The Much Needed Life Update + The Full Blown Summer Recap

The truth is, I feel like I’ve been really slacking lately in terms of my blog and procrastination wise. Which are both odd things to be thinking, considering I hardly ever feel those two feelings let alone at the same time. Oh yeah, before I start rambling let me make sure to tell you that this post is going to be a life update + a summer recap so if you’re not interested in hearing me talk and talk and talk you’re in the wrong place.

Anyway, like I was saying… when we enter a new season or in this case a new school year, I always like to sit down and chat about anything and everything. I blog a lot, at least it feels that way to me, but aside from Weekly Wrap Up’s it’s very rare that I ever sit down and share with you my day-to-day lifestyle, regular thoughts, or recap what I’ve been up to. And I like to keep things real, so alas here we are.

The Summer 2017 Goals I Set Back in June-

Before I talk about my Summer I want to touch on all of the goals I set for the Summer back in June. Let me just start by saying, I reached like two of them. I did not reach any of my follower count goals and in ways, I am a little bummed and it does make me wish I had worked a little harder but in other ways, I am glad that I did not reach those numbers. Specifically because, although I did not gain many new followers this summer I created many new relationships with the people that were already following me which is much richer in meaning, at least to me. I did, however, end up following through with my initial thought of blogging every day throughout the month of August which although felt like I was drowning in work at times, was an incredibly rewarding experience.

In case you were wondering about the non-related tasks I wrote that I wanted to accomplish, I did do a DIY (Madison and I sewed a denim skirt out of some old pant legs!),  I did a huge deep cleaning of my closet and dresser drawers which lead me to sell a lot of clothes which was how I made some cash for my back to school wardrobe that I talked about wanting to do as well! So all in all, those goals weren’t a total bust.

What My Summer Looked Like-

My county didn’t get out of school until the middle of June (graduation was at the beginning of June), so my summer didn’t really start as early as most people. Therefore, June left me lazing around with that ‘I have the rest of Summer to do something’ mindset. So for the majority of the days, I tanned outside with my sister, shot some looks for the blog, and hung out with a few friends in the evening. Nothing too fancy, just a casual stress-free day.

Once June was whisked away, inevitably July was here. The first week of July was a total bummer because my sister went to the beach with her boyfriend so I had the house to myself for a week… let’s just say I watched a lot of Netflix. Although we don’t always like to admit it, Madison and I are practically attached at the hip, especially in the Summer when it’s just the two of us for the majority of the day. When she returned home we had a crazy busy week of preparation before we left for Wisconsin to visit our grandparents. We departed mi-July for what was my favorite trip to Wisconsin ever. We had a blast fishing, swimming, visiting the lake, playing golf, riding the golf carts, and visiting our family farm. Oh, and I discovered a new found love for Scrabble while I was there. We flew back the very last day of July.

I notice that I say we practically every time a pronoun is needed… I guess you could say that’s because in the summer I’m always referring to Madison and I. Lol anyway in August we were home for a day and then left the very next for a short little beach trip in North Carolina. My mom and I basically sat in our Tommy Bahama chairs and read our books for the entirety of each day before heading in to play Scrabble before dinner. Let me tell you, that is really living. We had such a good time, but unfortunately, our trip was cut short due to the beginning of Fall sports at our school. The following day we had a full-blown 9-5 day of cheer and the next followed by tryouts for the 2017-2018 season. Madison and I’s third year of Varsity practices began just a few days later and that is where we’ve been spending 90% of our days in August. I did however still manage to blog every day like I intended, work super hard on my Back To School series, and have friends over a handful of times.

Changes of All Sorts-

I’ve been asked the simple question of  ‘are you excited for junior year?’ quite a lot lately. The initial thought I have is no. But, when I really sit down and look at the school year as a whole, I could not be any more excited than I am. Despite the three AP classes I’m taking and the rest of my work load, I am so thrilled to get back into the swing of things and have a routine back in my days. I feel much less anxious when I have a plan for each day and know what the week entails, which Summer so often does not offer.

Football season makes everything better and a little more exciting. Although cheer is going to nearly kill me, five competitions, as opposed to one, could very well be a whole lot of fun if I simply look at it that way. Homecoming week will be here before I know it and I’ll be smiling up the wazoo.

Fall brings change and it brings a frazzled McKenzie, but a frazzled McKenzie who no longer lacks direction. I am excited about this new season quite literally and metaphorically at the same time. I know that growth, change, and hopefully, success are on their way and for that, I am left hopeful for junior year. So yes, I think I am excited for the school year. In fact, I know I’m excited for the school year because if I choose not to be I’ll just be going through the motions and it will no longer be enjoyable.

The Blogging Schedule-

I mentioned procrastinating a bit about my blog work lately and that’s going to stop real quick. The beginning of the school year my time management skills come right back to eme. I’ve always stuck with a blogging schedule because like I said, I like stability and routine, in fact, I need both of those things to keep sane.

As far as blogging schedules go, in previous school years, I have stuck with Monday, Wednesday, Friday, (sometimes Saturday) and Sunday. That has simply always worked for me. This is what I intend to do this year, as well, with a lot of pre planning on Sundays so I can effectively utilize my time. However, as of right now I am so unsure of what my work load will be like that I cannot promise anything.

Although you know me, and if I set my mind to a posting schedule the chances of me not following through are slim to none. So stay tuned, I even have a bonus post going up this week.

My Request For You-

Fall is my favorite season, and for that, I am so beyond excited for the posts and ideas that I will be curating over the next few months. I would really love it if you could leave any post ideas tha t you may want to see from me in the comments below.

I love posting content that I am proud of, but I love posting content that you all like to read and are excited about too. So go comment away, I am all ears.

Finally-

Alright, alright if you’re even still reading this by now… thank YOU! For it is thanks to my readers that I am able to be half as successful as I am. I cannot thank you enough for all of the support and love you have shown me this Summer. I appreciate every bit of it. To all of my middle school, high school, and college gals reading this, best of luck this year. I wish much success for you and hope that you are able to fully indulge in this exciting time of life. And to all of my non-school attendees, I hope you are doing well in life and at work too. I would wish nothing but the same upon you, any day.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking around. With love, McKenz

Here’s Everything You May Have Missed This Summer-

June Blog Posts-

July Blog Posts-

  1. lexrayn says:
    September 4, 2017 at 11:24 am

    Everything about this post is so relateable, I love how real you are. When I read this I felt like we were having a conversation, I loved it! ? For fall blog post ideas (my fav too) I always love seeing posts about fall transition outfits, fall hauls, faul favorties, anything of the sort! ??

    Reply
    • StyledbyMcKenz says:
      September 4, 2017 at 5:00 pm

      Aw thanks Lex! I appreciate the kind words and knowing that I’m not just talking to myself lol. I will be happily adding those post ideas to my growing list. Hope you are doing well and enjoyed your day off!!!! XOXO

      Reply
  2. SimpleSerenity says:
    September 4, 2017 at 12:46 pm

    Loved all of your posts from August, you did awesome job with all of them. xx

    Reply
  3. ayrgalaxy says:
    September 5, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    You definitely had a great summer! And Jr year is an exciting one! 🙂 Best of luck to you! And don’t worry too much about the blog, your education should come first! 🙂
    That being said, I am excited to see what you bring this season (even though you’ll be in school). 🙂

    Reply
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