I feel like such a big-girl right now – in more ways than one. Let me explain.

1) I have one quarter left of my freshman year at Cal Poly SLO! Where, oh where did the time go?

No, but really. To give you a comparison - if the first quarter went by as fast as Usain Bolt, then the second quarter went by faster than Usain Bolt with 3 quarts of coffee in his system and lightning bolts for legs (wait, is that where he got his name?).

2) I’m currently on the train back up to school… BY MYSELF.

Yupp, you heard me. “Bye mom! Bye dad! I got this – I’ll text you when I get to my dorm. Love you!” she said, turning her back to hop on the train as the doors closed behind her, and not long after, tripping over her sandals, rolling her own suitcase over her own toes, and (almost) losing her boarding pass. But we’re all good! I got my shiz together and walked up the tiny staircase, took my seat – which is by the window (thank you, Jesus/mom for booking the ticket), and now I’m relaxing.

Please, everyone, try to relate to me on this one.

3) I’m now (at least) one size bigger in all my clothing – shorts, shirts, bras, undies, everything.

Hashtag hungry. All the time. I mean, I can’t complain. Seriously, I’m actually pretty proud of this one. When I started my fitness journey almost 3 years ago, I lost a ton (about 30 lbs. to exact – read more about that in another post later) of weight, then gained some back, then lost it again during track season about 9 months ago. I’ve been working on my eating habits – adding more variety (hello, vegetarianism!), increasing my fat/protein intake, and switching up my workouts – aka less cardio and more weights.
Needless to say, all that work has been, well, working. Yesterday morning, before heading to the beach, I slipped – wait, wrong word – pulled/squeezed/sucked-myself-into one of my favorite pairs of shorts. Or, better yet, tried to. I couldn’t button them, so I recited every girl’s morning routine to get skinny jeans on – suck everything in, do a few super-deep squats, lift your leg like a peeing-dog, and you should be set. Except, I wasn’t. That stubborn button was still very much a stubborn button. So, in came the new shorts.

Whatevs. A few pounds won’t stop me.

All in all, spring break was freaking awesome.

I visited UC Berkeley and the surrounding area, and realized that what I had been told about the school during the college-application process (and what turned me off to the idea of applying there) was inaccurate.

In case you have been told the same as I was: No – UC Berkeley is not in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually in the middle of an eclectic, colorful, architecturally-amazing, densely-populated city.
Go Berkeley. You’re awesome.

Walked up many, many stairs to see this. So worth it.

I went to Mammoth with my parents and some of our super-close, super-hilarious family friends. Let me tell you – it was absolutely beautiful. And a blast.

We hiked/rock-climbed/miraculously made our way up to a tiny cave that we could spot from our living room window, and then slid/avalanched/got tiny porcupine plants in our butts on the way down.
We made a snowman, whom, within about 3 hours, began to lean and lose his Swedish-fish-smile and Cheez-it-buttons to little hungry creatures.
We drank hot cider. I tried not chug mine – it was that good. #selfcontrol
We played Rummy Cube, 20 Questions, checkers, and kind of made fun of each other a lot. It’s what we do.

I applied for jobs to keep myself busy this summer, and to be around more food. I feel a little spoiled working at Bliss Wholesome Café right now, because there’s just no place like it anywhere else. Fresh juices, 100%-vegan dishes and desserts, locally brewed kombucha, and extremely happy, smiley, encouraging co-workers who have become more like friends are what set high standards for what I look for in a workplace in Chino Hills.

I reminisced on my favorite part of senior year at my high school’s track meet (in blazing hot weather, might I add). My heart still beats faster than a hummingbird’s wings when the 800m runners are called to get set on the track, and my legs still quiver a little bit when the starting-gun goes off – whether I’m racing or watching. However, I must say, that’s one of the best, most rewarding, stomach-in-your-throat feelings I’ve ever experienced. And yes, I miss running. Call me crazy.

I made time for a trip to the beach with two great friends. And totally did not put sunscreen on. And totally got burnt. And totally ate too much ice cream. But it was still totally, totally fun.

By far probably the best spring break I’ve ever been blessed enough to have. Thanks, everyone who helped make it so cool.

Side note: it’s when I finish writing posts like these when I can especially see just how truly amazing God is.

So, how was your spring break? I’d love to hear about it! Comment, email, whatever!

Thanks for reading :)