Round Two: The New School Year

I'm Back!

(Disclaimer: this is a personal blog instead of an informational one!) 

I'm back from my exciting summer spent in Oregon. I'm in the city and ready to take on all the new adventures headed my way. I've been back since mid-August and have already jumped into the busy city life schedule. I LOVE IT! Where to begin...

Lets start with SUMMER! My summer was the definition of things not going as planned. But contrary to that, it turned out for the best. It was a summer filled with exciting adventures and new friends. I'm so thankful for this summer and all the people I met who introduced me to new things. 

Likewise, shout-out to my brother, Adam, who was there for me along the way. We got matching tattoos of the Dutton family crest, which I absolutely love. I'm thankful for him and how great of a  big brother he is. 

He introduced me to some of his friends, and I ended up getting to know a lot of the people who had been in Monmouth all along! They all contributed to my amazing summer (Christian, Devyn, Kendall, Bugs, Lola, Sun, Cofia, Justin, and everyone else I met :)). 

I ended up taking a summer class where  I met  a lot of awesome people. It was a public speaking class, so I got to test out my speaking skills (which I loved!). However, the biggest struggle in that class was having to commute to Portland two times a week for four weeks. It was worth it in the end; I made new friends and earned an A. 

I got to meet up with old friends as well! I'm so appreciative to have high school friends who are still in my life. I'm so excited for where life will take them on their own individual journeys and I love that I still get to be apart of their lives. Kimberly is embarking on her year and a half mission to NYC, which is an incredible opportunity for her. Emma is also doing amazing things in our own hometown. I think it's awesome that she has the patience and talent of working with exceptional individuals and honestly making a positive impact in their lives (she's amazing at what she does). I love her passion and hope she pursues it higher. I loved seeing Hannah up in Portland, and was super excited for her and her success at art school. She's amazing at taking pictures, and it was so great catching up with her. I also loved seeing Carolyn and catching up with her! She decided to transfer to PSU this year, and I'm super excited for her and where that will take her. There were more around this summer as well, and I loved seeing every single one of them! They're all amazing and it's so surreal seeing everybody becoming adults (getting married, going to school, working, traveling, etc).

Furthermore, I got to travel! Traveling is one of my biggest passions and brings me a lot of joy. It's helped create a better understanding of the world in my mind. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to drive (2.5 days) with my dad to Chicago and visit my dads brother, his wife, and children. Afterwards, we made the short trek down to Indianapolis to visit my moms side of the family. I wish there were words to describe how much I love my family. I don't get to see them often, but when I do, I cherish every minuet of it. I love every single one of them, and it was fun getting to spend time with them as an adult (I'm the second youngest, and I've only ever seen them all as a child- maybe next time I'll be 21 ;)). I really hope we have family get-togethers more often. They mean so much to me. 

That about sums up my summer: friends (new and old), school, and travel. 


So, the SCHOOL YEAR! 

I moved back and got settled into my apartment. I'm living with 3 incredible ladies! I've loved having an apartment so far. It's so much better than dorm life. I get to cook when I want. I get to watch TV when I want. I get to poop when I want. What could be better than that?! I've also been able to visit with my aunt and uncle a lot, which is always a great time. 

I've completed two weeks of the semester so far, and classes have been... well, we'll see where they go. I've really enjoyed my ethics class so far. We've talked about morals and I'm very interested to learn about different topics and how to stand up for my viewpoints in a logical way. Bio psych, on the other hand, has been a little bit more stressful. I've already had my first quiz, and am taking the second this coming Tuesday. This class is comprised of lectures and tests, which is NOT my favorite form of learning. In comparison, my social psych class is also comprised of lectures. It's being taught by a grad student at Stanford, and I'm not sure how much I'm liking the class structure. She's a very sweet teacher though. I also have a teaching for diversity and social justice class which has been decent thus far. However, I have a class on Saturdays (yes, freaking SATURDAYS) and I'm not sure how well I'll like it. I have it on random Saturdays throughout the semester, and the content of the class might be being taught in a way that doesn't work with my learning. Anyway, I guess I'll get a better feel for it soon enough. 

I've been babysitting in the city and meeting a lot of new people though that. It's been a lot of fun. I LOVE working! :)

I'm going to start coaching Girls on the Run in late September and I'm REALLY EXCITED about it! I miss being a coach, so I'm looking forward to having the opportunity again. 

I'm the vice president of the PAWS club and we have our first meeting in a few Mondays. I'm excited to be in this position and to start working with the animals again. I really wish my apartment allowed animals, because if it did, I'd have one in a heartbeat. 

Anyway, that's what's going on in my life at this point in time. I miss all my friends back home, and look forward to seeing them the next time I'm home. But I'm also enjoying making new friends here and I plan on joining more school clubs to get more involved. 

Let me know if there's anything you want to see me post about! (education system, babysitting in SF, finding jobs, ethics/morals, elections, personal info, ANYTHING!) 

Thanks for being interested in my life. Love you all!