Intentions for 2020: Free time, friends and finances

Wow, it has been a whirlwind the last few weeks. Between work (and pulling some extra hours here and there), school and life, I feel like I blinked and November was over.

Quick updates? I kicked butt on my endocrine module exams, did pretty well on my ENT exam, and now need to survive one more Big 3 exam (dermatology, yikes) and a couple smaller exams before I can finally take a much-needed break. Almost there!!

The end of the year is fast approaching, and I'm a big fan of reflecting on how the previous year went. And wow, it has been a whirlwind year! If I think about how I thought 2019 would go in January, it definitely looks a lot different here in December. Yes, I started the year knowing I was going to PA school, but I ended up taking a spot at a different school and starting three months earlier. I left my dietitian job at a hospital I loved (I miss my dietitian, nurse, NP and doctors friends so much!). I moved into a tiny studio apartment on "fraternity row" for three months and actually loved small living. I helped to dissect an entire cadaver. I learned a ton over the summer and made some amazing friends. Moved back home, started a brand new job that has challenged me and made me grow. I've transitioned into life as a distance education student. I'm almost two semesters of didactic down with three to go!

So here I am at the end of 2019 just in awe of how much I've learned and grown and changed. I am tired, but I am happy.

Now what about 2020? I've decided to set a few intentions for the year:

Start using my planner more consistently to keep myself organized
Stop spending needlessly
Continue to prioritize school first and do the best I can
Continue to work on finding balance and making time to take care of myself

PA school has been an amazing ride so far. It has definitely challenged me in ways I didn't expect; I knew I was going to be busy but, my gosh, this is a whole new level of busy. When I think about how much I'm studying it almost makes me laugh. But I've made some time for me and for friends, so I'm proud that I've found at least some balance. It's a work in progress!

Well, I hope you all had a very successful 2019! Cheers to a wonderful 2020.

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