068;; One down... Ten to go.

I have successfully made it through my first week of the winter term. Barely, but none the less, I made it. I was initially very excited for this term to start - but after experiencing my first class of each subject, I'm less thrilled. I'm determined to get a 4.0 this term though, so be prepared.

I'm taking...

• Professional Communication
• Digital Illustration
• Internet Concepts
• Math

I'm starting to become extremely restless in such a small place. I need to stretch out and be able to move around my residence. Even if I just end up in some tiny 350 sq. ft. studio... it's more room than this. I hate not having my own kitchen. I hate not having my own bathroom. I hate not being able to have alcohol in my fridge if that's what tickles my fancy. && most importantly I want my cats!

I think this is harder on me than it is for most because many students have a home to go back to. They brought their essentials. I had to bring pretty much what I wanted to keep. My big stuff like old artwork, excess books, and collectible items are still at my grandma's house... but as far as clothes, shoes, and other stuff.. it's all here.. shoved into one single room that has no storage options other than a closet and a dysfunctional set of drawers. I keep trying to come up with creative ways to store my stuff.. but realistically it's just not happening. I've managed to fit two bookshelves in this room, and yet I still have a box of books stored under my bed.

I think most sane people would just get rid of a lot of their stuff, or perhaps sell extra books, or donate clothes... but the reality of it is that my books are my comfort, I don't have that much to sell that I don't use, and the clothes I have are all I have.

I desperately need to try to find a job this term.. I should probably go talk to the GameStop again and actually make him call HR to verify my re-hire status. I let it go during the holidays... but now I feel obligated to help out. It's hard to live on $100/week when you have to find food elsewhere and have credit card and cable bills due every month.

I have been painting quite a bit, and hopefully will start painting more once I get settled into the quarter. Once I get more work done I will hopefully be able to start offering prints of them. Yay!

Anyway.. I just needed to vent a bit.

I'm off to finish my most recent attempt on my room.

G'night.

067;; New Years

For the first time in a really long time, I can't say I regret anything in 2012.

There have been some ups and downs for sure - but overall it's been a really great year.

Last night I got back into Portland after spending two weeks in Illinois with my family for the holidays. I am so happy to say that the visit included seeing the love of my life, even though every obstacle you could think of tried to stop that from happening.

I have never been more confident about where I am going. I feel like this year I've grown so much and I've risen above all of the tangles I had. I'm going to be stronger than ever this coming year and I'm going to stand on my feet. I can honestly say that I no longer feel like I'm made of glass.

In 2012 I...
Got a great job and lost it due to cut backs in May.
Danced with depression a bit all year.
Made things official with Dalton in April.
Started school again and changed majors in July.
Moved across the country in September.
&& Survived the blizzard Euclid 2012.
Plus, I've made so many new friends and my older friendships have gotten stronger despite the distance.

I have nothing but confidence that next year will be even better.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.



xoxo Sara

066;; Officially an Oregonian...

I took a much needed break during my final weeks of moving and my first month or so here. As much as I love this blog and I love the people I've met through this intertwining network of lives... I needed to take care of me - and I think I've finally managed to do that.

I've managed to weed out the people in my life that didn't have my best interests in heart and I've managed to make some new friends who are pretty amazing and supportive; which alleviated a lot of the stress of moving here.

I've also started painting some, which is entirely new for me.

Anyway - this is just a small "I'm not dead" update. I'll make a post within the next few days of pictures along the trip out here and possibly new examples of my work.



xoxo Sara