Goodbye August, Hello September.

Goodbye, August. 

Goodbye to the lazy feeling of the days of summer.

Goodbye to coconut scented everything.

Goodbye to putting off cleaning and organizing and blaming it on summer.

Goodbye to the best peaches and watermelon of the year.

Goodbye to my last summer of not having a babe around.

Goodbye to wasting too much time worrying about the future and uncertainty.

Hello, September. 

Hello to curling up with a pumpkin spice coffee every morning.

Hello to burgundy reds and mustard yellows and burnt oranges and all the delicious colors of fall.

Hello to filling my tiny apartment to the brim with pumpkins and scarecrows and owls.

Hello to wanting to bake something every single day.

Hello to boots and cardigans that it's entirely too hot to wear, but I just won't be able to help myself.

Hello to a season of coziness, filled with excitement and hope and the scent of pumpkin.

Hello to turning residency applications in. (!!!!!!)

Hello to a brand new season.

Hello, fall.

Your New Favorite Blog: Your Friend, Brittany.

Brittany B and my blog is Your Friend, Brittany.

Fun!

I love the sense of community and I honestly enjoying coming up with posts that I think are fun and that I hope people enjoy.

Your thoughts shape your reality.

Ugh this is SO hard!!!! I'm going to go with The Giver though! 

Sweaters and tights! I love summer more than any other season but I'm such a huge fan of an oversized sweaters and tights/leggings. I feel like this is also where I should say pumpkin flavored things but I HATE.PUMPKIN.FLAVOR. 

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

When I read Brittany's answer about fall and how she hates pumpkin flavor (BUT HOW?!) I almost couldn't post this, but I genuinely enjoy reading her blog, so I figured we could still be friends. 

Brittany posts a lot about books and reading, and also about things she's learned that we can all relate to (especially this post). Reading her blog really is like catching up with a friend, and I love that!

Comments have been turned off so you can go say hi to Brittany! Maybe if we all tell her how great pumpkin is, she'll come over to the dark side. But even if not, you're guaranteed to find a great book recommendation or two while you're there! 

Want your own post like this? Click here!

20 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

As of today, we are halfway there. Halfway to having a baby. There has been a human being living inside of me for 20 weeks, and in the same amount of time, he will be living in the world with the rest of us. That is insane to me.

On one hand, I feel like I've been pregnant for long enough to be halfway there, but on the other hand, I feel like there's no way a baby will be here in only 20 more weeks. That's just not enough time. 

I was talking to my mom yesterday and I told her that I know I have so much to do, but I just don't know what exactly that so much is. I think that when people are planning and trying for a baby, there is lots of book reading and research and list making, so they know exactly what to do and what to get and what to change. Since there was no planning or trying, there was also no reading or research or lists. So I've got a whole bunch of question marks over here and am guessing this is the week I should dive into the terrifying world of Google to figure out what to do. 

Ready or not, this little guy is coming soon!

• I can finally enjoy coffee again. I was only able to barely stomach a sip or two a few weeks ago, but now I can drink an entire mug full of deliciousness without throwing up. This little guy loves his pumpkin spice coffee, and I will be forever grateful he's letting me indulge in my favorite seasonal drink.

• He is moving all around. Not just a kick here and there, but more like a constant dance party. I was am pretty uneducated about these things (see above), and I just assumed that once you felt the baby kick, you just felt him kick every now and then, maybe once a day. So...that's wrong. After seeing him on the ultrasound last week, moving all over the place, it makes sense that I'm constantly feeling him. He's got stuff to do in there, apparently.  

• We really buckled down on picking a name this weekend. We took our list from about 100 potential first names to about 40 full names. Yes, that's a lot. But it's a big decision! It's been so fun talking about them with Christopher. Side note--you have no idea how many people you actually dislike until it's time to name your baby. 

• Waking up today and realizing that if all goes according to what the doctor says, I am halfway to having a third member of my family. WHAT. There are no words. 

20 weeks down, 20(ish) more to go. WE ARE HALFWAY THERE, PEOPLE. THIS IS TERRIFYINGLY EXCITING. 

just write: there's magic, and it's coming.

the morning feels a little cooler,
the smell of pumpkin fills the air
stores fill with sweaters to grace your shoulders,
and hats to cover up your hair.

there’s magic, and it’s coming
you can feel it in the breeze.
as the days in august wind down,
and summer prepares to leave.

no, the leaves aren’t falling down yet,
there’s still an extra sunny hour in the day.
but there’s magic, just there, hovering
and you know: fall is on it’s way.

