So I'm Back

Soooooo… It’s been a lil while… okay maybe a long time… lol

It’s been over a year and it’s been a year that’s for sure, so while I sit in my kitchen making some applesauce with some apples I need to use up lets chat. This last year has been a whirlwind that’s for sure.

Let’s work from most recently to the last time I talked about grief. 

Most recently I’ve been dealing with some serious homesickness, as my mom has been in the hospital 3 times since mid February, so I’ve been struggling with being away from my

Trip to Illinois last September

family and not being able to help. In this season God has been teaching me that sometimes there’s nothing I can physically do, besides pray. And it’s challenging being 1,800 miles away and not just being able to drive a couple hours to sit with my mom. (she is okay for the most part tho)

This is from the retreat I taught at.

In February I got to go home and visit my family and surprise my grandpa for his birthday. While I was there I did a lot of cleaning. I went through all my clothes that are in Illinois and I got rid of like 4 garbage bags full of clothes and donated them. It was really nice to see my collection of clothes in Illinois decrease while I have gotten more clothes out here in Oregon. The weekend after I flew back from Illinois I got the privilege to teach a class at a middle school winter retreat back on the coast at a camp. That weekend I taught about testimonies the best way I know how to.. Which is by telling other people's testimonies and the consensus was it was a good class with some fun moments but also informational. If you want to hear more about this class I can write it up in a post let me know :). 

Oh yeah I went skiing like a week ago and I’ve never been more grateful for ski patrol than I was then. So I took a fall and heard my knee pop and was super unsteady when I stood up so my friend went and got ski patrol who brought me down the mountain and then got my

knee x-rayed right there. So I am now in the process of going to an orthopedic and getting an MRI to see if anything tore when I fell. That was an adventure.

Last year I talked about grief and how it sucks and is every changing and I sadly have no more insight for you about that as I will forever be in the process of grief no matter how many years ago it was and I can confirm that is still that way, everyday is different and some days are harder than others. 

In this year I have gained an amazing group of friends and a great boyfriend who I’ve been dating for over a year. I have learned a lot from them and how adult friendships work outside of college. These are friends that I will probably have for a long time if not the rest of my life.

In the past year I have rediscovered my love for painting and reading and have been doing both far more than I did in 2024 and plan to keep it that way. I have also rediscovered my love for fashion and realized AGAIN that just because everyone else is dressing a certain way does not mean that I have to dress that way and that I have to dress in a way that makes me feel like myself which has been a journey but Goodwill has been my best friend and I have been finding pieces that are more me. 

I could probably ramble on and on about what this last year has been but we’ll leave it at this, I moved to a new camp and live in a tiny house and have been able to connect more with people in my church instead of isolating myself. 

I’m looking forward to what has in store for me this year as I continue to grow and go where God calls me to. 

Let me know what topics you want me to talk about in the future.

-Stephanie <3