A Few Quick Thoughts and Updates

 I have really been slacking on the blogging front lately.

There just has not been enough time between classes, work, and other commitments this semester. I'm certain you can all understand where I am coming from. I've been struggling to find a balance of everything and unfortunately, my blog has been the easiest thing to push to the side. I wish that I could say that from today on out I would be posting regularly again, but I honestly don't know yet.

But for now, I thought I would share a few random updates and some photos of the California sunset from my balcony last week (#nofilter, but really though. I did not edit these at all. It was crazy beautiful.)

1) A little feng shui goes a long way: Part of my lack of balance this semester is coming from an extreme lack of motivation. I don't know if it's similar to "senior-itous" from high school or missing the first week of classes for Ecuador, but the last year of my graduate program has been off to a rough start. This may sound silly, but last Tuesday after my night class I decided to rearrange my bedroom to see if if would help get me in the studying-groove, and so far it has worked. I know nothing about legitimate feng shui, but having a new environment (and an incredibly organized one at that) seems to have helped. Sometimes you just need a new space to get creative. Let's just hope it lasts...

2) Return of the Travel Bug: This summer and early fall I did a lot of traveling. I have always been a lover of travel and experiencing new cultures, but at the end of this round I found myself exhausted. And on top of that, I also felt incredibly guilty for feeling exhausted. I was given such incredible opportunities this summer that many people will never have access to, and I felt bad for being tired at the end. I've been reflecting on that for a while and ultimately I have come to the realization that it's ok to be tired. I don't have to have energy or be excited all of the time. To be intentional about absorbing different communities and learning all that I can while away takes a toll and a lot of mental discipline. It's also very difficult being away from loved ones and familiarity for so long. No wonder I became tired. It doesn't mean I appreciate these gifts any less, it just means I might need to slow down a tad and be present where I am.

That being said, I've also known for over half a year that in January I will be going with a class to Jerusalem and now that I have had a chance to process my summer travel and know that I will be in one place for a few months, I am finally getting excited to go! We discuss the incredible places we will get to visit little by little in class each week and my travel butterflies are back! Once again, I am in a state of wanderlust, which oddly enough is normal for me which means that slowly but surely, I'm starting to get back to my normal and it feels good.

3) Baking is my procrastination method of choice: There was an ongoing joke with my roommates in undergrad that if I had a paper or assignment due, there would be bakery in the suite. If my roommates came home to a pile of chocolate chip cookies, the first question would be, "So, what assignment do you have due, Sarah?" I would like to note: I always had my assignments done and they enjoyed some pretty delicious treats, so everyone ended up winning.

I've gotten better with time management as I've gotten older (and wiser ;P ) but I still really enjoy baking. Thus, when my typical Monday afternoon class was canceled this week, rather than catch up on some reading, I decided to make some delicious "Italian Skillet Pull Apart Bread". This is possibly my favorite dinner roll recipe. My roommates (both past and present) love them and I love making them. Instead of using the already made dinner rolls, I like to make mine from scratch with this recipe from the same site. They're fairly easy and very tasty.

4) A Possible Shift: The last thing I would like to mention is that I'm still in the process of reflecting what I want this blog space to be. I've been writing for a good chunk of time now and am making an intentional effort to discern if I want to make changes to content (not that there has been a lot lately) or not. I like that this little corner of the internet is mine and a place where I don't have to get to heady, or personal, but I also have a fear of letting my posts be too surface level and superficial. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I always love hearing from you guys and as always truly appreciate your taking time to visit.

Peace,
Sarah