Things I've Done Since I've Been Gone

*note: "since I've been gone" means "since my last 'official' post near the end of 2015"

*double-note: this is not an exhaustive list; I thought including bathroom breaks, food menus, and daily location itineraries might be doing a bit much. for the sake of time and sanity, I've included what I feel to be "big deals"

*triple-note: sorry for all the notes. I'm sure it's low-key annoying. and for some of you, the word "low-key" is even more annoying. so I'm just making things worse right now. I'll stop.

2016

· Completed my sophomore year of high school

  - I survived that Honors American Lit class that sparked my "I Am Not Okay, And Yet I Am" post (passed with an A, actually)

· Turned sixteen

  - And went on two mall shopping sprees ^_^

· Received my driver's license

  - after breaking my glasses in 2015 and being unable to replace them for several months, my parents had to teach me to drive in less than 6 months

  - we had to rush to complete a certain number of hours driving before my permit expired so I could get my license (otherwise I would've had to wait a whole nother year)

  - I failed my first test rather bad (pulled onto a street while another car was coming pretty quickly)

  - passed my second test with flying colors (nearly perfect)

· Took a super-fun, super-short family road trip

  - saw the beautiful play Moses

  - sat in a hot tub for the first time (IT WAS AMAAAZING)

  - just had fun in general

· Started my junior year of high school

  - attended a local homeschool co-op for the first time which was funnn

  - also got involved with Student Council there (as secretary)

  - took US Government during a presidential election year WHICH WAS A MISTAKE (okay not totally a mistake but not something I would do again)

· Cut my hairrr

  - which is a pretty big deal in my circle! 

  - it's since grown out, but here's what it looked like:

· Was admitted to the hospital (twice) :(

  - acid reflux + stomach ulcer + low hemoglobin = DISASTER

  - almost had a blood transfusion :O

  - had prayer session, ended up not having to have transfusion! praise God! :D

  - also on the bright side, the hospital I stayed in was a lovely place w/ lovely people who truly blessed me

  - and I got to watch Ant-Man for the 1st time, Age of Ultron for the 2nd time, and Tangled for like the 1000th time while there. so overall not too bad :P

2017

· Began my college search

 - I've got an entire post on that coming later (what do you all think of a college/senior year series?)

 - visited a state school (which was an eye-opening experience)

· Completed junior year

  - with a high GPA! ^_^

· Took the ACT

  - and scored pretty high! :D

  - I was aiming for a little higher than what I got though so I might retake it

· Attended a two-week creative writing summer pre-college program

  - you guys...this has been the staple of 2017

  - I was grinding every day this spring/summer to raise the money for the program

  - there will be an entirely separate post dedicated to detailing my application process, fundraising efforts, preparation, and time at the program! (hmm...maybe that will take a series too...)

· Turned seventeen
  - one of my most interesting birthdays, as it was the first one not spent with my family (but I enjoyed it nonetheless)
  - my program-mates (?) sang "Happy Birthday" to me during college seminar so that was awesome!
  - and a dorm-mate (again, ?) painted my nails for me
  - no cake, but being at the pre-college program was kinda like my cake (not like I woulda been made if anyone had given me some or anything...)

· Saw Spider-Man: Homecoming
  - if you haven't seen it yet, YEP, IT'S AS AWESOME AS YOU THINK IT'S GONNA BE AND PROBABLY EVEN MORE SO
  - if you have seen it, AREN'T MJ/MICHELLE + PETER GONNA BE A THING C'MONNN MAN
  - if you haven't seen it and have no plans to: um...okay.

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So that's what I've been up to! See why I've been gone so long? I actually have an active life now, which I love, but I also miss blogging.

Sooo no promises, but I want to to try blogging again this year! I might try typing up a bunch of posts at once and then scheduling them. I also might try posting on YouTube again...? I'm not sure; we'll see. I really miss my blog as a creative outlet and want to return.

What have y'all been up to? Let me know in the comments! I'll try to get at ya again with another post soon. In the mean time, check out my Instagram and Twitter in my sidebar; I'll post more often on those outlets.

Bye for now!