See ya.

So it's been awhile! And this is my last post.

I know I haven't been good about keeping up with my blog. Part of it is due to my crazy life of work, school, friends and family. But a bigger part of it is because I'm trying to slowly kill off of my online presence.

These days it's all about being someone online, whether it's the true you or someone you want to be, and I'm getting tired of it. I used to post photos on Facebook, but stopped after the summer because I realized how many things I have out in cyberspace, and was alarmed by how much I didn't care about my lack of privacy.

I'm also doing it for my sanity and my eyes and neck. I sit in front of a screen for at least 80% of the time I'm awake. Some nights I even lay awake and check my phone in the middle of the night. And I'm no expert on sleep habits, but I'm almost certain that my phone and all the screen time are contributing to my changed sleep patterns. I rarely sleep through a whole night anymore.

In short, I'm slowly walking away from Facebook. I've stopped my tweeting almost completely. I now have a smart phone, so I am on Instagram and Snapchat, but only a selected few can see my posts. I turn my phone on "do not disturb" mode every night at 10.

I've even started sending my friends letters in the mail. Reading is my new way to kill time. And I even began keeping a daily journal just to get a break from the screens.

And so yes, I'm ditching the blog world.

So sorry to whoever is still reading this, but this is my official goodbye!

From NYE magic to a working reality

The end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 was nothing short of magical for me. It all began with a 3 AM ambush from two of the gooniest kids I know. I was abruptly awakened in the middle of a deep sleep with a blinding light and "aw look, her dumb phone is next to her," then two bodies body slammed me in my pile of blankets and pillows. I knew those two voices and jokesters, Mike and Hayden. They just arrived at my cousin Mitch's house, and couldn't help but hassle me the second they arrived. Figures.

This set the scene for the rest of our trip. From Stillwater, Mitch, Hayden, Mike and I loaded up the toaster the next morning and were Milwaukee bound to Mitch's friend Nina's house. 5 long hours of driving across Wisconsin later, we got there in one piece, and the festivities began. Long story short, after getting to the Riverside Theater in downtown Milwaukee to see our favorite band Trampled by Turtles, we all had a great time. We struggled to find seats at first, but made it to the front by the end of 2013.

At roughly 11:30, we were down there, and all jammed together until TBT ripped through their last song of 2013, "Alone." During that song, I reflected on what a killer year we all had, although we all experienced our fair share of rocky times. It was a year of change, good and bad. I've made some friends who I know will be in my life forever. My family went through a storm in early autumn, but things are looking up. I got hired at Kohler Co., and actually just finished my first day (so exhausted but excited too!).

Then TBT took a moment as confetti and balloons cascaded down upon us. 2013 was gone as fast as it appeared. What a year. Hugs all around, then they dove right into a knee slapping tune that sent all of our spirits to the ceiling and hopes high for the year to come.

Ringing in 2014 (photo by Adjomi Creative)

And here I am on my couch in my new house in Sheboygan as the wind brings the temps down to -45 outside. Crazy, but overall this job seems like it'll be a really good experience. I'm already meeting some really cool people and scoped out some pretty gnarly ski trails. Hoping for warmer weather now!

Happy 2014, may we all kill it as hard as we did in 2013. Peace&blessings.