Whew we made it! Summer is into full swing and with 4th of July this weekend we can sure look forward to more cookouts, fireworks, bonfires, and drinks on the patio with good friends and family. July is also the month I am getting my butt back into gear. I am finally at a place where I can sit down again and plan out my ideas and plans for the summer both on this blog and in my everyday life.


You may recall my June goals/Happiness Project theme was balance and getting back on track. I revisited things I worked on earlier in the year to touch up some of those skills and practices. It is so important to check in from time to time, and I felt the mid-year point was best for me. I am happy to report that I am working out more, spending more time with friends, and taking some moments for me. These these were so essential for me to feel like a person again, rather than a crazed work horse.

Because a lot of the hard stuff seems to have settled down, I am setting July's theme as Fun. I am going to reconnect with all the things I enjoy. One of those things will certainly be this blog. I enjoy coming here and writing for all of you. I am also attending lots of events with friends this month. All happy things like weddings and parties.

So here are the goals I want to really hit:

• Laugh often. Whether it be with friends, family, coworkers, or to myself. I am going to keep the good times rolling.

• Read more. I am pulling out that summer reading list and getting to work. I have about 5 books I absolutely want to get done this month, so cheers to that! What are you reading?

• Photography: I got a fancy new camera to play with for Christmas and have hardly pulled it out. I love capturing beautiful moments in life, so it's time. No more excuses! Bonus for the blog because the photos will look SO much better!

• Hiking: Getting my fitness on while seeing some beautiful scenery can never go wrong. I am going to get out there, clear my head, burn some calories, and take photos. Sounds like a dream for me!

•  Blogging: This month I am going to my first blogging conference. BlogHer15. I am so excited for this. I can't wait to learn new ways to grow this space and connect with new bloggers. Anyone else planning on going? If you are lets plan a get together!

•  Get involved: I have been wanting to get more involved with my local community. I was on my way to getting there back in May when all kinds of crazy happened and I kind of backed off. July is going to be the month I start getting more involved with local events, hoping to build new relationships!

So there you have it. July may be busy, but it's going to be a fun busy! I cannot wait to see what kind of doors open this month. I am putting myself out there and that alone is huge for me. I want to collaborate. I want to start new projects. I want to grow both on this blog and in my personal life. Who's with me? We can do this together!

Have an amazing 4th of July weekend if you are on holiday! If you aren't I hope it goes great for you anyway!

Well hello there July. Nice to see you. Hoping you have better plans for me then June had. I don't think I could handle another gut wrenching month where there were surprises around every corner. I mean a girl loves her surprises but you've got to leave some room for routine. Am I right?

 You've already proven to be useful with finally finding my planner that has been missing for 8 weeks. What else can you pull out of your hat?
Perhaps some sunshine, as June drenched us up here in the northeast.

That goes to say if you can follow through on the sunshine and no rain, we should have great firework weather. I feel like you kind of screwed us over the last few years with just enough rain to get the fireworks cancelled.

One more request and I promise we will be friends again, make sure nothing gets in the way of my first ever blogging conference at BlogHer15 in NYC. Looking foward to going and meeting some great new peeps.

Thanks for understanding July.

Love,
Blogger who just wants to be able to take photos of the darn foreworks without rain.