Cake for whoever knows where the journal's title came from ;D (You'll see how it's relevant soon enough, too.)

Anyway, a lot has been going on in my life since I last updated... shit, two months ago? More than that, even |D; Some of you who talk to me a lot already know what most of them are, but for those of you who don't:

- We got a puppy in February! She's a Maltese dog, like our last one (rest in peace). Her name was Arwyn when we got her from the breeder, which I liked a lot but the rest of my family didn't :c So her name is Chloe~ We really love her, even if she is a bit wild. She's about 6 months old at this point, and will be spayed pretty soon. Wish her luck!
- I went to Ireland in late March, making that trip my first time ever outside of the United States. And what a trip it was~ We stayed in Dublin for a little less than a week, but we traveled much of southern Ireland and saw several landmarks; among them were the Cliffs of Moher, the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, various little villages out in the country, and a lot of things in Dublin itself. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget, especially seeing the Irish countryside; it's absolutely beautiful out there!
- I finished my online course in anthropology at CCP with a grade of 94, which left me very happy~ I definitely plan on taking another course over the summer; I just need to figure out how many we can afford, what is available online versus what's likely to transfer when I finish high school and go to university full-time, all that stuff... (If you guys are in high school or working or something and you want to do something like this, btw, you totally should; it requires a good lot of self-discipline, but it does teach you a lot of self-discipline in addition to what you're actually studying. It's all stuff you can do on your own time, too, within reason, so it's good if you're, again, still in high school or out working or something.)
- I was confirmed into the Episcopal Church last week after several months of preparation. It was such an amazing feeling, too, having building up to that moment and finally being accepted as an adult member of the Church~

Alright, now, as far as what I plan on doing later on... That's where the title of this journal kind of comes into play. This summer is coming up quickly, and in fact, my school year ends on June 17. As a high school junior, that also means this summer is really going to be my "last" one as a kid. I'll be an adult in December (augh, kind of a scary thought...), and I'm thinking I should start/end things on a positive note.

I'm not a very healthy person, first off. As a kid you can be a bit more lenient about what you eat/what you do, but as you get older shit starts to catch up to you. And catch up it has, in my case; since my freshman year, I've gained over 30 pounds and haven't stopped putting on weight since, even though my habits haven't changed much since middle school. What this is telling me is that my body's past the point of being able to take a high-calorie, sedentary lifestyle, and that I need to turn things around before I get older and it becomes too late. On top of that, I'm a generally lazy person; it's hard for me to get a lot of tasks done because I just procrastinate, and I honestly would rather see myself get done what I want and need to get done than just sit around because "oh, I don't feel like it." So! I've made a list of goals that I'm going to get for myself over the summer to counteract all of this; I hope to enter my senior year more proactive, healthier, and generally a more vibrant person:

- Clear out my bedroom; get rid of things that are absolutely not needed or wanted, and store things that are not currently needed or wanted.
-- Furthermore, organize living space. Make sure I know where certain things are if I need them, as well as where and how to put them away when I'm done instead of just leaving them lying around.
- Create a better work ethic using CCP's online course as a guide. Procrastination is no longer an option, and I will not search for excuses to justify this habit to myself.
- Develop better eating and activity habits; in addition to my current habits being generally unhealthy and damaging in the long run, I do not like how they make me feel in general.
- Work on, and possibly finish, applications that I will be sending out to colleges this autumn. Give priority to colleges that I will apply to before January.
- Create an art portfolio. Partially because SUNY Binghamton and Pitt allow me to submit it as a supplement despite not being an art major, but also because I would like to have a means of archiving and, if needed, showcasing my work.
- Become more dedicated to my artwork; this includes becoming more active on deviantART.
-- Set aside 15 minutes a day for sketching, even if I have no idea what to draw. These sketches will be uploaded to deviantART every Sunday after church.
-- Do not leave any art piece unfinished!
- Read a chapter of the Bible each day from a book of my choosing. Try not to jump from book to book; once one is picked, I should stick to it until it is finished.

So there you have it! It's pretty ambitious for someone like me, I will admit, but that's kind of the point of all of these goals; no more making excuses for myself, no more being lazy because "I don't feel like it today." This summer, I hope to chase the morning and yield for nothing~