Whew, I’ve been so busy that the weeks have flown by! It’s already May and summer is right around the corner. We’ve got a lot of things we want to do but I’m going to keep those plans under wraps for now. But what about my summer goals? I’ve got together a nice and juicy summer to do list!
Finish with my Dutch integration
I have 2/5 tests done! It’s a shame I have to wait for a few weeks before my results come in. But I have the next 3 exams planned and paid for. Once I’m finished, I’ll be writing a huge post about my experiences. They’ve changed a few policies since I’ve come to live here. So my experience may be different for people who came to The Netherlands after 2016. Finishing my integration process is the most important goal of my summer to do list.
Take more walks
With better weather comes more time spent outside! I’ve been taking the dogs on longer walks. It feels so nice to come home and have those two rascals smelling like the sun. Of course with warmer weather comes more bugs. We’ve already seen a sudden explosion of the summer insect population! Still, I’m excited to spend some time outside and in the park!
Continue with reading
I’ve been doing well with one book a week. It’s been tough because I’ve been spending a lot of time doing other things. What’s helped is that I have a ton of books to choose from. When I’m strapped for time I reach for a shorter book. I’ll be able to jump into longer books soon enough! I wrote a letter to all my favorite authors because reading is so important to me… Reading so much in one year has opened my eyes to some great new names!
Get back into writing
Now is the best time for me to start planning for this year’s Nanowrimo. I’ve got a story that’s been brewing for a while now but I never had a direction for it. The characters were there but without a concrete idea of what I wanted to do, I pushed them aside for now. I’ve finally got an idea of what I’d like to do and I want to spend my summer fleshing out the details! There are summer camps for Nanowrimo but I like sticking to the November one. There’s a clear goal of 50k works. The summer edition allows the writer to set personal goals and I usually run out of steam in the middle.
Embrace color
This one has been so tough for me. I used to wear a lot of blues and grays but when my father passed away my wardrobe became almost entirely black. Its a bit of mourning and a bit of coming to terms of my mortality. I also didn’t want to stand out anymore (not that navy was a bright color to behind with). It felt safer for me to blend into the background where I could simmer in my thoughts and feelings. This year I’ve bought a color that I never thought I would wear… Yellow! Rich shades of yellow are in this year and I’ve jumped head first in! I already have three yellow hoodies (that are all different, of course!) and I’m looking forward to wearing more white as well!
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