Hello, interweb.

My name is Kate… though some of you may know me as Katie, Katherine, Kat, KaKi, KTP or… Isabel (if you were in my Spanish class circa 2003 and/or creepily hit on me at a bar).

I will be celebrating my one-year anniversary of graduating with my master’s degree in approximately 30 days.

The year that followed that fateful class, when I submitted my final paper and walked out of the School of Education as student for the last time, has been one filled with the highest highs and a few devastatingly low lows.

I can honestly say I have had some of the happiest moments of my life since I finished grad school.  The first time my perfect nephew fell asleep on my chest; Watching one of the most important people in my life walk down the aisle and into the next phase of her life with more poise and grace than I could ever hope to possess; Soaking up a sunset in my favorite place, toes in the sand, surrounded by my some of my favorite people; Getting my first “big girl” job offer- so many smiles, laughs, secret jokes, and love.  Nothing compares to the happiness I have experienced throughout the past year.

However, the portrait of my year would not be complete without those lows that occasionally cast a shadow over my smile and put me in a place I don’t like to think about too often.  Rejection in multiple facets- career, love, dreams; A whole new kind of stress brought on by a lack of income and a series of financial woes- student loans, car troubles, and (of course) the great MacBook Pro/Corona Light Tragedy of 2011- all coming down on me at once.  Not to mention the everyday neuroses of your average 20-something female with generalized anxiety and a huge family spread across the globe to worry about…

So… you are probably asking yourself… what is the point of all of this?  Well, dear reader (i.e. mom), the point is I have devoted a large portion of my life to learning- specifically, learning about psychology, health promotion, and education- so that I can work to educate my students in a “holistic” fashion.  Academics are important, but it is those co-curricular experiences that reach beyond book learnin’ to shape one intellectually, mentally, emotionally, physically, creatively, and spiritually that really excite me.  I have focused so much on learning to promote holistic health in others that I seem to often neglect facets of my own health and happiness.

So… what is the point of all of this?  In short: This is an attempt at work/life balance.

We’ll see how it goes.