Blessed

    Going about daily life, you don't really go about thinking, "I am such a lucky person for having this" or "I can't believe I get to experience this."

Everyday here, I should be saying that.

I really cannot believe that I am in Bosnia studying abroad.

I am incredibly lucky that I was selected out of so many worthy candidates.

But most of all, I am blessed.

I am blessed to have family who support me and love me.

I am blessed with friends back home who have stuck with me through every tedious detail of my life.

I am blessed that I was selected.

I am blessed to have come here with four very different girls and share this experience in very different ways.

I am blessed to have met such extraordinary people from all over the world.

I am blessed to have an incredible host family.

I am blessed with friends here who I will keep for the rest of my life.

I am blessed that this past year has been life-changing.

(there's no picture that can exactly portray this... #awkward)

I am blessed that God has worked through me in perfectly subtle ways.

(there's no picture for that either...)

I am blessed with people who have made this experience so much more memorable.

I could put twenty pictures in here... pretty much if there's a picture with people, I am blessed because of them :D

I am blessed to have gone on adventures.

I am blessed that people have pushed me to do things I never would have considered.

The reason I chose this picture is because Anna made me walk up a mountain. I usually won't do that willingly.

    I am so incredibly blessed to be here and I am so thankful for everyone who made this possible. I understand I have seven more weeks here and I shouldn't be dwelling on our inevitable return, but after Kat from church treated me to lunch and a round at the driving range (Ha. ha. Hahaha.), I just couldn't not feel so blessed to have people like that around me.
    Church has been my safe haven here, but it's also been a challenge. At times, it's felt like church back home and all I wanted to do was curl in a ball and be like, "but those aren't my friends! This isn't my church! I understand nothing!" But then I've made some of the best friends I could have, people were patient with my Bosnian skills and practiced with me, and I don't think most people realize how thankful I am for them being there when I needed it. True, I don't always understand every word coming out of the pastor's mouth and sometimes I get a wave of, "I miss my friends," but it's less and less now. I love these people so much and it hurts my heart that I have to say goodbye so soon.

    I'm sorry these last two posts have had me thinking ahead to when we go home, but this is what happens during this time in an exchange student's life! I just didn't realize it would hit so hard.

   So thank you, everyone who has made this the greatest experience ever. I'm just happy to say it's not over yet.

   Anyway, that's enough sap for the day. Here's a picture of me attempting to golf:

    Until my mom arrives (FIVE DAYS),
-Katie

Far and Away

    I really love going places. Whether it's a city just an hour away or a different continent, I love seeing new places (which is slightly ironic considering I'm not that adventurous). This past weekend, SHAKE went to Bihać and Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and it was absolutely gorgeous! True, I had to get up at a ridiculous hour in the morning to meet up the car that was picking me up at the school and take us to where the bus was, but it was all worth it! We went with a group from Nahla, which is a Bosnian NGO established in 2001 by group of young women who were committed to providing a space for Bosnian woman in which they could feel safe and accepted and get a chance to learn, socialize, broaden and enrich their knowledge and acquire different skills needed to efficiently perform a job and actively participate in social life. The ladies were all lovely and so kind and I was very glad to have met them.
    The bus drive there was long and although we all tried to stay awake to see the stunning Bosnian countryside, all of us fell asleep at some point. Luckily, the group took several pit stops in cities along the way. I don't know a lot of what these places were, but I'm glad we stopped anyway.

By the river Una, near Bihać 

Pliva Lakes near Jajce

    One of our pit stops, my favorite, was the 16th century castle in Ostrožac. It was huge and beautiful and situated way up high on a mountain, looking vaguely like a mini Hogwarts. The courtyard was filled with all sorts of interesting statues and, despite the majority of the castle falling apart, we were allowed to freely explore which resulted in me singing "Once Upon a December" from the movie Anastasia. The castle was just purely incredible and everything about it was stunning.

