New Year, New Life

Although relatively cliche, the title of my very first blog post couldn't be more accurate. In fact, even this blog is a part of my so-called "new life".

After spending four and a half years as a student at North Dakota State University (four of which I spent earing my B.S. in Elementary and Middle Level English Education and two semesters as a graduate student), I opted out of the quest to obtain my Master's degree in school counseling after this past fall semester finished. The decision to do this was a difficult one, mostly because of the friends and the life that I feel as though I'm leaving behind. However, in the first few days of what could have been another semester at NDSU (the University resumed classes this past Monday, January 11, at 4:00 p.m.), I have found my "new" life to be five billion times less hectic than my "old" life. It has been [literally] years since I have had an hour of free time to do as I please on a week day, due to school, my position in the NDSU Student Government, and other campus involvements. And suddenly, with my decision to leave the University, the friends, the life I have come to know and love behind, I have all the free time in the world. Well, outside of the workday, that is.

I spent the majority of my Christmas break daydreaming about all of the things I would do with my newly gained "freedom" that comes with life after college. On my list included the following:

• Sewing
• Cooking
• Baking
• Crafting
• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Reading
• Catching up on seasons of Desperate Housewives that I missed due to Sunday evening Student Government meetings that would typically last until at least 9:30 p.m.
• Conquering all seasons of Grey's Anatomy, which I have never watched before.

Two things, of course, that never made the list included the following:

• Blogging.
• Exercising.

However, in my new-found free time, I have become a bit of a blog-reading junkie. In fact, so much of a blog-reading junkie that when the at least one of the blogs I follow aren't updated each time I go online (which is multiple times each day), I am highly disappointed. So why not entertain myself by starting my own? And also hope that some other blog junkies out there get a similar sense of satisfaction out of creeping on some stranger's life : ) I've started many blogs in the past, and none have gone beyond the initial post. However, I can feel it this time -- I'm going to stick with it!

I suppose you're wondering about the exercise thing. Surprisingly enough, I am also becoming a group exercise class junkie as well. Hey, at least both of these potential "vices" are healthy, right? (That is, if blogging is healthy. I would say so -- it's an outlet for feelings, eh?) But more on that later. Because although I'm a blog junkie, I do know one thing: if the post is too long, even if it's on my favorite favorite blog... I quit reading.

Here's to a new me! Or rather, here's to any readers -- that I stay interesting enough for you to remain interested in my blog.