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?

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?

Dreams and such.

Can we even believe it's August already?!

I loved every second of summertime, but I'm excited for August.  For me, August marks the beginning of the beginning of fall, the most wonderful season of all!  {I know that's stretching it, but what else are we going to celebrate in August?}

If you've been around my blog any amount of time, you know that I want to be a writer and I want to write books.  You also know that I'm extremely passionate about following your dreams.  So that's what I've been doing this year, following my dream of being a writer.  I've made a lot of progress, and the next step for me is so close, except for one little thing. 

Money. 

As it always seems to go in life, right? 

I really want to be able to take that next step in following my dream this August, and I know it's totally possible.  So I've added some new things to my etsy shop in hopes that you will fall in love with them and, in a roundabout way, support this journey I'm on. 

So what do you say?  You buy some pretty things to brighten up your August, and I get to keep chasing my dream.  It's a win-win-win-win-win. 

Have an AMAZING Tuesday, beautiful people. 

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