summer lovin’!: a brief update (in 3 parts)

july 6th, 2017

hello, sweet sweet things!

i don’t have much time to write today (a tragic trend, quite present throughout this summer), however there was no way I wasn’t going to write today!

This was 1 year ago:

This blog has two birthdays. One in May (where I started 16til26.wordpress.com) (its actual birthday) and one today (when I decided to rebrand it as 16til26*). Though this is not the ultimate birth of me deciding to write, I am still so endlessly grateful for this day. This is the day I decided to dedicate myself to this and to you all for 10 years. The day that slapped a name on this ~thing~ that has helped me through so much, acting as a constant undercurrent throughout this crazy transition. I’m happy, and I’m thankful. I feel beyond proud to call 16til26* my own; it’s given me so much, introduced me to so much love (in the form of you guys), and helped me conquer the hurricane that is freshman year.

Thank you. ❤

Some Brief Updates!™

1. After freshman year ended, I went home for a bit and quite literally lied down and did absolutely nothing. I watched Sherlock. I ate. I actually have no recollection of what I did exactly because there really was nothing to recollect. However, after 6 months of relentless going, it was a well deserved, painfully necessary opportunity for everything to just stop. I left all my stuff in my dorm, took a sack of dirty laundry and peaced out to Brentwood. I came back to campus 5 days later, to pack up my whole freshman year dorm room to move into my new single for the summer. And now here we are!
2. I’m staffing on-campus this summer and it’s the best experience I’ve ever had. I won’t be posting pictures/videos or disclosing names of residents for the sake of privacy. Just know that 1) I love my residents more than anything right now, 2) I love my co-staff more than anything, and 3) this is the best summer I’ve ever had, and it’s only been 2 weeks.
3. I’m taking STATS60 and ENGR40M this summer, and I’ve decided on what I’m going to be studying for the next three years! Is this still subject to change? Of course. Am I 300% stoked about it as of right now? Absolutely. (I decided on a Product Design Major, with Astronomy and Creative Writing Minors) (woo!)
4. I’ve gone back to the gym and started eating well again! The weather has helped lots with that. I also started longboarding at the end of Spring Quarter and now I exclusively longboard to and from places. Which is pretty sick. Also, Will visited from his internship in D.C. and Chris visited from Brentwood!! Everything is just. So good. So sweet.
5. After HSSC, I will leave for a Sophomore College Program (SoCo, for short) in Monterey for a few weeks.

From the course description:

Monterey Bay is home to the nation’s largest marine sanctuary and also home to Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. This course, based at Hopkins, explores the spectacular biology of Monterey Bay and the artistic and political history of the region.We will conduct investigations across all of these contexts toward an inclusive understanding of “place”, ultimately to lead us to explore our own lives in relation to the natural world, historical and cultural milieu, and the direction of our individual life path.

(So basically, it’s perfect, and I’m so excited.)

So, in short:

This is the best summer. Classes are tough, of course, but there are good people in them, which makes it all the more bearable. I am surrounded by love. I have not cried of laughter this often since my brother moved out for college. I feel healthier– physically and emotionally.

All good things.

I apologise for not writing much this summer, and I also apologise that this post is so ~update~y. To be completely honest, I’m totally exhausted because we keep watching movies until 4am, and I can’t really sleep-in completely free of consequence, so my sleep-debt is eating me alive. But hey. The sun’s out, and being awake is fun. Being in an emotional place where I want to be awake 24/7, not even in fear of missing out, but rather because I just want to live and actively participate in every second, is remarkable. Up and up and up, my friends.

Follow my Snapchat for day-to-day happenings (I use this more than anything), and follow my Instagram for ~fun times~. Also, I’ve decided to open up my P.O. box, because I have gotten a couple messages regarding it!

Snail Mail away 🙂

I’ve also decided that later this summer, I am going to start responding to emails! Unfortunately, I needed to pull away from that avenue of communication for a bit, given how hectic the year got, but I promise I will hop back on soon enough.

All links to contact info and social media can be found here. Can’t wait to hear from you :~) 

Happy Summer ❤

Love,

Izzy