I cannot believe it’s already the first day of my junior year of college! It feels like just yesterday I was anxious and excited to move into my dorm room and meet my roomie for the first time. Thanks to my Google Photo Memories, I was reminded that two years ago this week I attended a Colorado Rockies baseball game in downtown Denver as part of freshman orientation, and one year ago I got to play my university’s carillon in the bell tower (aka “The Golden Nipple”—if you know, you know) and was asking the tall boys from down the hall to help my suitemates and me hang our string lights. Boy, time sure flies.

Obviously, the start of junior year is looking very different than past years. I’ve been extremely absent from the blogging world the last week and a half because A) I was busy packing, driving, and moving into my first real apartment and B) I didn’t have the wifi set up ‘til Thursday of last week (the struggle). So I’m super sorry if I haven’t gotten to your comments or new posts yet—I plan on spending this week catching up!

Unlike high school, where junior year is kind of dreaded as being the “hardest”—what with AP classes and standardized tests and all—junior year of college was supposed to be the best. Why? Because I was finally going to get the chance to study abroad! I’ve always been pretty indecisive about big plans—I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to study, or what I want to do once I graduate. But study abroad? That’s the one thing in my life I’ve always wanted to do, since I found out it exists. In fact, it was a major factor in choosing the university I attend.

So you can imagine my disappointment when my semester abroad was cancelled due to the pandemic back in June. I was *this* close to doing something I’ve been looking forward to for years and years. I was supposed to attend the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and I had already done a ton of research on the town/school activities and had even picked most of my classes. One was a course about Scotland’s archaeology which involved two field trip days around the country. Another was a stained-glass class where I would learn to make my own art at their prestigious art school. I even had the opportunity to take a bagpiping course! How cool is that?

While I’m not in Scotland right now like I was supposed to be, I’m hoping to study abroad the fall of my senior year instead, or, if worst comes to worst, get a job abroad after graduation.

I was worried I would dread coming back to school this year, for obvious reasons, but I’m happy to report that I actually feel excited again. If you had asked me a month ago if I was looking forward to the start of classes, I would have said no, which is very uncharacteristic of me. But now, I feel excited to be living in my new apartment. I’m excited for my twinkle lights and the tiny orchid my aunt bought me and my card collection hanging on the wall (by the way—a room tour is coming soon). And I’m excited for quiet nights in with my roommate, playing Mario Kart on the Wii and eating ice cream.

I’m also really looking forward to outdoor, Covid-safe Colorado adventures. Maybe it’s not Scotland, but Colorful Colorado has a lot to offer, to say the least. And I’m very grateful to be able to spend this extra time with my friends and family here in Denver. Even on the worst days, there is still so much for which to be thankful, and that’s one really good reminder that has stemmed from this pandemic.

So yah, this school year is going to be completely weird and different and not at all what I expected. But I’m going to do my best to make the most of it. It just takes a little creativity, right? When I think back to memories and look at photos of college from pre-pandemic life, I admittedly feel very sad about what my college experience has become. But, as a positive spin, it also makes me feel so grateful for the experiences I did have! Online and socially distanced life will always feel abnormal, but I can work to make lasting memories all the same. Some day I’ll look back on this craziness and laugh, right? At least, that’s what I keep telling myself…

And with that, I’ll finish today’s post by talking about my outfit! I wore this outfit on my first day of freshman year (see below on the left). This pic was shot by a girl who lived on my floor and was taken right before my 8 am class, Intermediate Spanish. I picked this outfit for no particular reason, other than that I wanted to “dress to impress” for my first day of college. Little did I know that I would decide to keep the tradition alive and wear the same look on the first day of sophomore year, too (see below on the right). My hair was longer and in braids by sophomore year, and you may notice that I wore the wrong shoes! Or I guess, the right shoes, since I decided to wear the beige sparkly flats for my first day of junior year as well. I’m wearing this outfit RIGHT NOW, with the addition of a mask (gotta keep history accurate), and you can see this year’s photo down below as well. I just took it during my lunch break!

Anyways, this blog post, my blog in general, and my entire brain is all over the place right now. But thanks for staying with me! I missed blogging and talking with all you these last few weeks, and I hope your Monday is off to a great start. As always, thanks for reading.

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace

 

Green Striped Tee: Down East Style, $18, last worn here | Olive Green Skirt: Down East Style, $30, last worn here | Beige Sparkly Flats: Nordstrom Rack, $40, last worn here | Rust-Colored Clutch: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here