Yesterday was January 30th and perfect in almost every way.

I probably would have changed that sentence to read “perfect in every way” had I not spent ~6 hours of my Saturday hanging out with mice, but c’est la vie, I did and unless time travel becomes a thing soon then there’s nothing I can do to change that. I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure to get shit done. Now, almost all of this pressure comes from within, from my own personal desire to achieve results and to do my best work.

Something my sister Anna is constantly reminding me of is that no one will tell me when to go home <—I’m working on this

But I also had some very unexpected news this week which prompted me to spend a few extra hours in the lab. You see, on Wednesday I heard from the University of Colorado Medical School that I am invited to interview for their program (eek!). TOTALLY unexpected, especially since two short weeks ago I posted about how I was taking back control of my self-worth from the very same medical school admissions boards. I feel like this is God’s way of saying, “Hold up – you’re not quite done with that uncertainty yet”.

I must admit I am nervous, but also very excited – I get to be in Colorado in two weeks! The funny thing is that they originally scheduled me for this upcoming Friday February 5th…. Two of my best friends, plus Anna, are traveling from Denver -> Atlanta for my 24th birthday. So LOL, they would be in GA and I would be in CO. Thankfully I’ve switched the day and will be gracing the mountains with my presence the following week. The birthday shenanigans can continue – Cheers.

Anyways, I’m taking a couple of days off in the very near future so I figured it would be good for my sanity if I spent a few extra hours doing science. Even better for my sanity was that I managed to finish everything mid-afternoon with enough time for a run on the Atlanta Beltline.

Now, the Beltline is probably one of my favorite places in this city. It’s an old railway line that has been transformed into a walking, running, biking, yoga-ing, skateboarding, anything outside path. There are parks, restaurants, and tons of art that line the trail. Yesterday was beautiful so everyone and their mom was out on the beltline rendering it a little bit interesting at times as I was trying to dodge bikes, kids on scooters, dogs, and people taking up the entire sidewalk. On the bright side – it added brief moments of rest to the run and kept me on my toes. Oh, and I got to do a ton of excellent people-watching. Win win win.

I love having the ability to get out and discover my new city. I love that I now have favorite places, favorite coffee shops, favorite restaurants, favorite bars. To more sunny and 65 afternoons, unexpected surprises, hanging with loads of strangers and extra hours at work, because these moments shape us and mold us whether we think they are or not.

*Side note – I’ve challenged myself to read 20 books this year and I’ve just finished my first one (I know… I have to pick up the pace), but I’m looking for suggestions! My latest read was Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen. It’s about the Rocky Flats plutonium trigger manufacturing plant in Aurora, Colorado – super interesting and I fully recommend it.