October was a month full of ups and downs. It was the halfway mark of the fall semester which meant it was time for Midterms. Studying for midterms took up a lot of my time, along with work the first part of the month. Though things were hectic at times I was able to get out and do things and crossed some stuff off of my fall bucket list.

In Colorado, it’s finally starting to cool down. September brought with it cooler weather and the start of fall. I’m a few weeks in school, and I’m finally starting to get into a grove. With September came adventures around Denver. My August was more focused on both school and work. Which left me with little time to focus on myself. I’d go from being a student right to be an employee. Balance is key when managing your physical and mental health. If there’s no time for you and the things you enjoy, then you risk feeling burnt out. When you’re burnt out then you’re unable to perform at your best. In September I put focus into utilizing tools such as time blocking to ensure I was making the most of my time. That way I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed with both work and school. As well as, allow time for myself. Which meant I could get out and do have some fun.

My summer break will be coming to an end soon. It was a nice break away from juggling both school and work. Unlike last year I was able to get out and do stuff. Last year, I spent my whole summer working a job that I hated. There was no traveling or fun events. It was mainly me sitting on the couch watching Tik Tok videos, being depressed, and watching anime. This year, I made a summer bucket list and crossed a few things off the list. Here’s how my summer break went.

May marked the end of the spring semester and the start of summer break. Bring on the fun! The last few months have mainly been focused on both work and school, so it’s been nice to get out of my routine. In May, I went hiking with one of my friends to Staunton State Park. It’s about a thirty-minute drive from Denver. We spent most of the day hiking through the mountains and before heading home grabbed a bite to eat. Hiking is something I love doing, but haven’t done a lot of lately. When I live in Kansas City there weren’t a lot of nearby hiking spots. If you wanted to get out and good for a good hike you had to drive out a few hours to do so. May was also a month of self-reflection.

April marked my final month of the spring semester. I was hard at work on my final projects and meet with an academic advisor to plan for the fall semester. I turned in my last assignment on May 10th. It marked the end of the semester and the start of summer break. My first semester had its ups and downs, but I made it through it. There were days that I wanted to throw in the towel, and I was beyond tired and overwhelmed. Coming home late from work, then staying up late to study and work on assignments was exhausting. I graduated back in 2012 with my associate degree. I had always wanted to go back to school, but I kept putting it off. When I decided to go back, I was nervous. It had been years since I wrote an easy or took a quiz.