HumbleB is back

So, you know how my end of the semester break turned into a year long hiatus?
Well, it did. And now I'm back.

Here's what has happened in the last year:

I decided that I was over Santa Cruz. 
Or, well, no, that's not right. I love Santa Cruz and I always will, but I decided it was not where I wanted to finish my college experience. So...

I took a semester off school to spend time with my siblings in Michigan. I lived with my amazing, crafty sister Alisa . I worked two sort of weird jobs, one of which was putting together prototype scrapbooking products. You havent lived until you have sliced your finger open with a brand new X-acto knife while trying to splice together two normal sized printed pieces of paper into one big piece of printed paper. While I was there...

I finally learned how to knit!! This is important. 

I also took a history-themed road trip from Michigan to Gettysburg and Washington DC with my sister Rebecca.

I took a train all by myself from Michigan to California, spending a few days in Portland along the way. Then...

I transferred to a new school that fits me perfectly. It's small, socially conscious and filled with amazing people. Oh, and it's in Arizona, so I am currently adjusting to life in a new, smallish town.

In school, I took a class that allowed me the opportunity to facilitate a twice-weekly, six week, writing workshop at with incarcerated youth. This has been the thing that has had the most effect on me in the last year. Spending so much time convincing kids who did not prioritize writing at all that is a valid and important form of expression forced me to examine why it is I love writing so much.

Writing is definitely something I am prioritizing more, now. I am, in general, after spending so much time burying my nose in school work, trying to bring more creativity into my life. That sounded really corny, but it's true.

It is a testament to my lack of creative outlet that I did not even bring my sewing machine with me when I moved to Arizona. Of course, I will be sewing my little heart out all this summer at my parent's house. (Especially now that my sister's beautifully designed Woodhaven fabric is in stores.) And I will definitely be bringing my machine back with me for the next school year.

So, I'm back, and switching directions a little -- just to be more inclusive about what creative content I talk about. So this will be about writing and sewing and art and anything else I get all excited about.