Summer is almost upon us—just a month away!—and if you’re like me, living in the still-40s weather of Minnesota, you may be on your knees praying for the sun to shine on you again for more than 6 hours at a time.

And if you’re blessed to live in more temperate climates, good for you. Maybe summer has already started for you, and I’ve just missed the memo.

With summer comes the feeling of fun lingering in the air, and I am SO ready to start wearing shorts, get some writing done, and experience new and exciting places, food, and more! Here are 5 thoughts I have for Summer 2019:

1. Going to the farmers market

When God made me, I like to think he thought, “Maybe Abby would be better off a sweet potato.” And then I like to think he followed up with: “But she’d be better if she could EAT the sweet potato. And the cucumber. And the squash. And the parsley.”

I love vegetables. I breathe them. In fact, my roommate looks at me like I’m crazy when I stuff 5 bags of frozen broccoli in the cart with the defense of, “I’m stocking up! Don’t judge me!” as I proceed to crawl like a chameleon down the Aldi aisle, hunting for deals on baby bella mushrooms.

I am so excited to go to the farmers market this summer. They have everything from zucchini, squash, fresh herbs, strawberries, lettuce, you name it. The farmer’s market is where it’s at.

2. Blogging

I am bursting at the seams from all the ideas I have for my blog. I know it will evolve as I find what I love most, but I want this blog to be helpful and inspiring to others, whether it be about embarrassing, laugh-out-loud stories or the various books and authors I find inspiring.

One of the things I’m most excited to blog about is my upcoming author series. There are so many authors who have changed my life, and I plan to write exciting, detailed “profiles” to help others discover them!

3. Starting new writing projects

Ashalajaljahskskhflslajak.

I’m writing a new book, and I want to cry because I love it. It’s a contemporary YA about four cynical kids, each betrayed in some way by the world, who are forced to join a kindness club at their high school. It’s the first 3rd-person POV book I’ve written, and I have the glorious blessing of shoving four vastly different characters who all hate each other into one room.

Teen drama. Family drama. EVEN MURDER (sort of). It’s all there. And it’s chaos. It’s magic.

4. Getting a new job

Perhaps this should be on the “5 Terrifying Things” list, as I’m still looking for a job, with some fun prospects in the horizon. But I’m so excited to start a new journey living on my own and making my own money. I mean, I’ve done it before, but now the only support umbrella I have is my own—and no one else’s. Exciting? Dreadful? We shall see.

5. Living life to the fullest (with friends & family)

I just watched About Time the other night. (Go watch it on Netflix NOW for a heartwarming and sob-all-over-yourself-mushy-tears experience.) This movie hit me hard because it focused on family and living your life to the fullest. I’ve been trying to be a better sister and daughter—something I really sucked at in college. I focused so much on myself and my studies, and my family suffered for it. So this summer, I am excited to be different and live my life to the fullest with the people I love most. Carpe that diem.


What are you most excited about for this summer?