january, february, & march highlights, ft. a tiny vlog || getting my driver's license, turning 18, + ALSO starting college???

HAPPY SUNDAY, DRAGON-FRIEND!

I fell off the blogging horse sometime last year, and in the process of heaving myself back on, I keep falling off. (Which I'm taking measures to fix. But more on that on Wednesday. 😉) January went by with a heave! and a ho! and a solid 5 posts!!!! (Let's do that AGAIN!) Aaaand February came about with 0 (????) posts and ALSO me looking for my metaphorical saddle, which I started to dust off in March and am currently working to prep and put back together.

In other words, THIS POST IS VERY LATE. (I'm still working on that saddle!) I don't expect my posting schedule to turn as wackadoodle as last year, because I LOVE blogging. But I'm still learning how to make time for it. So please excuse this rush-job of a post... and then tell me how your past couple months have been! 😘

    // life in january

➸ I auditioned for my campus's production of Alice in Wonderland and was cast as the Cheshire Cat "master puppeteer" (technically, the title was "lead cat," but since Mr. Cheshire was a GIANT puppet that took up nearly half the stage, "master puppeteer" sounds so much more accurate + epic)

➸ I finished my 7th semester of high school (I. HAVE. ONE. LEFT. NOW. *cue screaming*)

➸ I STARTED MY FIRST COLLEGE CLASS?!! (It's Speech and it's SO HARD but SO WORTH IT.) 

    // life in february

➸ I took my driving exam and was super terrified but I PASSED!!!!

➸ I started leading the women's Bible study at church (!!!!). We're reading Uninvited (book + study guide) by Lysa TerKeurst, which is a majorly personal study but also something I'm super passionate about, so I'm SO pumped I get to lead it!

➸ I gave my first speech (which was legit only 1 minute but I DID IT)

➸ Lots of school. (Too much school.)

➸ Lots of rehearsals for Alice.

➸ Lots of sleep deprivation.

➸ It's 110% a mystery I did not get sick.

    // life in march

➸ I got to meet up with a couple other people from church to plan our congregation's Youth Meeting (spoiler alert: I'm super happy about how this is starting to come together! And yes, I'm totally going to type up a post about it as the date approaches. Mark your calendar for July 31 - August 4, 2019, if you think you can make it!)

➸ My grandpa came to visit!

➸ Alice performances happened!

➸ We had our second council for the Youth Meeting! (I deemed them "councils" because "meeting meeting" sounds WAY TOO COMPLICATED)

➸ Saint Patrick's Day happened without anything special in particular but it just felt generally lovely 😊🍀

➸ SPRING BREAAAK, ft. a week-long trip to Morro Bay + San Luis Obispo with the Bestie™'s family (but without the Bestie™ because college is cruel and gave her school a different spring break from the rest of ussss 😭😭😭)

➸ I turned 18??!!?! My fam + the Bestie™'s fam spent the day at the beach (where I took a loooong, chill nap 🌛), eating rolled ice cream (my first time! HAZELNUT ROLLED ICE CREAM IS MY NEW FAVORITE THING), and inhaling eating vegan doughnuts (again, HAZELNUT = 😍😍😍)

➸ I MADE A VLOG FOR YOU! I saw Sarah @ The Introverted Extrovert do this last month and I LOVED THE IDEA, so I decided to carry my camera close for March. The video is super shaky but I LOVE IT AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU 💕Here you goooo:

    // moments

➸ Our dusty brown chaparrals rose into a full, vibrant green so gorgeous that the drive to church felt like I was driving through the Irish countryside (I. LOVED. IT. 😍🌿😍🌿 but the green is gone now & I miss it so muuuch)

➸ Driving east for a Youth Meeting council on a stormy morning, watching low-hanging clouds and high fog pierce the hills, and just thinking, I wish every day could be as enchanting as this

➸ Almost falling asleep offstage during tech rehearsals

➸ 5yo cousin: I START KINDERGARDEN NEXT MONTH AND I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

➸ 5yo cousin: OLIVIA???!

      Me: Yes?

      5yo cousin: I LOVE YOUUU

➸ Discovering that bathing my dog in tomato juice = a fun experience for, lol, NEITHER ONE OF US (she got sprayed by a skunk 😂😂😂)

➸ Waking up in the morning under super soft blankets, hair damp from last night's shower, dogs sound asleep at the foot of my bed 💗💗💗

    // fav reads

➸ To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han // ★★★★☆ // Surprisingly different from the movie, but ADORABLE NONETHELESS (also I CANNOT WAIT to read + watch P.S. I Still Love You)

➸ Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse // ★★★★★ // My first read of Morgan's and IT WAS SO AMAZING???? I don't think I've ever anticipated a book as much as I'm anticipating its sequel??????? 😍😍😍😍😍 (I'M OBSESSED NOW)

➸ The Moon Master's Ball by Clara Diane Thompson // ★★★★★ // Yes, I read this last spring buT DOES THAT MATTER? NOPE BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS DARLING

    // april goals

➸ Focus on school + getting ahead

➸ Write speech no. 3

➸ Prep May's blog posts

➸ Conquer Camp NaNo [reach 20k on Ignis]

➸ Tidy my room (it's a ridiculous mess in desperate need of some massive reorganization 🙈)

➸ Take more moments to read + breathe ✌️

And that about sums up my January - March. (JUST KIDDING, I probably forgot 1 million + 1 details but details 🤷)

how was your end of winter and start of spring, dragon-friend? what did you do?