"My shit's so lit, we ain't ever gonna quit."

Hey there,

This blog post is a little different than my usual posts, as I am going to speak mostly on my professional career and not much regarding my social life or mental health.

Not much to report. I've been pushing my way through school and doing the work thing too. It's been a weird couple of months; I have come to the realization that I have been viewing my career in the wrong lens. It has become very clear to me that I am not going to achieve what I want to by waiting for my job to see my worth, which has screwed me over time and time again. Instead, I am shifting my focus and prioritizing school. The way I am starting to see it is, I am a full-time graduate student and have a source of income on the side to support me through it. School has shown me numerous times that I have worth and can be very successful if I put all of myself into it. I started this semester in a slump and was still prioritizing work over everything. Before I knew it, my grade had plummeted to a 41%. I told myself that if I failed the class, it was time to drop out for good, but if I could pass and pull it off, I would finish the degree. In four weeks, I brought my grade up to an 80% and ended up passing the class. To top it all off, I have been invited to join the honor society, which is something that did not happen to me during undergrad. The realization that school should be more important that work has made me feel very empowered. I am starting to practice healthy boundaries and not put more of myself than is expected to maintain an income. I can't wait for next May when I am done with school and get to jump into a functional, professional setting.

As far as my mental health, I've been better, but I've also been worse. We haven't been adjusting my meds at all, which has been a really nice break from instability. I am still gaining weight (a side effect of the Seroquel, which in turn has screwed with my eating habits and lifestyle) and am feeling a lot of fatigue, but I'm alive and I'm not completely miserable, so I'd say that's a win. I am working on quitting smoking right now, and it is proving to be very difficult but progress is being made.

I took a quick trip with my grandma to Montana this past weekend. We stayed in a hotel that was built in 1882 that was right on the Missouri River. It was amazing. We were visiting my aunt and cousins, who I don't get to see very often. I enjoyed the time with them and hope we can do more things like that so we can see each other more. Time with them is always time well spent.

The dogs are doing well and my parents are coming to visit this weekend. I'm looking forward to some quality time with them, and I'm sure they're looking forward to getting away from the west side of the state, as it is quickly shutting down. Spokane is doing pretty well, but we are out of toilet paper too.

I hope things are going well with you, reader, and that you are staying positive in this awful world,

Ashley

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the policy or position of the agency in which the individual is employed




I don't have a bunch of pics to post this time. But here's one of me just doing my own thing.