I'll be sharing my summer reading list soon!

6. Make friends: Obviously, having just moved here, we know next to no one.  Max has some "built-in" friends in some of his classmates, who he is in class with 8 hours a day for the next year, but beyond that, we don't know anyone.  My goal is to get to know some of our neighbors, as well as get to know some other mama's in the area, so that my kids can make friends too.  

7. Blog: I want to keep up with my blog this summer, from sharing photos, stories, and adventures, to working on a new design that I won't want to change in 3 months, lol!

8. Finish Friday Night Lights: I know this is kind of a silly one, but it's one of my summer goals, what can I say?!  We don't have TV, but we have Netflix, so it's easy to watch an episode here and there throughout the week, especially when Max is studying at night or he's on duty :)

9. Get involved at church: I know this one is sort of related to making friends, but I would love to get connected at church.  Find a small group to be a part of.  Help out once a month in the nursery. 

10. Create: This goal is a little vague, probably because there are a lot of ways I can imagine getting creative.  I want to get out my sewing machine and put together a few sewing projects.  I want to be able to create fun crafts with the kids.  I want to work on my photography (taking and editing) skills.  I just want to allow time throughout the summer where we can all be a little creative.