Part of being myself means embracing my inner nerd and “Future Alcatraz Freshman” status in San Fran this week.

I honestly can’t believe this year is already half over. It’s been one hell of a ride, I’m exhausted already. It hasn’t gone quite like I expected it to. Not at all, actually. But that’s not bad. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve had many new experiences and great opportunities come my way. I’m goal oriented so I decided to take a little time to reflect on the goals I set out for myself this year.

RESOLUTION CHECK IN

One thing I wanted to do was incorporate more personal style posts here on the blog. That’s one of the main reasons I started writing it in the first place. I’m notoriously late to everything, so finding the time to take outfit photos is difficult, but I have gotten to. These are some of my favorites: Stepford, Dayglow, & Birthday Dinner.

I also wanted to share some of the other things I love here, and I’ve gotten to do a few. I’m learning how to do my hair and makeup a little better and more creatively and I’ve shared some of the successes here on the blog. (Braided bun, fluffy ponytail, and a curled pony that took way longer than it needed to.)

Going to bed early is a 50-50 success thing. Some nights it’s easy, and some nights there’s just too much on my mind. One of the best strategies I’ve discovered is to take a shower, even if I already took one that day, if I’m struggling to relax.

I’ve definitely drowned myself focused on school work this year. I’ve upped my course load every quarter, added a summer quarter, took a field school class, and am in the process of adding a minor in addition to my double major.

I’m also starting a few new projects that I’m super excited to share, including a new blog design. I’ve been working on it on my own (there’s a lot of googling) and I’m hoping it will function better than my current design. I have a few more knitty-gritty details to work out, but it should be live this month.

MOVING FORWARD

In January, I said that one of my biggest goals was to recover from a wicked year. In a lot of ways, this year has been more painful. But I’ve accomplished my goal in that I’ve refused to give up in the face of it and I’m stronger than ever. This blog has been instrumental in that and I want to thank everyone for reading and sticking by me. It’s been a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.