Nothing particularly stood out but based upon my blog from that month, I was super excited about two things:
Snow. It was my first real experience with solid snow since the Americorps days of 2003 in Maryland. I found it to be glorious and sparkly!
Making cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time.It was a very intimidating process but I was very impressed with how they turned out. Have I since made anything with yeast? No.
Exciting month, right?
2. Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
I instantly go back to my summer in Florida for moments this year that I felt alive. There are many; things like being in charge of hundreds of people with all of their eyes on me, going in a helicopter ride with three amazing people, and going on the fun boat ride in Winter Park. But of all the experiences I had, going to Miami Beach was one of the most amazing. It was a vacation completely on my own but that did not stop me from seeing everything I wanted to. I went to the Beautiful Vizcaya Gardens, walked along the sandy beaches, and walked all over the place. The time that I remember being the most alive was taking the Thriller boat ride around the bay and out into the ocean. I was feeling good up until we went out into the ocean with the waves crashing and to boat literally flying over the water. I got really freaked out! Once we did a few loops, I finally stopped planning my survival if I was flung overboard and instead just enjoyed the fact that I was in the Atlantic Ocean in a speed boat!
3. Best moment of February
February feels like so long ago! I really don't know where the time went. I started to be much more social during the winter semester and one of the first things that I organized with the ladies in my program was going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show at EMU. We had dinner at Sidetrack first (one of my favorite places) and then to the show! It was so much fun and so nice to hang out with each other outside of the classroom.
4. Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?
This next year is all about action. It is intimidating and exciting all at the same time.
Steps I have taken thus far:
Did two internships in my program plus my graduate assistantship position
Received excellent evaluations from each of my internship supervisors
Created good relationships with my advisor who has become a mentor, my experiential coach who is amazing, my co-teacher who has taught me about patience and laughter, my other GAs who I have been able to help, and and with myself
Updated my resume (2 pages, ahh!) and am really impressed with what I have done
Started to organize job postings that are interesting to me so that I can better plan for the future
Taught a freshman course that was a real lesson in working with students but also gave me a greater sense of confidence and discipline
My next steps:
Have two to three of my professors/supervisors review my resume
Begin applying for jobs during winter break (end of December)
Plan for the ACPA conference in March (post resume online, order business cards)
Consider cost of living/quality of living in various areas of the country