I am Becoming my Mother: The 27-Fling Boogie.

When I was little, my mom read a book called Fly Lady, and it was the worst thing that ever happened to me.

I kid, I kid. I've read it as an adult and it's actually pretty good.

Anyway, it was a book about cleaning and organizing and decluttering. It had these little "exercises" to help you on your way to having a decluttered house, many of which haunted my childhood.

Especially the 27 fling boogie.

How can anything with such a silly name bother a child so much, you ask? Well, as a kid (and now, who am I kidding), I did not like to let go of things. I had a reason to keep everything: Someone I knew gave it to me, I liked the way it looked in my room, it didn't matter that it was broken--it was irreplaceable, no I didn't need a new one. Okay, maybe I did, but I needed to keep the old one, too. I had too much stuff, a lot of which was really just trash.

I present to you, the 27 fling boogie. 

1. Get your supplies: A trash bag and a timer. 
2. Set the timer for 15 minutes. 
3. Go through your house and throw things away. Trash, things you don't want, things no longer needed, junk mail. Do not stop until you have thrown 27 things away. 
4. When the time runs out, DO NOT LOOK IN THE TRASH BAG. Do not review your choices. Toss the bag in the trash and move on. 

When my mom would make me throw away a toy, I would instantly form a deep attachment to it. I kid you not, I would start imagining all of the fun I would never get to have with it, like a slow motion movie with sad music playing in the background, until I had worked myself into a state of devastation over the loss of a broken toy that had been living forgotten in my closet for six months.

No, YOU have a problem. 

This week, I've had the urge to really clean and organize every inch of my tiny apartment. Boredom? Early nesting? Who knows. But when it's been awhile since you've cleaned everything, and you want to clean everything, it can be really, really overwhelming to begin.

And do you know what comes in handy in those moments? My old archenemy, the 27 fling boogie.

You may think there's no way you have enough junk around your house to actually throw 27 things away more than once, but let me tell you this: It hides in plain sight. I just went to clean my desk, and do you know how many pieces of useless mail were stacked on it? Seventeen. SEVENTEEN pieces of trash. See? It's easier than you may think.

So here's to a day of getting organized and spending some time with my nemesis, the boogie, who actually is starting to become a really good friend.

I really am becoming my mother.

What's your favorite way to get organized fast? 

19 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Look how big the little guy is getting! 

• I felt the baby move for the first time this week! It's the weirdest feeling and I don't know how to describe it, other than it most definitely did not feel "like a butterfly" which is what I kept hearing everyone describe it is. It's been surreal though, feeling someone move around in there. It's just a reminder that he's a real live person, and it's crazy. 

• We had the 18 week ultrasound on Tuesday night. First of all, I had no idea how thorough this was going to be. It was an hour-long ultrasound. But we got to see our little guy move all around! I can't believe he's so big already, and that he's already fully formed--he has all his fingers and toes and everything else he needs. At this point, he's just growing! He was being shy and had his face buried all the way down away from us, so it took a little while to see his profile. I said he was just being cozy and didn't want to get up! He moved around so much. He was sucking on his hands, putting his feet in his mouth, moving his arms all around...it was so crazy to see. I know it's weird, but I feel like I know him so much better now!

Little Baby Jacobs, 

We got to see you this week--you are quite a mover! You seem to be full of energy, and already a little bit stubborn. You look super cozy in there, but I can't wait to meet you. For now, you can stay snuggled up and I'll just keep loving you from out here. I love you so much already, and seeing your tiny little face just made my heart so happy. xoxo

19 weeks down, 21(ish) to go. This is the last week where there will be more weeks to go than have already happened. WHAT IS LIFE. 

Bucket Lists + Pumpkin Spice Giveaway.

I love the idea of bucket lists, but I've never actually made a comprehensive one of all the things I want to do and places I want to go. Why? Because I'm afraid I won't actually get to do everything on there. I know, I know. But I worry about getting to the end of my very good life and having a list of things I never got to do. Or I worry about my life ending abruptly and I leave behind this list of unfinished business. I know, it's a weird thing to have anxiety over.

We'll be leaving Orlando in not too long, and I thought about making a bucket list of things I want to do before leaving here. But then, of course, I wondered how I would feel if I didn't get to mark everything off the list--a very real possibility with the new addition on the way. Would I feel cheated? Would it mess up the way I look back on my time in Orlando? Would thinking of Orlando make me sad if I didn't get to drink one last beer at my favorite bar or grab one more taco from my favorite place?

