Why, hello there, beautiful people! So, let's cut to the chase—I took an unannounced (and unintentional) blogging break since coming back from Labor Day weekend, and I can't promise to be around as much either. Unlike in the past, things are somewhat harder to control. This time, it's no longer a matter of taking a breather because of writer's block, but something else more important.
It's quite impossible to miss out on the reasons why, especially if you're following me on Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. To say that the last three weeks have been a blur is literally an understatement. I wouldn't be able to give you a blow-by-blow account of what happened in those three weeks, but I could try to share this month's highlights:
Back-to-School
One of the two things I can't seem to shut up about this month? Going back to school. As part of my performance review at work, my supervisor endorsed me to take classes to help my career as a Technical Writer. For those who've been wondering, I'm currently under the Professional Certificate Program in Technical Communication at the University of California – San Diego Extension. The class I enrolled in this fall quarter is only an online class, but two weeks into the program is proving to be just as tough as a face-to-face classroom setup. I hope to complete the program by next year, so I'll be needing a lot of energy and luck!
Since I graduated from college and worked in a publishing company, I've been hoping for a chance like this—to work and take further training to learn more. I'm not entitled to this kind of opportunity, but I knew that if I were presented with a possibility, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
I value education, and I'm passionate about it and the career for which it's preparing me, so it doesn't have to feel like work. It should be more than just doing the assignments and clocking in hours because it helps enrich my mind and advance in my career. Both Roan and I have the same mentality, so it helps that he's supportive of me on this regard, too.
Garnet Red Tintcoat with Black Stripes
PigeonThe other thing I kept talking (or posting on Snapchat) about is my new sports car—a 6th generation Chevrolet Camaro 2SS. The weeks leading up to our Labor Day weekend trip to Nevada (which I have yet to recap, by the way), Roan and I had been talking about getting another car. If you will remember, about the same time last year, Roan traded his 5th generation Camaro to an SUV. I never really got a chance to drive it that much since Roan and I are literally together 24/7.
If it weren't financially feasible, we wouldn't have even entertained the idea at all. We made several trips to different dealerships to test-drive some cars, and you know what's funny? The Camaro wasn't even in my top 3 options, and somehow, I ended up with one. Clearly, my decision was influenced by my husband, and I'm not even mad about it. On our way home from Nevada, we drove straight to the dealership to make and close a deal.
I'm one of those who name their gadgets like they would their favorite stuffed toy, and it took me a while to figure out what to call my car. A blogger friend (hi, Rej!) suggested that I list down character names in my favorite books, movies, or TV shows, and the first thing that came to mind was Abigail "Abby" Abernathy from the book, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Travis Maddox, Abby's boyfriend-turned-husband (oops, spoiler alert!), called her Pigeon or Pidge as a term of endearment. It's not the most appealing (nor the coolest) name to give a car, but I think otherwise.
That's basically how my September went down. I'm still trying to find balance between work and school, and in order to squeeze in some personal time to blog or read for leisure, I must figure out my rhythm. I'm not throwing false hopes here, but I do have a couple of blog posts, including more travel diaries coming your way, so please stick around!
Travel Diary: Woodland Park Zoo