The First Draft

Hello again!

It has been a while, and a lot has changed.

After Oktoberfest in Sept. 2024, I took a break from a lot of things. I needed a change, and luckily, I was moving to Denton at the end of October.

I missed Denton, to be honest. It’s fun and cute, and I know a lot of people there who knew me in the “before,” as in before my previous relationship.

I needed time and space, and I knew for a fact that my college friends would still be there for me. I was right, even though I hadn’t really spent much time with any of them since Fall 2019.

I love McKinney, and I will always love McKinney. I plan on going back to visit the square. There’s a new bookstore there, and I want to go back to Native and see Beth. I haven’t been keeping up with my reiki, but it’s on my radar.

I finished my M.A. in Journalism with a 4.0, and I got graduate certificates in Public Relations and Narrative Journalism because… why not? I was going to be there, anyway.

I actually didn’t think I’d leave Denton this time, but I am writing this from my townhome in Fort Worth, where I live with someone who is SO SUPPORTIVE of everything I could possibly want to do (and his family is great! and he likes visiting my family!).

Today, he showed me a booth at a craft fair with someone’s crochet creations, and told me I could do that. To be honest, I want to. I’ve had craft fair supplies in my Amazon cart for ages, I’ve just been too busy to do much crocheting. I have a list. In this order:

1. Mickey Pumpkins for a friend! I have the yarn, I just have to find it in the yarn stash now that it’s finally all in the same place.
2. An ottoman/pouf for my sister.
3. The Chainsaw variant of Knifey for Johnathon (video game character. If you’ve ever played High on Life, you know who I mean).
4. A hat for mom!
5. Anything else I might be forgetting.

Suffice to say I’ve got a lot on my to-do list.

AND I started a new job! And another Masters! I really can’t help myself.

I’m having the most wonderful time, though.

I’m teaching high school journalism again, and I still love yearbook. And newspaper.

I’m working on getting used to teaching four preps, but it’s been great so far! I have yearbook, newspaper, photojournalism and journalism.

The two intro classes are a little rougher because not everyone wants to be there (and they’re SO QUIET), but I am thinking up ways to attempt make them have fun. And maybe talk to me some, while we’re at it.

I have my own room this time instead of floating, and I’m LOVING every second of that. I actually just rearranged it again this week.

I just took my students to San Antonio for a journalism convention, and I officially have plans to go to Hawaii in the winter and California this summer to visit some of Johnathon’s family + Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.

I am infinitely excited, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year goes.

I’ll try to remember to keep you updated. 🙂