   I don't know man, I've just always wanted to be a princess and this was the closest I could have gotten.
   The day ended at our hotel right outside of Bihać, where we had coffee outside on their patio because the weather was gorgeous, plus it was right beside the river. We then continued inside for dinner where we had our monthly meeting which began the talk of the end of our stay. It's so weird to think about that we're out of here in less than two months. Next years YES Abroad students have been chosen (congratulations everyone! This next year of your life will be absolutely insane and incredible and I can't even begin to describe it properly. All I can say is that this was the best year of my life).
    However... it is strange to think how far I've come. I'm not the same person I was when I left Newberg eight months ago or when I was selected a year ago. I've explored quite thoroughly an entirely new country and I've tasted foods I never thought I would try. I've spoken a language I didn't know existed a few years ago, I've made friends I didn't think I could be friends with. I've stretched myself in ways I didn't know I could be pulled and everything that has come out of this experience thus far has made this even more incredible and unbelievable.
    Moving on from all my sentiments...
    The night finished up with all of SHAKE gathered in Helena, Savannah, and Emma's room talking about anything and everything. Anna tried to scare Savannah and Emma when they left the room, but that failed. We talked about books and movies and weirdness and whatever came to mind. One thing I'll miss about SHAKE is that these girls have become like my sisters. We all love each other (I think... I love them at least), we annoy each other at times, but we all know that when we go home, we have made four best friends we didn't think we could have made before this. We never would have met without YES. We live all over the US, how would we have? This also makes me feel like we're the girly, cultural version of One Direction, but that's me just being slightly silly.
    And I'm getting sappy again. I apologize. It's what happens when you're down to 53 days left in a certain place.

    The next morning we packed up and got on our bus to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia! There was no point falling asleep on this drive as it only lasted an hour and we had to get off the bus to cross the border. One more stamp in my passport! Wooo!
    The falls were breathtaking. True, with a giant tour group sometimes you couldn't squeeze through and snap a decent picture before you were barked at saying we had to move along, but the fact of the matter is that I at least got to see the falls. I have the image permanently implanted in my head and that's something I can live with.

   
    We did a lot of hiking around, through the falls, up and down mountains, on little bridges, and the like to see the extent of the falls that we could. However, many of the lakes had overflown therefore resulting in mini falls all over the place. It was very possibly the coolest type of waterfall I had ever seen. On one of the boats across the lake to a nice spot to grab some food and souvenirs, we met a guy from Paris where I was then forced to speak French with, which, in all honesty, I was secretly hoping would happen. My French is still ten times better than my Bosnian and I can communicate quite easily in French. We only talked for about five to ten minutes, but I still felt special. Once we landed on the other side of the lakes and grabbed our souvenirs, we then began the climb up the mountain to where our bus was. I'm surprised I survived, because I kid you not, that was a mountain. I swear I'm not exaggerating.

   When we were back on the bus, we began the ride back home, but not before stopping in a town for dinner and feeding some dogs (who Anna and I affectionately named Fuzz and Oreo). My legs were a bit Jello-y and going back on the bus was a wonderful thing because it meant sleep. Except that didn't happen either. First of all, Helena and I watched a movie on the way back, taking breaks to look at the scenery we missed on the ride to Bihać and Plitvice and we also took a pit stop in an interactive museum (similar to Fort Edmonton in Canada). It was adorable and the view was absolutely gorgeous. Who am I kidding? All of Bosnia is gorgeous. I say this every time I visit a new place.

I am aware Emma and I are matching.

    Late that night we arrived back in Sarajevo and we all jumped in taxis back home. Esad was adorable when I came home, asking all the questions of how it was and if I was tired. He then told me to go to bed which I did so gladly.

    These past few weeks have otherwise been uneventful. The sun is out and I'm so glad because my mom comes in eight days and I promised her the weather would be nice. And it is! Nice weather makes me happy and motivated and most people can tell, because I get really bubbly when I'm in a good mood. I also zone out a lot more in class because I'm glazing at the sun and flowers through the windows. #sorrynotsorry

    Anyway, I think I've written enough for the day. Not to mention I talked about One Direction and Disney, so I think I should call it quits.

   Until I go places (which will be soon!),
-Katie

P.S. Remember to follow me on Twitter @KateWells7 and check out my story, Starbird. <- click on the link. Do it.

Exploring

    I'm not one to explore, nor be a bit spontaneous. I like plans and I like to know exactly where I'm going with thorough research. When someone says, "Oh! Let's stop here, it looks interesting." I instantly go, "Umm. How about not?" I don't randomly decide to do things. I like having dates and times.
    That's why on Thursday I surprised myself a little bit when I decided I was bored with my hair and I chopped it all off! Well. Not all off. But let's just say it hasn't been this short since Freshman year. It's been awhile.
    And then when Anna messaged me Thursday night asking me if wanted to meet up for coffee in Baščaršija the next day and run around and take some pictures, I didn't think much of it.
    Ha. Silly me. This is Anna we're talking about. She's kind of an exploration nut.

