6 months in the city!

it's been quite some time... i know. it's not that i haven't had anything to say, but that i've totally neglected something i love so much: writing. i'm going to get better at that.

i've been in the city 6 months now and i can't believe it. it feels more like home than ever before. i love this city. i never knew if i'd grow totally comfortable with leaving my hometown. i mean i know i'm not far away, but it's really a new life for me. a new chapter. and i couldn't be happier with my decision. it's not forever, but for right now it's great. it's exactly where i want to be at this point in my life. and i feel good about change, for once.

2007 has treated me well. i've kept busy between work, school, and friends, but i like being busy. i still see my parents a lot too. it's nice to have my own place but still be able to go home for a night or a weekend if i need to.

i am taking my first marketing class and i love it. it's bringing out the creative side in my brain again that i've missed so much amongst the medical research i do everyday. don't get me wrong--i really love my job. been there 2 years and i can't believe it. i'm inspired by my coworkers all of the time. but, it's nice to be able to think creatively again, and be encouraged to do so. i love to learn. that's one thing i remember now that i started school. i think i'll be ready to move on from my job when the time is right, but i couldn't have asked for better experience and a hands on education while i'm at work. in a field that i thought i never cared about. i'm going to have to find a career someday that balances helping people with writing. i know it's out there--especially after working in healthcare for 2 years. i never realized how many jobs there are beyond doctors and nurses. you can really help people in so many ways that are indirect, it's unreal. i can't wait for the day i can say that i do that.

i went to visit my grandpa and great aunts over easter in kansas city. it's crazy to see the people that raised your parents needing walkers. i mean i had a few "wow" moments where i just realized--wow, i can't believe that these people i love and respect so much were raised by people whose minds are still there, but bodies are going. it's sad life has to come to an end that way, but my biggest realization was how comfortable they are with it. comfortable accepting help from you, comfortable telling each other "you better use your walker," and joking about needing one in the first place and needing someone to take them around. it's like you don't want to imagine that time in your life coming, but when it does you must be ready. because they seem okay.

i guess it's like anything else. i didn't want to graduate college, now i can't imagine being 22 again. i wouldn't go back if i had the opportunity. i'm just ready for the next step. and i guess that goes on forever, even if you don't think things will change, they always do. adaptation is an interesting thing. it's so amazing how you find your purpose a little more with every day you live. i realize something everyday that i really didn't know the day before, and realize it or not at the time, we're truly always growing just a little bit wiser, in our own ways.

the next stage is always welcomed. and i love where i'm at right now. promise to write more often... here's to 6 months of the big city life from a born and raised suburban girl... ready for the next step.