This morning, I woke up thinking about how stupid that is. I have an idea of an end date for our time in Orlando, but for life? Not so much. Life could be over abruptly, at any moment. Is that any reason to not plan and experience and make bucket lists? Of course not. In fact, it's even more of a reason to live every day like a bucket list--soaking up all I can and experiencing every bit of it.

So here's to making bucket lists, and to following through with them, or not. Here's to living every day like a bucket list--to getting up earlier to drive a little farther to meet a friend for breakfast. To taking the long way home. To getting lost on your lunch break. To slowing down and enjoying the day for all it's worth. To making a normal Tuesday night into something to celebrate.

Cheers to life--however long it may be.

Now, make your Tuesday a little happier and enter to win $45 dollars in pumpkin spice latte bucks. (It's really just a Starbucks card, but let's be honest--if you spend it on anything other than PSLs, you're just wrong).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Year of Journaling: 52 (More) Journaling Prompts.

I think journaling is one of the best things you could do, but if you don't journal regularly, the idea can be overwhelming. And even if you do, it's easy to get in a rut and let months pass by without writing anything down.

So whether you're in a creative rut or you just want to get started journaling, here are 52 prompts to help jump start your creativity. Part one here. Buy yourself a pretty journal and get started!

1. If you had the power to change anything in the world, what would you change?

2. The last time you surprised yourself.

3. A reason you're proud of yourself. 

4. The best part of your week so far. 

5. A list of little things that make you happy. 

6. How you're chasing your dream. 

7. A list of life-long resolutions. 

8. The biggest change you want to make in your life. 

9. A love letter to your life. 

10. Something you've learned this year. 

11. A quality you admire in others, and why.

12. Why you're happy with your life right now. 

13. The last risk you took and how it turned out. 

14. A list of things you love about yourself. 

15. Something in your life worth celebrating. 

16. A little, easy change you can make in your life. 

17. Things that are stressing you are right now and what you can do about it.

18. A list of things you're thankful for. 

19. A bad habit you have. 

20. Ways you've changed for the better over the last year. 

21. The best decision you've made this week. 

22. A plan for chasing your dream. 

23. The last time you got a text (or email or letter) that made you smile. 

24. Your dream job. 

25. Something you'd like to learn. 

26. Something that's making your unhappy with your life right now, and what you could do to change it. 

27. Somewhere you want to travel. 

28. A cozy morning. 

29. Your favorite thing about the current season. 

30. Something you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself last year. 

31. If you could choose one thing about the way your life is right now to make permanent, what would it be? 

32. Your favorite way to spend a morning. 

33. Three things you can't live without. 

34. Quotes that inspire you. 

35. Something you're looking forward to. 

36. A time in your life when you were happier than you are now. What was different?

37. A time when you were brave and how it shaped you. 

38. Write a poem. 

39. Your relationships with your family. 

40. What you hope you to accomplish this week.

41. A five year dream plan. 

42. The last five things that made you happy. 

43. A goal you have for this week. 

44. How you disappointed yourself recently. 

45. A friendship you miss.

46. Someone you need to forgive. 

47. Something you're good at. 

48. Something that makes you unique. 

49. A personal statement. Silly, serious...it doesn't matter. 

50. What month is your favorite, and why? 

51. A compliment someone gave you. 

52. The last time you proved someone wrong. 

Learning to Love the Unknown.

The past few nights have been spent staying up and looking at options of places to move for residency. Now, the whole ordeal is just a terrifying process, but in the spirit of wanting to be as prepared as possible, we're going through every single option (so many) and seeing what we like or don't like about it.

As someone who loves well laid plans, I find it hard to look at the unknown with any sort of positive feelings. Be terrified, yes. Dread it, easily. But think of it fondly and maybe even love it? Not so much.

Looking at all these cities though, I realize there are so many places that are still unknown to me. Looking at cities I've never heard of, I'm wondering what it would be like to fall in love with these places.

It's making me think, so many of the best things in my life were unknown at some point. Moving from Tennessee to Florida my freshman year of high school felt like it was going to be the end of my life, but it was the very best thing. If I'd never moved here, I would have missed out on so many incredible things, but most of all, I never would have met Christopher. I wouldn't have a little family on the way.

I was terrified of going to college because it was unknown, but those years were amazing. I met my best friend, fell in love with books and writing, and got to experience wonderful things.

Getting married was a huge unknown, but it's been the biggest adventure of my life.

I don't know this little babe yet--in fact, everything surrounding having a baby is incredibly unknown to me--but I know I will love him so much.