    The next day I walked down to meet her at BBI Centar where we took off for coffee. The day was warm enough to sit in one of our favorite Old Town cafés with a nice cheap array of coffees. We talked for what felt like hours and then decided we should head out. Then Anna suggested after coffee we could head up to Bijela Tabija. After quickly agreeing, I then caught myself and asked her if we were going to take a taxi or walk. She replied walking. HA. No. Instead we settled for another spot of the city, still up a solid hill that was right next to an old military compound.

    However, we didn't know that area very well so we ended up wandering up and down alley ways, passing broken down buildings and catching wonderful views of the partly-sunny Sarajevo. We stopped along the ways taking lovely pictures, which Anna was excited about because the lighting was perfect. The broken military building was extremely fascinating and Anna and I had to be each others common sense, because both of were tempted to go exploring further inside, but the many signs surrounding the building saying, "Warning: Destroyed" kept us in check.

     After wandering the hills of Sarajevo, we started heading down when we ran into an amphitheater that they started building when we first got here. Well, it's almost finished now! So Anna and I enjoyed running back and forth between center stage to test out the acoustics to the back of the theater where we could hear exactly what we were saying. Amphitheaters never fail to completely amaze me. I mean, how do they work!? I'm sure there's a science to it, however, I just really do not know what exactly happens. Time for a quickee research! Once we were done playing, we then headed to the Alija Izetbegović museum which was a remodeling of two towers and wall connecting them. Izetbegović was Bosnia's first president and held a very important role in overcoming the recent war. One part of the museum focused on his life, while the next focused on the war. All-in-all, Anna and I found it incredible interesting and we left the museum both agreeing Izetbegović was pretty awesome.

    Once we were through scanning the museum, we headed back down to Old Town for ćevapi and then sat around in a park looking at the pictures we took until it started to rain. That was where Anna headed back home (which consisted of a long walk home because the public transportation system is on strike) while I headed off to church!

    Teen group this week was exciting and different as missionaries on the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) program in Ukraine were there as guests, who set up the room very nicely and made us dinner! Teen group passed normally as I made new friends in YWAM from the USA, UK, Ukraine, Russia, and the Netherlands! They were really nice and we were equally interested in each other and what we were doing in Eastern Europe.
    Saturday was our first day of no Bosnian class, so I pretty much slept and chilled with the host family which was a nice, relaxing change. However, later that evening, my church was holding an Easter concert and a mini art show, so that evening I headed out to that and it was a lovely evening of traditional music, art, and fellowship.
    Sunday was busy. I left that morning for church, except yesterday was a special sort of Sunday service as around six or seven different churches were gathered together for one big service. Helena came with me, which I was really glad about because most of the girls don't know exactly what I do when I go to church, so it was nice to finally show one of them. The service was great and interesting, with the pastor using 'Shawshank Redemption' as one of his key visuals. Once the service was over, Helena and I headed out for lunch, but not before I made plans to meet up with Lindsay (the American in YWAM) later in Baščaršija.
    So Helena and I carried out a quick lunch of freshly made pizza and then she headed off to work, while I went on my way to meet up with Lindsay. Because she didn't know Sarajevo, I was able to take her around a bit and show her certain things (I considered this a test run for when my mom comes in 18 days! YAY!). We had coffee in my favorite Old Town café, shopped around; both of us buying gifts for our friends and family. Once we were finished going through every shop in Old Town, BBI, and Alta, Lindsay told me I was welcome to join the YWAM crew for dinner and a movie at the church. So of course I agreed!
    When we arrived at the church, both of us cold and exhausted, soup was simmering and one of the workers put hot water on for tea, which was perfect after a long day of walking everywhere in the 4ºC weather. We all talked around for awhile, eating our soup and sipping tea and coffee and I pretty much was in awe of the Brits and their accents. We then all settled in for a Disney movie, making offhand comments of Hercules having one of the best soundtracks and how Megara has a crazy fringe.
     Once the movie was over, I called Esad to come pick me up and I said farewell to my new friends who I hope I will see again someday! When I got home, Nizama asked if I was living at the church, considering that was where I spent the majority of my weekend and I simply laughed and told her no.

