January is both flying by and dragging on. On the one hand, I've been busy and things are happening, and I feel amazed that it's already going to be February. On the other hand, I'll think about an event and say, "That was so very, very long ago!" And then I realize, it's only been three weeks. Which does not sound as long as it feels. For instance, three weeks ago, I handed in two job applications, just to see what would happen. The hosting job for the animal show responded fairly quickly with a blanket email telling people, "If you haven't received a phone call, sorry!" And I hadn't. But the World Renowned Zoo job responded yesterday, leaving me with a, "You passed the first round, but we also might never contact you again," type of response. I'm surprised I heard anything, to be honest! I have no idea if anything will come of it, and I am having weird mixed feelings of, "Please call me!" and "But not until August!" Because, dude, I have things going on.

For instance! I found out that I do not, in fact, have to repeat the class I got a D+ in. That means I will be graduating in June, and officially completing the last of my graduating units in July.

To complicate matters, I've decided I want to complete them in Australia!!! I'm doing everything I can to make that happen. Any finger crossing you wish to do on my behalf will be forever appreciated! I've seriously wanted to study abroad since I first entered high school, and that was ten years ago. This is my last chance, so I'm going for it! And I honestly do not think it would be possible to be more excited about it than I am. I'm holding back a little bit, because I want to have the, "Yes, you're in and 100% approved to go!" letter in my hot little hands before screaming with glee. But once I do, it'll be the scream heard 'round the world. I'll get to Australia, and I'll scream again with glee, and the Aussies will be all, "Hey, it's you!" Heh.

Anyway. Other notable events from January...

On January 2, my lovely and wonderful friend, Misti, came to visit me! She stayed a few days, and we had a very nice time together, as always. It was a different kind of vacation, though. For one, the audition tape (for the host of the animal show) was foremost on my mind, and Misti had kindly agreed to be my videographer. The project took a bit longer than I thought it would, so we didn't end up doing anything we'd planned. But we did a lot of videotaping! Secondly, Joe was still recovering from a nasty cold, and then Misti caught it.

So, we spent some time taking preventative measures against illness like relaxing at home and eating oranges and stuff. We got to take lots of nice walks, go shopping at the mall and grocery store, and we even tried out a new recipe together. I love cooking with Misti, and then enjoying our delicious meals together! It was so much fun! I loved having her here, and am so glad we got to spend time together.

I ended up slacking on Holidailies, which I think was obvious. Sorry about that! I'm starting to think I'm just not a daily updating kind of girl. (I absolutely will be in Australia, though!) I'm slightly bummed I didn't stick with it, but at the same time, eh, sometimes goals aren't reached, and it's totally okay.

Especially since my fitness goals are going well! I've already walked over 60 miles this year, and I just keep trying to plug along. I'm working on it! I am trying to get better and better about walking consistently, and I'm doing okay. I'm also doing a good job this week of staying away from junk food, eating healthy snacks between meals, and eating good portions. I'm eating more fruits and veggies. It's only really been since Monday, but hey, I'll take it! I really am taking it just one day at a time, reminding myself at each meal to choose healthy options. And it's working just fine! The big motivator was eating a meal from McDonald's on Sunday that left me feeling just gross and unhealthy for the rest of the day. So, no more of that! And so far, so good, with the healthy habits.

Also cool was that this past Saturday, I went hiking with strangers from the internet! It was really fun! We hiked the hills of Peters Canyon around a resevoir. It was really beautiful, and I loved being out in nature again. It was about four and a half miles, which was tiring, in a good way. The only sucky thing is that I got terribly sore muscles in my foot, and it took a few days of taking it easy to recover. I was limping around work. What a sad sight! But now I'm all healed, and have made a mental note to go buy new sneakers! Support is a good thing. In many different ways. Including arches.

After the hike, I was able to meet up with my wonderful friend, Arianne, for lunch. We had tasty meals at California Pizza Kitchen and great conversation. So fun!

In other news, school is going well. I've gotten acquainted with my research lab partners (the lab for childhood anxiety disorders) through a few crazy rounds of King's Cup. I didn't drink too much, though, which was good, since I had to work the next day! I had fun getting to know them. So far, the research itself is pretty fun. I haven't spent time with any kids yet, but I have been transcribing their interviews, and man, kids say some funny stuff. I'll be typing and laughing, and I'm like, the only one! Maybe this particular kid is just funnier than the others, who knows! But I'm having a good time, and look forward to helping with actual kid-care soon.

I very much love my classes this quarter! The research counts for enough units that I only need to take 2 Psych classes, which are Cognitive Psych and Personality. Fascinating stuff! I may write more about it later. I'm learning a bunch of amazing things I've never even thought about before. I love my major.

And... I think that mostly sums up January, so far! Have a nice weekend, everyone!