I'm addicted to to-do lists!

So my beautiful friend Colleen recently posted her "Summer To-Do List" on her blog Mommy Amour and it got me thinking! Her blog is so cute and fun! I love reading about her adventures with her husband and kiddos and about her fabulous and creative parties! Anyway, I've decided to "borrow" her idea of the summer checklist and I'm posting my own! Thanks friend!

1. Finally make our house a home! The day we bought the house was the day we got engaged and being me...you know what my priority was...plan a fab wedding! Now that I have checked that off my list, it is time to focus on our home! We bought a little bit of a fixer-upper in the Hundred Oaks area of Baton Rouge. I have tons of ideas but haven't had the time to start and (here's the key) finish those projects! So this summer, I hope to finish painting the rooms, especially the nasty, tedious task of the trim! I also want to tackle the task of organizing our office and guest room...right now they are both a collection of junk with no consistency of theme...that needs to change big time! We also have to discover the purpose of our front room. Right now it is just an awkward space but I'm hoping to turn it into a lovely and comfortable sitting and entertaining room. So basically, we have a lot to do with even more fun DIY projects! I'm so excited! I'll be sure to post our progress with tons of photos!

2. Discover a love for cooking! When I first started this blog, my intentions were to report my progress on becoming a vegan. Those intentions blossomed into a blog about all things Rachel! (Sorry for the tangent!)This summer I hope to try tons of new recipes and create more of a foundation of our new and exciting diets! Again, I'll make sure to report everything!

3. Purchase a Cricut! This machine looks amazing and the project results are even more stunning! I spend a fortune on little gifts and cutesy items when, with just a little time and effort, I could make my own!

4. Create more of a foundation for Bliss Events by Rachel! I adore weddings and events and started planning them a couple of years ago. Recently, I started my own business but it is such a new thing that I really need to do some business research and have a better understanding of what owning a small business entails. Planning the weddings is the fun part and I've got that covered...but first I need to cover my business bases! I think my business plan is relatively solid...but it never hurts to delve deeper into research! The four brides I have for their upcoming weddings are all gorgeous and amazing and I want to offer them nothing but my absolute best!

5. Go to yoga at least twice a week. Ok, this might be a lofty goal but a girls gotta try! I pay for classes every month and never go! This ends NOW! This week is out of the question because I've had fun plans every night but next week, I'm going to step it up!

6. Start a "girls only" book and wine club! I love, love, love to read and so does Chris...the problem is that he doesn't want to read and discuss the "girly" books I love to dive into. So,  I want to get a bunch of girlfriends together to take this journey with me! Plus...wine makes everything mo'better so adding that aspect into the "club" just makes sense! Now I just have to convince some girls to join me...

7. Have a garage sale! As Chris and I detox our home, we are creating a pretty huge pile of clutter! So, save the date, because this July or August everything must go!

8. Weekend trip to New Orleans! When Chris and I got back from our honeymoon, we were baffled about how little traveling and exploring we do...especially in our own beautiful state! New Orleans is only an hour away and we go so rarely! So sometime this summer, we hope to make a trip to New Orleans for a fun time exploring, shopping and (OF COURSE) eating!

9. Volunteer more! This is something I have such a inner drive to do and I do it so little. When I was in college volunteer opportunities were everywhere but now they are really difficult to find due to my limited availability. I've contacted the Friends of the Animals in Baton Rouge about opportunities and I'm anxiously awaiting information to get involved! Plus, with my new membership in the Baton Rouge Junior League, I'm looking at getting really involved with local projects like Habitat for Humanity!

10.  Be a better friend! One thing I learned from our wedding was how truly blessed we are with our with great family and friends! I have gotten in such the bad habit of turning down lunch dates, happy hours and other fun invitations blaming it on "not having the time". Who is so fulfilled that they don't have time for friends?? Not this girl! So watch out friends, bonding time is coming your way!

11. Improve on written correspondence! We live in a world of simple and easy technology that, in my opinion, is robing us and a younger generation of important etiquette lessons...like written correspondence! I love stationery and I love getting nice notes from friends...so this summer, I plan to start sending it a lot more! Who doesn't like that warm and fuzzy feeling of opening a well-crafted thank you note???

12.  Create an oasis of zen and beauty in the back yard! One thing we left St. Lucia with was a deeper appreciation for landscape! Our back yard is a huge blank canvas and I'm ready to take it to that next level so we can relax and enjoy the outdoors a lot more! I'm not extremely handy in the yard, but thankfully Chris is so I'm thinking this can be a fun project for the two of us!

13. Ace the GRE! Working at LSU I'm given the amazing opportunity of taking graduate classes. I started a few semesters ago but had to take a break because my non-matriculating ride was over! It is time to take the GRE and get accepted into a real graduate degree program!

14. Take my LSU office up a notch! Right now my office is a chaos of productivity and that isn't working for me anymore! Since this summer is (slightly) less crazy than most of the year, I want to take this opportunity to create a warm and welcoming, yet spirited environment!

15. Update the wardrobe! As I look down right now, I'm not even impressed with my appearance! Granted, I don't look like a homeless child but I definitely am not stopping the work place traffic! I want to get some great pieces that can really tell the world that I am a young professional on the move! What better time than this summer to make that transition permanent!

Hopefully, I won't get too distracted over the summer and I will be able to check all of this right off! I'll keep you all updated!