Leaving on a jet plane.

This afternoon, we're departing for the west coast. Flying to Seattle and then renting a car to drive all the way down to southern California. I've always wanted to do a trip like this one.

While there are a few blog posts scheduled... it'll be quiet around these parts for the next two weeks. Add me on instagram or twitter to find out what we're up to and where we are on our route.

Cross country here we come!

Summer trip: Puerto Rico.

If you follow on Instagram or Twitter you may have noticed a sudden influx of photos at the beach and/or with images of palm trees in the background. Since we live in Massachusetts, clearly, those photos were not taken outside our house. We spent the weekend with my family in Puerto Rico. It was so much fun.

We left Friday morning, and spent the night and the next 2.5 days in Rincon, Puerto Rico. I highly recommend this area for a few days of relaxation as it's known for its beaches and its surf-able waves. We spent all our time in the sand, on the balcony and at restaurants -- eating way too much food. It was a perfect getaway.

The house was right on the beach, and the ocean was that blue. We stayed on the third floor and spent some time up on the rooftop watching the sunset (Rincon is also known for amazing sunsets). At night, it was a little cloudy in the distance, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

During the day, Sean tried paddle boarding & I tried to use a boogie board for the first time. His experience was more successful (and positive) than mine. I was sure I would be sucked out to sea by the huge waves. Oh, you don't see the huge waves? Well, apparently I overreacted when I claimed he was trying to kill me. Oh, there were tears and a slight panic attack. I really do have to work on that.

For the record, there were small children in the water; boogie boarding. It's just not for me, alright? I hate the water. And yes, he's laughing at me. Moving on...

On the last day, we took a ride to the middle of the island and my dad showed us where he grew up. It was really interesting to imagine how different it would have been. It was so cool to see it all. I also visited with my great-grandmother :)

It was a great trip and we're already talking about when we'd like to go back. Hint: very soon.

Book Review: Seriously, I'm Kidding.

source. 

I've promised myself that I would read 10 books over summer break. I chose this one first because I thought it would be uplifting and an easy read. I like Ellen. I enjoy her show and my favorite part of it is the few minutes at the beginning where she does her monologue. I was hopeful that the words in her book would jump off the page and make me laugh just like they do when I watch her on TV. And I was right.

There isn't a real story line in the book. It doesn't follow a plot; it isn't an autobiography. But it is positive and silly and had me laughing out loud. Some chapters are longer; some are extremely short. One is written entirely in shorthand texting language. You can probably read the chapters all out of order and you wouldn't really notice. The common themes are being positive, being yourself, and respecting others -- all in a funny, and sometimes sarcastic way.

My two favorite quotes:

I would suggest you read this book sometime this summer; at the beach, on the plane, from your couch. Really from wherever you find yourself. It's worth it.

Weekly Recap + Summer plans & goals.

On the blog:

Sunday: Something you read online.

Monday: A letter to your readers.

Tuesday: Our pledge, part IV & Only pictures.

Wednesday: 5 songs that bring back memories.

Thursday: A life update.

Friday: A vivid memory.

Happy June! Happy Saturday! I'm so excited to have successfully finished the blog every day in May challenge. It's been inspiring and really nice to have prompts to write every day. But I'm excited to get back to daily life updates and keeping a log of our happenings and our interests and our lives. After all, that's sort of the point of blogging, right?

Since June means summer (obviously!) and the weather is cooperating at 96 degrees (woah!) I was motivated to put down some plans and goals for my summer. I have just a few more work days until summer break and I'd like to get a running start to vacation. I'm sure I'll end up taking the first couple days to just sit and veg -- but I think I may have done that a little too much last summer. Is that possible? Don't answer that.

My aim is to only allow myself one day in front of the TV a week. If you've been around this part of the internet for any amount of time -- you may have read about my love for daytime TV especially reruns of my favorite TV shows from childhood that they now play on ABC Family... all day long. But in an effort not to partake in the ABC Family line-up every single day from June to August I've made a list of our plans as well as my goals (in fairness... almost everyone I know works during the summer -- so while it seems really cool like "wow! a whole summer off to hang out with friends"... it's not really possible). Here goes:

While this may seem obvious, our summer "plans" are things that are planned (hence the name). So the dates are set, tickets are purchased, and everything is paid for.

My "hopeful summer goals" are things I'd like to add into my life.

Health:

- Water: I didn't want to overwhelm myself by saying 8 glasses. I know it's shameful, but I don't drink any now -- so 6 glasses will surely be beneficial.

- Sunscreen: Every day. Swear. I already have a horrendous burn from Memorial Day and I just can't stand the pain, the hassle, the odd burn lines... oh, and the fear of getting really sick.

- Walking: I told you about the Runkeeper app? Well, I'm obsessed. I found out... I like walking? So rather than go to the gym -- which I don't like... my goal is going to be to walk 2 miles every day (or at least 5 days per week).

Hobbies:

- Reading: A book a week. You know since I won't be watching so much TV? I've picked out most of the books (a post on that to come later in the week). I still need a few recommendations. Anything?

- Blogging: For me, it's just as easy to stay on the computer as it is to watch TV. So my goal is to continue writing (10 times per week) because I love writing and I feel like it's helpful, peaceful, and fun. But I don't want to spend more than two hours per day doing it because the internet sucks out productivity. It's going to be hard. I figure -- an hour to write a thoughtful post and an hour to read/comment on all the wonderful blogs I read every day. Of course, sometimes it takes less time or more time to do either of those things -- so I have to try to work out how exactly I'll get 10 posts written each week? We'll see.

- DIY: Self-explanatory? I think so. But I want to start putting my DIY Pinterest page to good use.

Home improvements:

- 20 minutes every day: Once -- I heard if you spend 20 minutes every day picking up a certain area of your place (sort of on a rotating schedule) that your house will stay neat and clean. So I'm going to try it. It shouldn't be that hard. 

- Minimalize our belongings: I've been reading a lot about the lifestyle of a minimalist. I'm very intrigued and I've decided to participate in this before I go all out. Baby steps...

- Pay debt: No work means less driving which means using less money for gas. My goal is to use that saved money to pay off a credit card. We'll see.

What are your summer plans and/or goals?