So today, I'm learning to love the unknown. Because the very best things in my life were unknown at one point.

The future is scary. Looking at all of these places and trying to imagine having a life there is just downright terrifying. But, it's exciting too. Because I know wherever we end up, it will be a journey full of adventure. Of course it's unknown--but that just means I don't yet know all the wonderful things that will happen. And I know that in a few years, I'll look back and be so happy that we stepped out into the unknown.

Little by little, I'm beginning to fall in love with the idea of the unknown.

18 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Because when wine tasting isn't an option, you go olive oil tasting instead. 

I'm in a weird place somewhere in-between "this is going way too fast, someone please slow this whole thing down so I can figure stuff out" and "okay this has gone on long enough, someone please get this baby out so I remember what it feels like to be normal again." 

• Finding out Baby Jacobs is a BOY. Opening the envelope with Chris and finding out we'll be adding a little guy to the fam was so surreal, but at the same time, I felt like, "Well of course you're a boy! Duh." This whole journey so far has been insane, but no matter how scary and confusing it gets, the further along I get I keep having more and more moments of, "Of course it's supposed to be this way. Of course this is what's supposed to happen." 

• Taking a weekend road trip. The picture above is from an olive oil tasting bar. I repeat, an olive oil tasting bar. So, that's something you need to add to your bucket list. Chris and I went to a little town about 45 minutes away for a day-trip on Saturday, and it was one of the best days we've had in a long time. There were vintage stores and flea markets and an old bookstore-turned restaurant. It was magical, and it made me so excited to think about all the adventures we'll go on once the little guy is here. 

• We started his library this week! We found a vintage bookstore on our trip, and Chris asked if I wanted to get the babe some books. Um, yes please. These are the first things we've bought for him together, and it was so sweet. 

Bambi, because of course he needs all the Disney books. The Poky Little Puppy because my little brother was obsessed with that one when we were little, so I'm hoping this kid is too. And This is my Family is a book Chris and I both had. This kid is going to have an excellent library.

18 weeks down, 22(ish) weeks to go. Baby Boy Jacobs, I can't wait to read to you. 

5 Planner Hacks: How to Get the Most Out of Your Planner.

I live and breathe by my planner. As much as I like to feel adventurous and spontaneous, I also know that if I don't write it down in my planner, I'll forget it. Twice a year, new planners and pens and notebooks grace the shelves of Target and inspire me to organize my entire life: January (New Years) and August (Back to school).

The thing is, planners can get really overwhelming really fast, and can end up getting thrown back on the shelf with several empty months left. This usually happens because A) It just became too overwhelming to use something like that every day or B) It didn't help as much as you thought it would and you feel like you're wasting your time.

Over the past three years, I've become extremely dependent on planners, and I really think they make my day so much easier and save so much time. I use one every single day. Here are the best things I've found to help get the most out of using a planner.

Write everything down. This is the most important thing! I think sometimes planners don't work because we're really just liars (or maybe just extremely optimistic) when we write in them. For example, we'll write:

• Respond to emails
• Schedule blog post
• Conference call
• Get things ready for party. 

When in reality, this is what that list means:

• Respond to emails
• All 10,000 of them. Cry a little. 
• Schedule blog post
• Figure out what the heck to actually blog about, because I have no ideas. 
• Actually write blog post.
• Take pictures for post. 
• Conference call
• Take notes during the call. 
• Send notes to everyone. 
• Scramble to respond to questions asked during call, and send emails answering them. 
• Get things ready for party. 
• Clean the whole house because I'm having people over. 
• Go to the store so they actually have something to eat. 
• Cook said things for them to eat. 
• Take a shower and try to actually look presentable. 

See? Big difference. If you look at the first list, it looks like a deceptively easy day and you can end up wasting most of the day and panicking when it's 6:00PM and you've only crossed one thing off the list and HOW could this happen if you used a planner?!

I write down every single thing I want to get done. From how many glasses of water I want to drink (not joking) to making my bed to sending specific emails. It can feel silly at first, but having exactly what you expect to get done written down in front of you helps you manage your time better. Plus, more things to mark off just makes you feel more productive. 

Write things (somewhat) in the order they need to be completed. If you need to turn something in by 8:00AM, try to write it near the top of your list. Otherwise you end up getting to it around 3:00, and that's not fun.

Use a highlighter to mark things off instead of scratching them out. I just started doing this last month, and it's so helpful for when I need to go back and see exactly when I did something. Plus, it makes your planner look neat and colorful, so it's a win-win.