    Anyway, this weekend was lots of fun, full of exploring and meeting new people and chilling. Always nice chilling. :) I better be off though, got some homework and then off to bed early! That's what happens when you drink three cups of coffee the night before and only get three hours of sleep...

    Until more people,
-Katie

P.S. Remember to follow me on Twitter @KateWells7 !

Život

    Again, this month contains very few posts. Not many crazy adventures, exciting experiences, or new people. In fact, life here in Bosnia has just become that.
    Life.
    Regular, routine life.
    I don't take a double glance at the different types of building, the patchy roads, the signs in a different language. Talking to my host family is usually random, pointless conversation that we just feel like talking about. I go to school, I have coffee with my friends, I go shopping (so much so that a worker at one of my top choice stores knows who I am and we actually have conversations when I go there. Well.), I go to church. All very typical, day-to-day things that I've experienced everywhere that I've lived. Sometimes I re-realize that I'm living in Bosnia and the view from my house is something I'm unlikely to see again and it's just kind of a "Whooaaaaa..." moment.

    But then there's the even weirder moment when you think of going back to 'Murica. I got my return date and it's the weirdest thing ever. SO, Newberg! I'll be home at 9:30pm on June 11th, 2013. Upon receiving my online ticket, I stared at it for what felt like an hour. There it was, solidified, the day I go home. And I hate thinking about it because then I get in this inner conflict of, "Yay! I miss everyone so much and I'm excited to see them and go do this and eat this food!" versus "But I'm probably not going to come back here for a very long time and I'm going to miss all my friends and family here and what about doing this or eating this food that I will never be able to make as well as my host mom." Honestly, though, I'm in a very good position. I've absolutely loved every second of this exchange and I'm sad to leave, but I am excited to go home. I guess you could say I've got the best of both worlds (Hannah Montana, FTdubs).

    Yesterday, I went to Gorožde with my host family and it was nice. Simple, but nice. The weather was around 10ºC and it was a bit windy, but the sun was nice. Gorožde was a beautiful town, mostly there for farming and chilling at cafes. Not much else to do, but that. However, the entire ride there, my host family made fun of my Bosnian (I spent six months saying, "Jesam idela" thinking it meant "I went" when the proper past tense way is "Jesam išla." and nobody corrected me. Nizama was just proud that I was trying to speak Bosnian at all, so she didn't care if it was correct or not, as long as she understood me. Thanks guys) and Irfan and I tried to teach Esad and Nizama English. Selo is village and grad is city. Ta-da! Learning!

    We also stopped at two of Esad's relatives house for coffee and food, the second house just because we were passing through. A little bit of Bosnian culture for you: it doesn't matter if you show up out of the blue, uninvited. You want to have coffee with some distant relatives, they will welcome you in with open arms and start making a fresh pot of coffee right away. *Sigh* How I love it here. Irfan also started calling me Princess and also promised me he'd buy me a tiara when I mentioned how much I love Disney movies and how I want a poofy, tulle skirt. So, all-in-all, that day was pretty great. Well. Minus playing Angry Birds. I seriously could not get the hang of that game.

    Then today after History class, SHAKE went out for coffee where we've had some of the most interesting conversations ever. I don't even know where they come from, but they're definitely border line 'interesting' and 'weird'.

Great Expecations and a smiling cappuccino. I love Bombon.

    Now I sit at home where I was originally enjoying the sun, but now it's snowing like crazy. Why can the weather not stay sunny and pretty? I AM SO DONE WITH SNOW.

    Moving along, I graduate in less than three months and my mom comes in four weeks and I'm just really excited for all of that.

    Anyway, time to go do some more Government homework and remember to follow me on Twitter @KateWells7 !

    Until life gets busy or the weather decides to make up it's mind,
-Katie (Keti)

Living Life

   If you've been stalking my Facebook or reading my tweets, you know by now that

1. These past few days have been absolutely AMAZING and...
2. I am now, officially, EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE.

   But before I begin in all of that, I just want to make a quick apology for not writing at all last month. Nothing really happened, so honestly, you didn't miss out on much. Just me going to school and trying to accomplish something in my online courses.
   Moving along!

    SHAKE went bowling on February 22 (Emma's birthday!) and that was fun! I, yet again, owned everyone else's lives which is strange because I typically fail at anything that isn't writing or pinning things on Pinterest. So pretty much, if someone says we're going bowling, I am totally in.

Me and Savannah!

As you can see... I kind of won.

