The MixUp

 - Can't believe summer is almost coming to a close, and year 2 of vet school is closing in??? gah leee - But yes, so it seems. Class schedules have been released (no syllabi, etc, yet). I'm currently back home for a second - my gvt gig orientation is on Monday and Tuesday, and then I'll skitter back up the East Coast for my 2 weeks of employment there.  ft. me @ the smithsonian zoo!  Been enjoying my time here - I drove back last Friday (with a carful of loot), and spent Saturday in a flurry of activity. Blueberry picking with the fam, hanging out at an arboretum with a friend, unpacking and organizing my belongings and bedroom, doing a ballet barre with a friend, and more. Felt good, although today I was absolutely ZONKED. Got a lot of good sleep, though!   I'm trying to process all the personal changes I've undergone this summer (a lot of it internal), while also look forward to this new year - I like the commitments I currently have set up (though am fighting to...

 since i last wrote lol ...hasn't it? dang. I could say the usual "life's been crazy" (more like "unexpectedly variable"), but that goes without saying. Feels good to finally be updating (something I've been intending for an interminable amount of time here). 2022 has had.. quite some twists and turns to it, I guess. - I'm writing this from Maryland, where I've been (technically) since early May. I'm here for fed work (research first, then public health) - but it's mostly been a combo of Relaxing Vacational Vibes (aka me being a hermit with zero responsibilities or self control) and Personal Crisis (either in getting lonely, into Bad Habits, "distant" from God, overwhelmed with how pathological my mental health has been, or sick with a mildly life-threatening abscess).          yea the latter really stunk ngl  ...But, somehow, I'm back. Different, for sure, and grateful to be alive + supported + reconnected with God (so to s...

January, thou art on the cusp of completion, though the year is but begun.  and DANG, did ya fly by - is this what age feels like? *joints creak* - be that as it may, I'd have to say - January has been unexpectedly good. As someone who hopes for the best, prepares for the worst, I gotta say that sort of surprise...uhhhh,,....💥surprises💥 me. 😎 but whew, if I'm being honest, it didn't start out very punk pop cash munny (if u catch my drift), as my fam and I had to quarantine due to a 'rona exposure. Aside from the stress of the first day (not wanting to miss classes, be siccer than I already am, et al), and the annoyance of not seeing some ppl that were in town during break :( , I adjusted pretty quick. We all tested free of ~the virus~  consistently, PTL. And, on the bright side, I got to spend a good bit of time reflecting on the old year + planning for the new one.  Speaking of bright sides, that's *flourishes pen* one of my New Year Alterations I've been ...

waw. new year's eve, 2021. legit one of the craziest, hardest, and most wonderful years I've experienced yet.  ?como? well, a few of why -  ⭐ Finished my undergrad education, got admitted to vet school + moved back home, and passed my first semester  @ncstatevetmed  with flying colors.  🎓🙌😮 ⭐ Spent months recovering from disordered eating, endocrine disease, and injuries I thought would never heal - but God did.  🕊🍲🏃🏽‍♀️ ⭐ Went from almost giving up on dance (for the previous reason) to performing again, working in a paid commission, and growing more as an artist than I have before.  💃🏼💲🎉 ⭐ Went from the lowest of lows to the heights of victory (& everything in between!), spiritually - both in my personal walk with Christ AND in my formal ministry with undergrads ( @enc_raleigh ), inner healing/deliverance, and worship work.  ✝️🤘🎼 ⭐ Watched myself be built into a new level of support & community spiritually, professionally, an...

- of vet school, that is. And wow, what a month it's been.  Some Items Of Note:  ~I really do enjoy it. I say that as a reminder to myself a lot (especially at hour 3 of anatomy lab!), but also because it's true. This crazy peace just descends upon me whenever I step onto campus - I am supposed to be here. This is part of what I'm called to do in life. And it is...well, wonderful. ~There is lots and lots of info - and class time - and work to be done. One must accept (a) there will always be something waiting to be worked on, (b) you have to pick your prioritized material to learn ("what's important" is mentioned a lot!), and (c) this all takes time. I personally need to "punch" material >5 times before I feel like it's becoming "mine". Will this change over time? Probably. But, in the meantime, trying lots of different approaches and understanding what works for me is key.  -I will say, though, that my brain is starting to get back...

 [Type of vibe I suppose I'm in:  jon foreman's "before our time"  ] time is a mockingbird, the embers of what we were, but the years are still burning in my veins - and my time is now ...my head and heart are cooking up an unusual amalgam of feelings here, as I wobble on the cusp of this great big new adventure that is vet school. orientation is over; nearly all preparations as I can make are out of the way; organizing and planning and cleaning have run their course. four years of undergraduate studies have concluded themselves in what feels like years ago (though only several months in actuality). and yet, here I am. aqui.  the summer has passed. it has been, to quote Eagle of the Ninth , "a kind summer, a kingfisher summer" - how I've enjoyed it! I have unashamedly played much, and worked little. Camped with friends, retreated to the beach, did staycations with the house to myself, gone to farmers' markets and thrift shops and berry-picking farms....

 a couple of things, I guess.  1: I got accepted to Purdue vet school. *visible shock* - Yeah, it felt like free fall internalized. Dang. Praise God. 0.0 2: I got some pretty reddish-blonde highlights. Because? Because impending graduation, vet school acceptance (see #1), and  3: I got diagnosed with a hormonal/endocrine disorder. It's honestly felt like a lot of relief, but also not a super easy journey to be on.  4. Surprise! I'm 23 now! I was very tired during most of my birthday, but it was overall a good one. 5. I'm finally back to being more active - knee is being rehabbed properly through PT (AT LONG LAST), so I am able to get back to working out, basketball, and DANCING.  may there be more of that in your (and my) future :) ~ur blogger 🌹                                                              ...