Have a separate "running to-do" list. Whether it's a section in your planner or a notebook or a list on your phone, have a separate area for all the things you need to get done eventually. That way, when things pop in your head, you can write them down somewhere with all the other things you need to do, and you'll also have a list to reference when you're planning your days.

If you can't find a planner that works for you, make your own. Seriously! Everyone is different, and every season is different. If the planner you bought doesn't cut it for what you need, there are plenty of free printable to-do lists online. Put them in a binder and you've got a planner! Or, it can be something as simple as a notebook with the date written at the top of each page. Whatever works for you, use it.

The Swing Forward Camp.

Two very important things about me:

1. Fall is my very favorite thing in the world.

2. I start celebrating fall on September 1st.

Now, I realize that a lot of people don't like this and that you may think I'm rushing summer to be over, but hear me out: I live in Florida. If I waited for Summer to be over, I wouldn't get to celebrate fall until it was time for Christmas. Two months is simply just not enough time to squeeze all of my favorite things about my favorite season into. So, September 1st it is. Side note: When I still lived at home, one time my mom and I tried to sneak the fall decorations out on August 1st instead, but my dad threatened to kick us both out of the house, so we decided September would just have to work. 

I love this quote, because to me, August really is a hinge year. I'm sentimental over summer but so excited that fall is almost here. Pool days and sunshine are still around, but pumpkin spice lattes are right on the horizon.

August makes me nostalgic. Another summer is in the books, memories and vacations and popsicles and bikinis. It will be a year before the carefree attitude of summer is back around, and I miss it already.

But fall is hovering, with it's excitement and desserts just waiting to be baked and pumpkin flavored coffee and carmel apples and oversized sweaters. And I can't wait. I can't wait to go to Hobby Lobby and buy more glittery pumpkins and candy corn string lights. I can't wait to bake entirely too many desserts, but hey, I'm eating for two this fall, so bring on the pumpkin. I can't wait for everything that fall is--cooler weather and warm drinks and excitement about what the rest of the year holds.

So me, I'm in the swing forward camp. And for the next three weeks, I'll be over here soaking up the last of summer and anxiously awaiting my first pumpkin dessert of the season.

Which camp are you in?

It's A.....

First of all, let's just take a moment to talk about how hard it is to be home alone with the test results in an envelope for NINE HOURS and not even peek. I deserve a medal, but I will settle for ice cream. 

I spent all day trying to figure out if I knew what the baby was. From the beginning, I've felt like it was a boy, but at the same time, I have no idea what either "feels" like. Plus. I was so sure that it's a boy, that it made me think that meant it was going to be a girl. I'm weird, I know. 

Anyway, the second Chris got home he was bombarded with demands of opening the envelope immediately. He said he needed a glass of water first, I said this was no time to think of silly things like hydration. 

Sometimes you're just too excited to look at the camera, am I right? 

Little baby Jacobs is a BOY! Chris and I are both beyond thrilled, and it's so exciting to finally be able to call him him and he and think about him in terms of an actual person--and, of course, the types of clothes I will buy him and what his nursery will look like. 

My adventure loving heart is so excited to add a little boy to the tribe. Bring on the messy and exploring and learning things that I have zero idea about. Life is good.

17 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Seventeen weeks already! It's hard for me to wrap my head around this because I really feel like I just spent $98 on pregnancy tests yesterday. But time is funny like that, and it never does ask you how fast or slow you would like it to move. 

• Chris came home yesterday and sang "Jesus Loves Me" to the baby. He then proceeded to ask the baby if it was Catholic (We're not Catholic), but that's neither here nor there. It was a sweet moment while it lasted. 

• Getting to hear the heartbeat again! This is the third time I've heard it and it still give me butterflies. And by butterflies, I mean an incredibly weird feeling of realizing that something is literally living inside of you, followed by extreme relief that everything sounds good. 

• This is the week we find out the gender! In fact, as I am typing this, I have the baby's gender in an envelope and am just waiting on Chris to get home so we can open it together. I repeat, I HAVE THE BABY'S GENDER IN AN ENVELOPE AND AM EXPECTED TO NOT OPEN IT FOR NINE HOURS. SEND HELP. Also...final guesses, people! What do we think this little babe is?!

17 weeks down, 23(ish) to go. This. Is. Happening.

Little baby Jacobs, 

I can't wait to find out if you're a boy or a girl. I can't wait to start being able to picture you as the person you're going to be. Today will be the last day I have to refer to you as "it" or "they" or "the baby" or any of those other awkward terms. 