    Last Sunday (February 24) my family back in America Skyped me to wish me a happy early birthday and have my Sunday birthday dinner, a long standing tradition. I was in my pajamas and I had no idea that there was an entire crowd over at my house, but they all sang happy birthday and then sat me down at the table in my usual spot as they ate and, once again, it felt like I never left. Something I was kind of, really happy about.

   My actual birthday (February 27) was uneventful, especially when I woke up super sick with one of the worst colds I'd ever had (four cups of tea in a day and three rolls of toilet paper because I didn't have tissues. That's the way to role on your eighteenth.) and I received an e-mail from my History teacher saying that class was cancelled, aka, my only class of the day. So I stayed home, barely talked to anyone except my own family and my best friend for a happy birthday Skype dates.
    However! One very, very good thing came out of my birthday. My mom bought her tickets to visit at the end of April! So, as of today, I will be seeing my mom in seven weeks and three days (she just counted) and I am so excited! I've been wanting to show somebody what I've learned and where I've lived, and now I finally get to! SEE YOU SOON, MOM!

    Then came Friday, March 1. We didn't have any school because it was Bosnian Independence Day, so instead my church was holding a teen event all day with some friends from Switzerland. Originally we were planning on going to Jajce for my birthday, but some things came up so we had to cancel. I headed over a bit early as the sun was shining and the weather was pleasant and arrived to see some of my favorite faces. The few people who were there early as well sang me a quick happy birthday and I was happy that that happened. It was the first real happy birthday I got.
   Slowly, more people started arriving until the Swiss kids came! Everyone at first mainly stuck to the groups they knew, when the groups started to meld together as we started playing card games. We ended up having a giant game of European UNO and, for those of you who are thinking, "European UNO? How is that even different?" All I can say is that it involved lots of slapping cards and beating people to the figurative punch. Nevertheless, I failed at it and was the key source of laughter. As in I was being made fun of.
    On the bright side of things, I met a French girl and her friend who were both speaking in French! And you can guess my glee when I was able to speak a foreign language and not cower back in fear. They understood me, I understood them, we got along nicely. I just have really missed speaking a language that I speak well.
    Once everyone had arrived, we ate some pizza and then took off to Baščaršija. Selma and I started being a little ridiculous on the way down and it was just fun. I haven't really been my weird, outgoing self here, mainly because most of these people I haven't quite clicked with. But the girls at church and I work well and I have loved the freedom of acting however I want because I know that we're friends because of that. In the past few months I've attended church and known them, I feel like they have learned my little quirks faster than the majority of my friends at school. And I love them for it.
    We then arrived down in Baščaršija, with the sun blinding all of us as we posed for a picture by the Sebilj.

As you can see by my squinted eyes... blinding sun.

Selma and I on the top of the hill.

   After our picture, we headed up a hill (an agonizingly steep hill) where we were offered an absolutely gorgeous view of Sarajevo. It wasn't quite the tallest hill, but it still offered a nice view. However, despite the tall climb, it was fun! I found myself laughing harder at really random things with the girls who were speaking French and some of my older church buddies. Yes, I still complained about going up a hill, but the fact that I was climbing with a bunch of my friends made it okay.

   Once we took our pictures and sang, yet again, happy birthday to one of the Swiss boys (in English, German, French, and Bosnian. How's that for a day of culture?), we headed back down to Baščaršija to walk around freely. Selma and Nadja became my buddies as we linked arms and traipsed down Old Town, giggling at the randomest things, and eventually ended up at BBI. By the time Selma and I got to our first store, my other friend, Rebecca, called me saying that we had to go back to Baščaršija or else we'd be late to meet the group at 6:30.
    So we booked it.

l-r David, Selma, Rahel, me, Jovana, Daniel, and Nadja
 BEFORE we had to run back to the Sebilj.

    We sped walked the entire way there, me losing my breath because I started showing them the "proper" way to speed walk with you elbows up and out and your feet walking in a straight line which caused all of us to lose it. By the time we arrived at the Sebilj, all of us were out of breath from laughing so hard. And early.

