Let me start by saying that this post will probably be a little all over the place. It's my first post since January and of course there is so much to write about over the last semester, so I'm just going to jump right into it.

First, I decided to take the semester off from writing for the blog. It was beginning to get monotonous, and I felt like I was writing posts every single week to keep from feeling guilty about not writing. And that's not what I wanted this to be.

I made it my goal last year to post something on this blog every Sunday. But since I didn't feel like the content I was writing was really something I was proud of, I stopped posting. My goal this summer is to publish quality over quantity. That means I won't be posting on a schedule exactly, but I will be writing things that may be a little longer and more in depth.

I've put a lot of thought into this - not because it needs to be something crazy and too serious - but because TDD is a project I took on as a senior in high school and was something I really fell in love with. I didn't want to let that go, but I wasn't sure how to inspire myself to post something great. I would always rather not post anything at all than post something that I don't love.

NEXT. My semester roundup posts are always one of my favorites to write because I love looking back on photos, thinking about the good and the bad of the semester and looking back on what I've learned. I always say it, but time flys so. freaking. fast. and I think it would be a shame to move on from these good times without giving them a little recognition first.

SPRING SEMESTER

One of the most notable parts of my semester was my trip to NYC in February with Magazine Interest Group. It was a great learning experience and probably one of the coolest things ever to see magazine publications from the inside. I'm sharing a few pics here, but because NYC travel guides are my all-time favorites to write, I will be writing a (super late) post of its own from that trip.

This rowing season was a whirlwind to say the least. It had its highs and lows for sure, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We began our spring season by going to California for spring break training camp. We trained for a week at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Chula Vista sits just miles from the US-Mexico border, so you can imagine that the terrain is beautiful. The weather was perfect for training, too! We raced that following weekend in San Diego, and my boat took gold in our event! It was an extremely exciting start to the season.

I posted on Instagram a few weeks ago a photo of the wristbands our team wore for Big XIIs. We raced in support of our athletic trainers newborn son who had some complications. We have a really great support system as a team, and our athletic trainers are so much of that. We are always so grateful of how much they put up with - there are 50 of us and two of them...and we complain a lot :).

This season, more than ever before, we all came together to create something that is more than a race and more than a sport. That is always what athletics have been about, and that is exactly why I am so proud to be part of such an amazing team of girls.

We also had the chance to celebrate TWO 21st birthdays in our little roomie trio over the semester. Kaleigh and Caroline turned 21 in March and May, so we of course had to celebrate them. Katie even got to come to Norman for a visit the weekend of Kaleigh's party! Nina and I are late to the whole birthday thing, so expect to see pics from that celebration in August :)

THIS SUMMER

I'm in Austin! Last summer I wrote a few times about my love for living in Austin, so I'm excited to be back for another summer. Nina came to visit for a few days this week, and we were able to do some really fun things! I always find myself being a tourist in Austin my first few weeks back.

The picture above is from Twin Falls on the Barton Creek Greenbelt yesterday afternoon. There are so many different options to hike to/from on the Greenbelt, but we hiked a quick half mile in to Twin Falls and had lunch/swam. Yesterday was the most perfect weather for a little hike, too! It's been very mild here this past week, and I've loved it!

We spent some time downtown Austin - walking around fun shops and eating at a few different restaurants in the city. We also made some time to go paddleboarding on Lady Bird! I could go on and on about how much I love this place, but if you've been around here for a while, you've probably already heard all about it. Just know that, if you haven't, I think you should definitely visit this beautiful place.

We happened along the UT campus (horns down forever) and stopped into possibly the world's largest Dunkin' Donuts to use the restroom, and it was super cute too! The top photo is from the Dunkin' on the Drag.

South Congress is absolutely not lacking fun Austin-based shops, so the huge sign is a snap from one of those great stores. I had to keep from buying everything in sight - especially when it is so tempting to support all those local artists and designers.

My two loves are here in Austin too! We've been spending so much time together! They're starting to love their walks and trips to the park, and I love taking pictures of how cute they are :)

This post happened to be a little all over the place, but that was to be expected - it's been a minute! I'll be back with another NYC travel guide, a full roundup of new fun things I've found this week in Austin and one new thing I'm doing this summer that I'm excited about. I'll tell you about that one later! Until then,