Girl or boy, you're going to be an incredible human being. I truly cannot wait to get to know you. But for now, I can't wait to find out if we're going shopping for tutus or camo. Xoxo

Any Day is a Good Day to Celebrate a Fresh Start.

Sometimes, I miss January.

Not really January, exactly, since it's kind of the buzzkill of all months. But I miss the motivation and enthusiasm for change that comes in January.

In January, I wake up excited to tackle my to-do list. I'm motivated to examine every area of my life and see how I can make it better and what needs an overhaul. In January, the idea of cleaning the house excites me, because it's a resolution and I'm going to tackle it head-on. In January, waking up and spending the day making binders and lists and meal plans and writing out goals seems like the perfect thing.

But it's August. And my dishes and laundry are slowly overtaking my house. I have no idea what's for dinner, and I'm days behind on my to-do list. Work is piling up, and oh yeah, I'm having a baby.

And it's August.

So the idea of spending my time writing out goals and resolutions and decluttering the house and making meal plans just doesn't seem as enticing, you know?

Sometimes, you have to have New Years in August.  

You have to reclaim your days, even though it's not January and there isn't a Christmas tree in your living room. You have to decide what you want to change and then change it, even though it's 95 degrees outside and not the crisp winter weather that usually accompanies change.

Here's to the inspiration, motivation, and enthusiasm that January 1st so often brings. And here's to having that, and maybe more, on August 5th.

Here's to reclaiming your days and overhauling your life whenever it's needed, no matter what the calendar says. Because any day is a good day to celebrate a fresh start.

Spending Your August: A To-Do List for Adventuring Through the Month.

Happy August! Let me just be redundant for a second and ask HOW is it already August?! We're quickly approaching my favorite part of the year!

There are 31 days in August, and you get to decide how to spend them. Of course, I have some suggestions.

1. Go see Paper Towns!

2. Pick one area of your house and make it perfect. We get so caught up with all we want in our perfect dream house that we can get overwhelmed with how expensive everything is. But that doesn't mean you can't change anything! Pick one area--the bathroom or your desk or the kitchen--and make it perfect. Organize and buy pretty things and hang pictures and just make it perfect.

3. Make a coke float. Or an ice cream sundae, or something you haven't had in awhile.

4. Click here and remember how much you miss Friday Night Lights. And then give them all your money because you definitely need all of these things.

5. Remove one stressful thing from your life. Whether it be a messy drawer or a toxic friendship, get rid of it.

6. Write your significant other a love note, just because.

7. Go to Party City and buy whatever decorations/props are in the clearance section, and throw a dinner party based on those. Cinco de Mayo in August? Why not!

8. Make a playlist of all your favorite songs from high school.

9. Get a planner! If summer is the season of laid back, fall is the season of getting organized. Even if you're not going back to school, you need a planner. I have this one and this one and they are magical.

10. Order something you've never tried at your favorite restaurant. 

11. Watch the Pretty Little Liars finale and find out who A is. Except JK, because they're never going to answer this.

12. Work on viewing Mondays differently. 

13. Forgive someone. Whether it's a grudge you've been holding for years or just someone who cut you off in traffic, forgiving someone and letting it go just feels good.

14. Give yourself a break and just eat cereal for dinner. 

15. Reread a favorite book. 

16. Start a wanderlust Pinterest board. Plan your dream vacation!

17. Go see a morning movie. Safe yourself some money!

18. Make lemonade. 

19. Spend an hour dreaming. Whether it's looking at job openings or new towns or just spending an hour working on a project, dream a little bit.

20. Invest in a good self-tanner. Fall is coming and so is your pasty white skin.

21. Make dinner with only what you already have. 

22. Get rid of five things you don't need.

23. Every time you go to Target, browse the dollar section for potential Christmas gifts. Seriously--I got so many good gifts for $3 and under last year! Start looking now!

24. Spend an afternoon by the pool. Enjoy the remaining warm weather.

25. Go on a fro-yo date. Because eating a bow full of gummy bears and captain crunch is only bad if it's on top of ice cream. Yogurt is totally healthy.

26. Buy some new lipstick. 

27. Listen to Serial. 

28. Get a crockpot. Mine has been saving my life this month.

29. Go school supply shopping. The fact that you're not going back to school is not important.

30. Buy fresh flowers at the grocery store. Just because.

31. Get a new journal. Changing seasons (we all know I start celebrating fall in September, because duh) deserve new journals.

How will you be spending your August?