Hello, I am back and better than ever

It is currently the end of August and I am now on my last year of my second degree. Life has been absolutely crazy as I took a step back from this and really faced life head on. I worked on myself like crazy, dove deep in nature and did a lot of things that made me so incredibly happy. Life has flown by, and it amazes me how fast it seems to fly by up close, but I am still only 22. I will be telling you guys what I have gone through the past year and how much I have changed as a person and what I have going on right now. I have realized that my past posts were from the beginning of the pandemic, and there is a lot to catch up on.

Life has flown by, and it amazes me how fast it seems to fly by up close, but I am still only 22.

So, school last year was a rollercoaster. It was in the midst of the pandemic, so we had all of our classes online. Truthfully, it seems like a blur looking back at it. It was hard to adjust and get used to, but I had met some amazing people during it. We became like family and really helped each other in every way that we could. I appreciate all of my friends and classmates that I have met and am fortunate enough to spend another year and hopefully many years with them. I was assigned my practicum with this amazing CT who has taught me so many things that I will forever use in my own classroom. The kids were incredible and constantly made made me laugh. Being in that class was life changing and something that I will never forget. School was so condensed and my practicum very much kept me busy, so summer had come extremely quickly.

As Covid was still a thing before I even started into the Education program, there were times when it was very hard on me. My boyfriend and I had to learn to be very creative in our dates and how we were to spend time together. We were not seeing each other face to face, and it was like we were in a long distance relationship for a long time. We both worked hard to make it work and figured out different ways to make it happen. We both have a joint disney+ and netflix account, so we would often watch movies together, we would do group sessions on spotify, and would also play online games we found like duowfriends or games on snapchat. We would text all day everyday as usual, but, every Thursday and Friday, we would have our virtual date nights. We would call each other around 8:30-9ish and watch movies or do whatever was planned then until we fell asleep together on the phone. It was a very new concept for both of us. I will admit, there were times where I cried a lot because it was so difficult to not see him face to face. The first birthday that I had spent in the time of Covid, I was not able to spend it with him, and I was very upset about it. I appreciated the work that he put in to make it as special as he could, but all I wanted was to be in his arms. Our two year anniversary was hard as well because again, we could not see each other. We made the best of it, and I knew this was the person that was very important to me and he constantly reassured me that we have the rest of our lives to make up for these things. We lasted through the summer, stronger than ever, dare I say, and were ready to tackle on the new school year and the summer coming after.

This summer was different and I see it as a blessing because T and I were able to finally see each other and I was also able to see the rest of my friends too. We celebrated my birthday together ish (I was in practicum, but I saw him from a distance), and he and my friends made my birthday unforgettable. We spent our three year together scootering downtown and eating a ton of food together as well. We do still keep up with our Thursday and Friday virtual dates while also seeing each other twice a week as well. We have been through a lot, the last year and a half, but I would not have wanted to go through all of that with anyone else.

I appreciated the work that he put in to make it as special as he could, but all I wanted was to be in his arms.

This summer was absolutely amazing and for the books. I had made the most memorable memories with the most important people in my life, and also learned more about myself as well. If I could label this summer as anything, it be called, "Summer of the Hikes." I feel like we did about 12 hikes this summer and it was utterly incredible. I also bought a kayak and when we would go down to the lakes, I would be paddling around in the peaceful bliss. I had gained so much more confidence, physically and mentally and way more endurance on the different hikes that my family and I took on. We saw so many lakes and mountains and amazing sceneries. Every weekend we would go out into the mountains and my Instagram can certainly prove that haha. T also had a taken part in two of the hikes that we did, them being Grassi Lakes and Grotto Canyon. They were fairly simple hikes, but the beauty they withheld was breathtaking. We made such amazing memories with my family and it is something that I will never forget. One of my ultimate highlights of the summer was going to Golden with my parents. Every day for three days, we climbed a waterfall and I fell in love with what Mother Nature had created. I was so proud of myself because on the second day, I completed a 20 km hike easily which made me feel so strong and confident in myself. I have never climbed a waterfall before then, and it is something I want to continue doing and experiencing. It was the best way to end the family hikes and this will go down into history.

Now that it is the end of August, I have news on school! So, back in the school year last year, I had decided to apply for the International Practicum program and ended up getting accepted into it. I will be going to Mexico for eight weeks in October, and will be given the amazing opportunity to learn all about the different cultures and looking at things through the eyes of different students and teachers. I am so excited and blessed for this opportunity.

Who I am now

This Pandemic has been very life altering for everyone. But, everyone should be so proud of themselves for being here today. That stuff was hard to get through, but we Frickin made it. I really wanted to take the time that I had spent at home and focus on myself. I wanted to show myself so much love and care because I knew that I deserved that. I started making a schedule for myself and made time and effort for not only the people that I love, but for myself too. I started working out five to six times a week, and really began to be mindful of the things that I would eat. I was determined to continue to have a healthy relationship with food so I never limited myself on anything and continued to treat myself when I wanted to. I developed a skin care routine, and have stuck with it for a while and really noticed my skin changing for the better. I have two journals that I write in and it really helps clear up my mind and reflect on my life. Being outside more has really changed me perspective in a more positive way. I feel like I am much more happier and know what I deserve in my life and will not settle for anything less. I try my best to monitor my mental health and am not afraid to put down boundaries when needed. I am really focusing on truly loving myself and putting my time into things and people who deserve it. I feel like I have grown a lot in this year and a half, and I am really happy to be back here telling you guys about my journey. I have gotten more tattoos, and definitely have more content to show everyone. You will for sure be getting the Inside Scoop of my life.

I am so proud of you. I love you. and You've got this.