Late July
Here is my summer 2023 life update. I have been slacking on writing blogs lately. Life has been crazy the past few weeks. I moved out of my apartment and started a summer class!
I moved out of my studio apartment to a bigger condo on the outskirts of town at the beginning of June. It’s just perfect. It’s a 2 bedroom 2 bath that overlooks a lake and a pool. The view is gorgeous. Unlike my previous place, I get so much natural light that I don’t need lamps on during the day. The sun sets directly over the glistening lake in the evenings. It is a little slice of paradise that would remind you of a condo at the beach.
Moving was stressful. I love having a neat and organized space so with boxes everywhere and half my stuff packed away, I was going crazy. It’s been over a month since I moved and things are coming along. There are still a few things left to fix like installing window shades, new doors and other projects.
Goodbye, South Mill Street!
My new place is so dang convenient. It’s close to downtown and close to the main road that circles Lexington. It’s also right across the street from Orangetheory Fitness (where I work and exercise) and church! My brother’s house is now a 5 minute drive rather than 15. The location could not get any better.
Spook (my cat) loves it. I am happy that he seems happy. He has plenty of square footage to run full speed. He has lots of windows, entertaining views and sunlight to bask in. Pretty soon my little family will be all under the same roof. My boyfriend Evan will be moving down in a few weeks.
The fact that our long distance relationship is coming to an end is crazy to think. Almost a year and a half of long distance. So many nights spent FaceTiming and hours in the cars driving to and from northern Kentucky. I am eager to live together. I know it is a big step in our relationship but we are ready for it.
It will be an adjustment, to say the least. I guess I will have an Xbox in my Anthropology TV stand now… and have to share my walk-in closet. It will be a mental adjustment as well considering I haven’t lived with anyone since March of 2020, right before Covid hit. I do perfectly fine on my own. I have enjoyed living by myself the past few years, but I am ready to have my buddy back in Lexington.
I am excited to come home to him after a long day of class and clinicals this fall. I knew I wanted to move in together before school started because the last thing I want to worry about on top of the stress of class would be navigating a long distance relationship.
I am currently enrolled in a summer Microbiology course. It started the first week of June. This is my first summer class and it has been challenging. Giving up summer nights to sit in a classroom for hours is torture. I only have 1 more week left, thank God. It’s on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to roughly 10:00 pm. By the time I get home it’s 10:30 pm. It’s as terrible as it sounds but I just have to grind through it. It is not a prerequisite, it’s just a required class I am knocking out before the program starts. That is the silver lining to the whole thing.
My grades are great. It is somewhat addicting trying to ace every test I am handed. I never in my 4 years of undergrad had this mentality. I really didn't have to study for exams in undergrad as my curriculum was more project-oriented. So, all of these prerequisites and my current class have been challenging because I am not used to studying for exams. Once I get in the groove of the class however, I figure out the study method that works best. So far, I have been successful.
I am still working part-time at Orangetheory. I work 2-3 days a week. I had to cut back a little on my hours so I could settle into my new home and focus on class. I like my schedule now but it is only temporary till the end of Microbiology. Once nursing school starts, I am not sure what my schedule will look like.
My class ends next week and nursing school doesn't start till mid August. With that being said, I am going to the beach while I have the chance. My parents just bought a condo in Pompano Beach, Florida. No big deal. I didn’t even know this was happening until a few months ago when my mom sent me a text with the listing link. Never did I picture my parents as Florida people but here we are. Not unusual for West Virginians to migrate there.
The Florida condo is beautiful based on the pictures I have seen. As soon as Micro is over, I am flying down to spend a week with my family.
I love to travel. I get a feeling in my soul whenever I am due for a vacation. I am dying to get out west but that’ll be unrealistic for a while. I definitely want to ski out there this upcoming season but not sure what my class schedule will look like. I will be really disappointed if I am not able to. I would consider going to Snowshoe Mountain in my home state of West Virginia but it’s a hike in the car, expensive and you run the risk of getting snowed in and not making it to work the following day. Or you run the risk of the weather being 50 degrees and raining like it did on our anniversary trip last December. All of the risks make it more reasonable to just spend a little more money and send it out west.
I recently started taking hot pilates classes at Sterling Hot Yoga in Lexington. I absolutely love it! I have always wanted to try hot pilates. The movements are simple but challenging. They really engage muscle I wouldn’t normally exercise. Doing pilates is a nice change of scenery and style from Orangetheory. Ideally I aim to take 2 pilates and 2-3 Orangtheory classes per week.
Working out makes me feel so good mentally and physically. I do find myself struggling to workout nowadays but once I am done, I am reminded how great it feels and am thankful I showed up.
The last blog I wrote was shortly after my grandmother passed away. It has been a few months since then. I miss her more than I thought I would. I think about her often. Little things remind me of her that make me smile and then suddenly sad as I realize she is gone. I have never felt this type of sadness before. A tiny hole in my heart. A hole that cannot be filled. It’s baffling how someone can go from being so prominent in your life to being erased completely. The only thing that makes me feel better about her passing is that I know she is up in Heaven, healthy and with family.
You never knew what my grandmother’s opinion on things would be. So when I told her last summer that I was going back to school to become a nurse, I was nervous. She was a brutally honest person and I am very sensitive so we do not go hand in hand. When I told her, she was absolutely thrilled. She told me how prestigious it was and that I would make a great nurse. I was so happy at her reaction. When she left this Earth, I kept her opinion in mind. Now, as I am about to start school, I know she will be cheering me on.
There are still a few weeks left of summer before things get serious. Before my life really changes. Evan and I have lots of exciting plans coming up that I am so excited for. Here’s to the summer before nursing school!