Let's Try Again

As graduate school comes to a close, I've been thinking more intentionally about the kind of life I want. As much as I have disliked my experience the last two years, I'll admit I've learned a lot about myself, what I like to do, and what I don't like to do. And those are all very valuable things.

Here's a list of things I like:

Ice cream

Beets

Quiche

McDonald's French Fries

Baking Bread

Canoeing

Hiking

My family

Dane

Rocks

Musk ox

Cats

Art

Simple calculus problems

Here is a list of things I don't like:

Professors who profess on the environment but never go outside

Buildings that leak and aren't maintained

Feeling lost

Losing my sense of hope and confidence

Bureaucracy

Things I learned about myself:

I work best in beautiful spaces

I feel best with exercise, a good nights sleep, and fresh air

You can find good people everywhere

Finding passionate people is important to me

I love cooking for people and throwing a good dinner party

I need art in my life

I think it's a good sign there is a longer list of things I like than things I don't like.

So, why start a blog again when I failed so miserably before. Well, it's pretty simple. I want a place that isn't Facebook where I can share recipes, stories, pictures and ideas with the people I love and maybe a few strangers. I'm also starting to realize that I'll need a hobby after graduation. Right now I have exactly one hobby--cooking. Can you count reading the New York Times as a hobby? I also do that. So, I hope this blog isn't exactly my hobby, but I hope it's a place where I can share and document this odd transition into adulthood and job hunting and weekends off and new friends and new adventures and hobbies.

What's next for me? Well, a certain special boy and I are moving to the failed state of California. He has a job and I have hope in the unseen. We'll be living in San Francisco in a yet-to-be determined location. We graduate exactly one month from today. I can't wait for our family and friends to arrive. Exactly one month and 9 days from today the movers will come pick up most of our things. Exactly one month and 11 days from today we shut the door on our cute 2 bedroom apartment for the last time, load up the car with camping gear and point the car west. We'll meander our way through the most beautiful parts of the country for two weeks, camping all along the way. In early June we'll reach the Bay and start our apartment search. Dane starts work on the 21st of June. Hopefully the movers arrive soon after and all of our stuff is still there. Less than a week later I'll be back in Bloomington for my summer job as an AI at Indiana University's Geologic Field Station. I know, this town just will not let me go. But, this time I'm only spending 48 hours within the city limits before the caravan leaves for Montana. After 6 weeks of hiking and mapping and teaching I'll return to California and the adventure will begin in earnest.

Until then, I'll be noticing the little things and sharing short tidbits as often as possible. Welcome to Kate's California Adventure!