Have no fear, I am back! First off, let me apologize for not posting sooner. My summer has gone by so quickly and there are some days where I barely get any time for myself. When I do, I usually am sitting outside with a book, watching a movie, or sleeping. (It's a pretty exciting life, let me tell you.)
As I'm sure you figured out (and are probably not surprised by), my summer has been busy. I was home for about a week after classes ended before I went on a five day trip with friends from school to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We had an absolutely wonderful time together and it was the perfect way to start off the summer. We saw basically everything that you can in Rapid City and made the most of our trip! It was so much fun to be with everyone on a road trip and I am just reminded how crazy lucky I am to have such amazing friends. Even with the bumps in the plan (getting stuck in traffic at 5 in the morning, a gloomy day ruining our kayaking, or figuring out appropriate sleeping arrangements) we all had a really great time! Next year we may go to New Orleans for a week or so and that would be a blast! I can't wait!
Right before I left for the Black Hills, though, my grandma was in the ER. My aunt asked if I would be able to help take my grandma to her doctor's appointment and I agreed, assuming that it was only going to be a few hours in the morning. However, that was not the case as they begun to run tests on her. (Now, I need to take a step back here for a few reasons. First of all, I hate hospitals, doctors, needles, blood, really anything in that general area. So I was really uncomfortable being in the hospital because it makes me so anxious and I have been told that I tend to become very pale in hospital settings. Second of all, I don't want to bore you with all of the medical stuff because I don't know enough and I don't want to confuse anyone. Third of all, her doctor struck a chord with me and my aunt (who also came to the doctor's appointment) and the more I reflect back on him, makes me furious because I personally don't think that he knew what he was talking about and what he did tell us resulted in unnecessary panic attacks. She switched doctors, to say the least.) Grandma moved from her doctor's office to the ER to the ICU and we were at the hospital for 10 hours that day. My grandma stayed there for the next two weeks (I may be wrong about that, but it was a long time) and then she was moved to a rehab center for the next month. She has come since then and is making progress every day, but there are still obstacles. My grandpa isn't as much help as we need him to be, but some days he surprises us. We are all doing the best that we can to help them out, but there's a lot going on with them and everyone is getting worn down. (Please don't get me, I love my grandparents. I love them so very much and they have shaped me into the person I am today. Watching them struggle or not comprehend stuff is hard and it takes a toll. I just try to keep my head up and let them know how much I adore them and how thankful I am that they are a big part of my life.)
In addition to helping out with my grandparents, I also am working a lot. I nanny during the day and then go work retail in the evenings (working about 50 hours a week). Some days are better than others, to say the least. There are days when the kiddos definitely give me a run for my money and I am very happy to be done for the day, but there are some days where I feel like I blink and it's time for me to go home. Unfortunately this means that I am hardly home, but I try my best to see my family when I can.
I have also started running two miles a day and usually going on long walks, too. I have recently realized how important it is to exercise and how much better I feel when I go run! It honestly clears my head up and I feel so much better when I come back. I mean, there are moments when my alarm goes off and I groan, but I do it anyway. I'm not really sure why I started running, but I like to tell myself that it's good for me. (Remember, I've never been an athlete or a strong runner, so this is a big deal.)
Oh my goodness, I'm sure that I have probably just put all of you asleep by now as you're reading my ranting or rambling. Believe me, this was not how my post was supposed to go! Oh well, I guess. On the bright side, I have read a lot of books this summer. Some of them have been AMAZING and some of them have been bleh. I'm currently looking for another book to read, so any suggestions would be appreciated. (By the way, I usually read a book every two days or so. So that kind of explains why I am in need of new stuff.)
I hope all of you are having nice summers! Go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather (unless it is as humid as it is here, then go hide)!
Love,
Katie
