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An (almost) year in review

The writing continues. In my last blog post I wrote about one of the first trips in 3 years that I actually spent money on (gasp!) instead of spending someone else's through scholarships, crowdfunding, and the like. My life escapades continue in Minnesota, with a renewed vigor now that the chaos of academic life is in the dust--at least for the next few months.

As my iCloud drive fills up and I am forced to delete old files to free up space, I came across a somewhat frightening realization of why my first semester in grad school might have been so draining.

Yep, you counted right. Thirteen folders dedicated to job applications.
As if grappling with a new city weren't enough, I was constantly in a process of searching for a good-paying job, which resulted in the overwhelming set of folders pictured above. Thirteen, in fact, each dedicated to a different job application. One thing I will say--the experience helped me tremendously with writing cover letters, which I now often get compliments on!

As I move into the second week of my new research assistant positions with the Public Health Law Center and the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, I find myself with a bit more breathing room to reflect on this first year in Minnesota and start dreaming about the coming months.

The weird thing about Minnesota is that once spring and summer come you don't want to leave. You go on vacation, but to different parts of the state. This is strange for me because of the culture in Kansas that summer vacation is the time to leave the state and go elsewhere. But here, the weather is so pleasant and the ecology so lush, it's practically euphoric. You don't want to stop breathing in the clear air. And the lack of bugs (up until about a week ago if you can believe it) is surreal. Not having to always think about bug spray is pretty amazing.

2018 was a year of growth. Some of the highlights as a reminder for those who may not have known me back then...

  • Got accepted into grad school! And was stunned to find out that I received a full-ride fellowship to get my masters degree in planning
  • Graduated with my Bachelors degree from the University of Kansas
  • Lived for the summer in Beloit, KS, and fell in love with rural living
  • Moved to Minneapolis and became best friends with my roommate. Am currently in the process of adopting her family as my own
  • Held a number of part-time jobs working at the MN State Fair, an apple farm, selling Cutco, and serving for a catering company
  • Celebrated my mom's 50th birthday with my sister 
  • Started working for Voices for Rural Resilience, and hoping to continue my kick ass gig as a social media strategist and thought partner for as long as possible
  • Started writing letters to a strange boy in Idaho
  • Received scholarship support to attend MOSES, an organic farming conference
  • Joined the Seward Neighborhood Group Board
  • Attended the weddings of two of my best friends in Oklahoma and Washington state
As I look forward to 2019 and beyond, there are a handful of exciting things that pop up on my radar:
  • Hearing back from the Farm Bureau about an application I submitted for the Beginning Farmer Institute
  • Learning a ton this summer through my research assistant positions
  • Designing my roommate's exterior landscaping through my permaculture design certificate project
  • Finally using my MN state park pass
  • Redesigning this blog and figuring out more opportunities that would allow me to get paid to travel
  • This summer's veggie and mushroom CSA 
  • Making plans for post-graduation
Which brings me to the most exciting part of this post. I'm already starting to plan what I want to do after I graduate next May, at which time I do not anticipate (fingers crossed!) having any student debt to pay off. I'm thinking I'd like to plan a year's worth of travel, with Bali, Spain, and Argentina as highly likely destinations. There's going to be a thread that links all of the locations and experiences, which is my new business!

Not sure what services or products I'll be offering, but I know that knowledge of agriculture, mindfulness/meditation/yoga, Spanish, urban design and planning, and world cuisines will all play a part. It's silly to think that I've spent so many years trying to set myself up for my 'dream job' when really all I needed to do was start a business that combines everything I love. The coolest part about being an entrepreneur is that I don't have to sacrifice on quality or compromise on standards. I can push myself as little or as much as I need to and the success of my business will depend on it.

Things I'm doing in preparation of the website launch...
  • Developing my brand
  • Determining the business title
  • Researching fellowship opportunities that could help me develop my idea(s) and support my international travel bug
  • Setting up a professional photo shoot?!
  • Adding various items to my portfolio through my summer jobs
  • Mastering my research and writing skills through summer work

For the readers out there that know me well, I'm curious what you think this will turn into? Or suggestions of places I should go? I have a few places in mind but nothing is set in stone...



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