Back To Wisconsin

Many of you will read the title of this post and think, "What? You're back already?"  I thought the same thing when I made my decision to move back to Wisconsin.  I felt silly for changing my mind so quickly, and it honestly made me want to hide under a rock until everyone forgot I had moved in the first place.  A few people helped me realize that it is okay to change plans (again) and that it is better to move back now rather than halfway through the semester when it is too late to make alternate arrangements.  But let me explain.

There are multiple reasons why I decided Bergin is not the right place for me right now.  As much as I love dogs, I don't know for sure that I want to limit my career to only working with dogs.  Because of this, I decided it would be better to get a more general major first and perhaps get a training certificate later on to give me more career options throughout my life.  The other reasons are slightly more personal, so I won't get into that.  I am happy with my decision to move back home even though I already miss California and can't wait to go there again someday.

The next most common question I have been getting (after "why?") is "what's next?"  I am headed back to UW-River Falls next week to start my junior year.  I am lucky enough to get to participate in ADEPT again this year!  I found a place in town that is even letting me house one of the ADEPT dogs.  I changed my major to Creative Writing and will be minoring in Professional Writing.  I have always enjoyed writing (I was that weird kid who did all their English homework first because I thought it was fun), so it is only fair for me to chase my other passion for awhile.  I don't know exactly what I want my career to look like yet, but I still have time.  I imagine I would enjoy freelance writing or maybe even writing a column for a newspaper.  I still want dogs to be a part of my life, so perhaps I could teach evening training classes eventually as well!

The past year has been a roller coaster.  It has been harder on me than I care to admit.  Decision making has never been something I particularly enjoy, and this year was filled with some big decisions, some of which ended up not going exactly how I imagined they would.  Even so, I wouldn't have it any other way.  

All these experiences taught me a lot.  I feel as if I have matured and learned a lot about life in the "real world" as adults have been calling it for most of my life.  I lived alone (like very alone, with my closest family member being 14 hours away).  I spent three days driving 30 hours back home with no company besides Theo (who was a champ through it all).  I learned humility.  I learned that you might as well ask because the worst someone can say is no.  I learned that God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes it takes a journey to discover what you truly need.

I hope this was an acceptable description of the whys, the hows, the wheres, and everything else you could care to know.  Thank you for joining me on this roller coaster of a year, and as always, I am excited to see where I am headed next.  Remember, life is about the journey.  Until next time, stay pawsome.