    A half hour later, we were back at the church for dinner and then the Teen Alpha Course, where before it started, they were blasting music from Teenstreet which is this big youth conference in Germany in August that thousands of teens from all over Europe go to (much like YC in Canada and Generation Unleashed in America). I didn't know the songs (even if they were in English) or the dance moves that everyone else seemed to know. A few people were sitting around, me being one of them, but the majority of people were singing and dancing around. I was then convinced to join them and follow the dance moves and, I'm not even kidding, it felt like ZUMBA. Just watch and repeat and hope nobody is looking at you. By the end of our impromptu dance party, everyone was laughing and out of breath and all the windows were open to let in the cool night air.
    We eventually all settled down for the Alpha course, where everyone was split into language groups. Bosnian, German, and English. The lesson was good, even if everyone was confused where we were and didn't necessarily know what was happening.
    The night passed and eventually we were all saying good bye and I knew that for all the Swiss people, that was my first and last time seeing them, so the good bye was pretty solid, even if I had several guys try and convince me to come to the next Teenstreet where I had to inform them that I would be starting college and that wouldn't be happening. When the last few of us were waiting to go, David brought up how a "stupid One Direction song" was stuck in his head. Being me, I asked him which one where he then proceeds to sing the one line that he could remember, "that's what makes you beautiful." My entire face beamed as I turned to Selma who then joined me in singing the entire song at the top of our lungs at 10 at night. Nadja, Jovana, and Kat all joined in and soon we were belting the song, doing our own little ad-libs and even Kat changed the lyrics to Bosnian saying something about how girls should know they're beautiful anyway.
    By the time I came home, I was in a great mood. Hanging out with all my friends that day and making new ones simply made me so happy and I couldn't wait for the next teen group to see most of them again.
    I'm just glad that when I leave, I have so many things to come back for. And that's special to me.

   Now we move to Sunday! Sunday was my birthday party day as SHAKE + Irfan headed up to Zmajevac, a really pretty spot up on the mountain that overlooks all of Sarajevo, but not before Nizama timed out the arrival of the girls so we could have lunch before we headed out. We had pita and hot chocolate (weird... but that's what we ate) and we gathered everything up and headed to the hills.
    The walk to Zmajevac wasn't too bad. Yes, it was mainly up hill and it took about a half hour to get there. But it was still fun hanging out and walking with SHAKE and Irfan. True, Irfan and I complained the majority of the walk, saying we were both tired and didn't want to move, but both of us eventually got there while SHEA was perfectly intact. That's cool, guys.
    The view from Zmajevac was gorgeous as we stopped for a snack break. After awhile, we then began the climb to Barice. Barice would have been a fairly easy and fast climb if we left from our house. But because we decided to go to Zmajevac first, the walk was long. And tremendously uphill. Helena and I at one point ended up singing old songs from musicals, driving Irfan up a wall and we stopped to pet dogs on several occasions.
    What felt like hours later, we arrived at Barice which was at the very top of the mountain. Sadly, we couldn't see all of Sarajevo due to the smog. We settled down for some sandwiches, oranges, and water and just chatted simply as everyone rested.
    Once everyone felt good to go again, we headed down the steep and rocky hill to home. I didn't realize how close Barice was to my house, but it was ridiculously close.
    Upon arrival, Nizama had food ready for us as we set down for dinner of musaka (I am 90% sure that is what it's called...) and we then headed up for a movie.
    Except we didn't exactly watch a movie right away. At first, we were just bumming around my room, talking and eating the American snacks that Emma brought (Goldfish crackers, Froot Loops, and Reese's Mini Peanut Butter cups. THANK YOU EMMA, I LOVE YOU). But then Savannah asked Emma to toss her a Fruit Loop into her mouth and then the game was started! Emma switched places with Anna who threw us Fruit Loops one by one. If you caught the first, another was thrown until you didn't catch it, where the thrower would then move on to the next person. I won with a max of six in a row.
    After presents (a scarf, purse, and ring from my lovely ladies. LOVE YOU ALL! LOVE THE GIFTS!) we then settled on my bed to watch a movie where Emma and Anna fell asleep. When the movie was over, we had a quick piece of cake before they decided it was best that they head off because we had school in the morning.

    All-in-all, these past few days have been awesome. I think I've just had a bad case of winter blues along with a bit of senioritis, but lately, my motivation is up and I've just been in a really good mood.

    Anyway, sorry for the really long post. But that's been my life for the past week and a half.

   Until more sun and happiness,
-Katie

P.S. This time, last year, I wrote my first blog post. It's weird to see how far I've come from freaking out about the IPSE and NSLI-Y. I mean, now I'm here.
P.P.S. Remember to follow me on Twitter @KateWells7 !