Beginning this year, I didn't realize so much could happen in such a short time period. I've found that "adult" life moves a lot faster than I had originally expected, and January 1st feels so far removed from where I am now. I thought I'd take the time to reflect and write on what this year has brought me so far as we hit the midpoint of the semester.

This year has brought me a lot of change in a little bit of time. Between my dynamics back home and my classes being different, it feels like I'm living a completely different life than I was last semester. Class is more time consuming now, and I'm just generally more busy. I really had to learn to be even more flexible than I did when I first started college. Such a huge learning curve being implemented in such a short while was rough. On top of that, I joined a sorority, which is a huge commitment that was a little scary to make. Finally, for the icing on the cake, I'm driving an entirely different vehicle this semester. I drove a red 2002 Camry for 4 years before totaling it over Christmas break. I was so used to driving that car that it was a huge learning curve when I got my new car. I'm still adjusting. (If I take a really slow turn in front of you, I'm sorry!) I'm so glad that I got to experience all this change though, because I've gotten to get myself out of my comfort zone and grow as a person as a result.

I also found out why the University begs us to go to class so much. A week into February, I got hit with a ton of illness, which knocked me out of class for a minute. Once I returned, I was so behind. So behind in fact, that my grades dropped. I've had to get my work made up as quickly as possible, but there's still so much that I just can't make up. I'll have to spend a lot of time studying to make up for the way my grades look right now. Moral of the story- if you aren't sick, go to class! I didn't really buy the importance of going to class until I wasn't going to class.

To wrap this up, I wanted to emphasize that I don't write this to discourage myself. I value reflecting on the things I've learned, especially when I've learned so much in such a short time period. I'm so excited for what the future brings that I often forget to remember what I'm learning now, so I thought I'd share with you guys one of the ways I remind myself of these things. Reflection is so huge to me, and I really want to encourage all of you to try it too.