The MixUp

ya gworl is feeling herself with these "list posts", it seems? again, nobody can stop me so DEAL WITH IT!  😘  Since 'tis the season of Thanks Itself, I figured an appreciative focus on the foodstuffs specific to the holiday would be ~a vibe~? I'm writing this from the couch of my grandma's (on my dad's side) house up North. Since my mum is out of the country, ya girl is (largely) responsible for the Thanksgiving spread - yes, including the turkey. 🦃 It's not the most intensive menu we'll be having, but it's still taken a bunch of planning (+portaging of stuff from my brothers' place in Jersey to here).  The turkey is bathing in its' herb rub in the fridge, a satisfactory Pone (cornbread of a type) is cooling on the stove, and ya girl is waiting till after granny goes to bed before she starts the Pie Trifecta: cherry, pumpkin, and apple (there are many others, yes, that are considered classics - don't @ me aight) 🍒 LOOK AND BE AFRAID,...

b/c today (in the midst of finals prepping?), I felt like jotting down some of my (current) top 25 love songs. DEAL WITH IT. 😎 aka CELEBRATE 🎉LOVE 💕GOING🎇 RIGHT✅  > sez the couples' counsellor kid who, as she discussed with her brother, saw so much romantic pathology growing up that sometimes she forgets the good #oof  - anyways enjoy these, in no particular order! or don't! your lack of taste is made up by my overabundance teahee~ 😜 (and go look 'em up urself, that's 25 too many links 4 me to chase down) 💅 "smithereens ", 21pilots - clever and catchy and a lovely neon sorta vibe; I dig the casually sweet, brave side to it.  "best thing" , Anthem Lights - a simple, not-too-exciting tune I've held onto over the years. Solid, solid lyrics (occasionally a bit over-the-top for me, but then again, so is love?). "in the name of love", Christopher Jackson (aka that guy from Hamilton) #georgwashington - An ode to my 90's kid musi...

 - 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...