It's been a hot second since I put fingers to keyboard in this space.

I've missed it. A lot.

But I didn't have the bandwidth for much other than PA school this past semester.

I'll start by saying PA school is everything I thought it'd be and more. I knew it'd be hard, and it is, but with a little finesse it's more manageable than I expected. I've found a certain rhythm to things, especially since I'm over that first semester hurdle. (We had an interim semester of sorts between mid-November and Christmas break which more closely resembled what our schedule will be like from now until clinical rotations.) I feel so fortunate to have the cohort I do. We get along exceptionally well, so much so that many of them quickly became my friends both in and out of the classroom.

I've come to really love the South. The winters are mild, which is nice, but still hit that freezing mark often enough that I can appreciate the seasons. The universe guided us to the perfect apartment with an insanely easy commute, and I have unexpectedly found myself feeling very at home here.

Kiddo's internship in California has been an awesome adventure for all of us. He's learning and growing more that we ever expected at this point, and is finding out who he is and what he loves in the process. We have been incredibly fortunate that Husband has been able to make that his home base, because let's face it: he's still a teenager who needs parental support. And while this arrangement is amazing (I'd be worried about him ALL THE TIME were he living alone 2500 miles away), it's not always easy. Husband and I, at our longest stretch, didn't see each other for 8 weeks. That was tough.

Still, as with anything hard, we learned our lesson and intend to stick to our 4-6 week limit between visits. It's not always easy living alone (even an introvert needs a hug once in a while, you know?), but the ability to focus solely on school sans mom/wife guilt was a gift. I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity to adjust + learn + grow at my own pace. As of now we don't have any plans for Husband to move here full time. We remind ourselves that this is but a short season in our marriage, and we'll both be better for it in the end. Bonus: reunions are that much sweeter because all we care about is being together.

For Christmas I flew out to California and we spent a week at Disneyland + Universal Studios. It was lovely and I came back with my bucket filled. Second semester officially started on the 2nd, but they kindly transitioned us back with a day of narrated PowerPoint lectures. First semester had a more fluid schedule, so I'm adjusting to 6-8 hour days which primarily involve sitting in a classroom listening to extensive PowerPoint lectures.

All in all I'm so happy to be here in the finally stages of a looong journey. I have a ways to go, for sure, but it's a blip compared to what it took to get here. 2018 was a whirlwind, but so many amazing things happened in just 12 months. I can't wait to see what 2019 has in store.

Though I'm not a New Year's resolution kind of gal, I've made some goals for myself this year. Self care went down the drain first semester, and understandably so, but I've started the year with a Whole30. I've done a few and they always help me press the reset button. I'm only on Day 5 and I feel loads better than I did going into it. It usually takes a couple weeks to feel a difference, which suggests my body wasn't very happy with the way I was treating it. My hope is to continue following the eating principles of this plan after the 30 days, but with some modifications to ensure my success in the long run. A 90/10 kind of thing.

Also on the list:

Improve my sleep hygiene considerably (it's been baaad) // more FaceTime dates with my husband and son + more regular visits // better organization (academic and personal) // decreasing my cell phone use, particularly mindless Instagram scrolling when I'm stressed/bored/tired (one day a week spent with my phone put away, perhaps) // adding in more exercise...even if it's just a short walk to the mailbox between study sessions // no clothing/beauty purchases for at least 90 days // removing 5 items from my house each week

It sounds like a lot, but this is totally doable with my current schedule...and will lend itself to a better overall existence. Which in turn will have a positive effect on my academic performance.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I've missed my interaction with all of you. I've missed writing for pleasure. I'm happy to be back to both.

See you soon.

Sarah

Ushering in 2019: A Life Update

Sunday, January 6, 2019

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