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[kaywill98]

New Shoes for Grad School

It's been two years since I started grad school and a lot has happened... Let me fill you in!

It has been a little over two years since I posted an update on here and truly, it’s long overdue. I apologize for that. Grad school and life overall has kept me busy, between working and building a life here in the Bay Area. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what it means to lead a “good enough” life, both for myself and for other people. Now that my classes have ended for the trimester and…

[kaywill98]

Moving Forward and Moving In

It's been a little while, but I've got a BIG life update for you all! I hope you're ready to come with on this next journey; I think it'll be a challenging, but fun one.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, as I’m sure it has been for a lot of people. Last month I had the privilege of being a part of the gorgeous wedding of two high school track teammates, one also a childhood friend and adored soccer teammate. I have to say, watching two people I care about hit milestones like that together is absolutely wonderful. Nick came home for the wedding as well, as we were…

[kaywill98]

Celebrating Grads and Dads

Now that semester and quarter system schools have celebrated their grads, there are a few other people who have something to celebrate too. You probably have more to with this than you realize, think about it... It's been a long year, hasn't it?

Has anyone else had to take a few moments lately just to think about everything that has happened in our lives this past year? This week, California officially began its reopening, and I began wondering how many things would go back to normal, knowing how many people and businesses have been waiting for this day. Photo by Hugo Clément on Unsplash But if you think about it, there isn’t quite an…

[kaywill98]

To Keep or Not To Keep-- Pandemic Comfort Habits

We have all developed new habits during the pandemic, from starting home workout routines to making time to wind down at night. But I wonder, if we all had to start going back to "normal", what from your new routines would you keep? Think about it:

Tax day is right around the corner after another year of having the due date pushed back to the pandemic. Personally, I’ve greatly appreciated the extra time these past two years because even though I may be 23 and a college grad, I still procrastinate and have a hard time knowing what to do to get my taxes done right. When it comes down to it, this is most likely the last year’s tax day that…

[kaywill98]

Let Them Eat Cake

When it comes to my birthday, I am all for the "let them eat cake" philosophy and this year, it was even more important to follow through on. It was a busy day of packing, some homework, and quality family time. But don't worry, I got my cake...

Last year, all I wanted for Nick and my birthday was cake… but not just any cake. I wanted our cake. Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash Have you ever heard a kid saying they want a toy or that they won’t go to bed without something, so they scream or cry until you find it? Maybe you tried to remedy it with a different bear or a different blanket, but that kid knew. Instead, they screamed or…

[kaywill98]

One Good Thing

A lot of us live busy and fast-paced lives that don't offer a lot of time to slow down... Not unless we build that time in for ourselves. I'm only just starting to learn how to do it but this week, I realized just how necessary it was.

It’s been a long and busy few weeks for a lot of people. I know I’ve been preoccupied lately between work, school, and several other things. These days, it seems like everyone has their own things going on without a whole lot of time to get it all done and still enjoy it in the process. Can you relate to that? Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash For instance, I got to see what it’s like to figure…

[kaywill98]

Stepping Into Uncertainty

A great week for big news in my family for a few people. But does big news and the steps that come with involve a whole lot of other emotions? Maybe. Does that make it any less exciting? I'd like to think it doesn't. What do you think?

Do you ever work really hard for something like a graduation or a promotion, and have your kind so set on getting to the destination that the plan almost falls off once you’re there? I remember applying for undergrad; I had been told all the things I needed to do to get into college, but no one told me how to pick one or what I was supposed to do once I got there. Like a lot of people, I had to…

[kaywill98]

Fighting Silence, Violence, and Perpetuated Hate-- Stop Asian Hate

After a long week of loss and reckoning within many Asian communities, I'm unpacking a bit. What has happened, how does history account for it, how may we have a part to play, where do we go from here, and what can we do? Let's talk.

This past week in my social psychology class, we just finished up our unit on prejudice. It was a two-week deep-dive into the subject, something that can’t possibly be covered in such a short amount of time. There is far too much history, social context, and detail that is involved in such a thing. But I don’t think I need a class to tell me about all the definitions I’ve come to recognize and…

[kaywill98]

What is Community to You?

I'm closing out Black History Month with some food for thought on a college experience of mine that I didn't realize wasn't so singular. Maybe you can relate, I met a lot of great people these past two weeks who could. And it really got me thinking...

I feel like time has been working differently during these past several months, so it caught me by surprise to look at the date today and realize that we’re already at the end of February. Anyone else feeling the same way? Between work and classes, I’ve been quite busy lately and it’s hard not to get caught up in the groove of my own world. Right around now, however, countless high school seniors…

[kaywill98]

Returning to Firefly Lane, Netflix Version

They say a book is better than a movie, but what about a Netflix series? If you've read Kristin Hannah's books, you've probably read Firefly Lane. But have you watched the show? Well you're in luck, because I have! Now, for the book AND and show review...

A lot of people will argue that books are better than movies, but I can’t say I have ever tried to argue books versus a Netflix series… So how about it? Maybe you’ve heard of this particular show, after all, it seems to have been at the top 10 in the US for the past few weeks. I did a book review on this one a few years ago, and when I saw it coming to Netflix, you could say that I was excited to…

[kaywill98]

Has Black History Month Changed?

This has been on my mind for Black History Month, the idea that the culture's celebration or recognition might be changing. Hear me out: if you always consider black in terms of whiteness, what happens after removing one? What about everything in between?

Welcome to the second week of February! Since it’s that special month of the year, I’m talking about Black History Month (BHM) today with some new thoughts on the way we think about cultural months and celebrations.  I’ve written quite a few posts before about this month, what it means to people, and the education we both have and haven’t received about Black history. Today, I’m writing about…

[kaywill98]

Laughing Together into the Weekend

Here's a quick story about my week that I hope might make you smile. Either that or I hope it can be a reminder to pause for a moment and appreciate that you've made it to the weekend. That counts for a lot. Happy Friday!

Like a lot of households, my family has been doing our best to balance our differing schedules and responsibilities lately. Even though I work from home, my free/social time has been cut down now that I’ve added classes to my schedule. This means that when I’m with my family altogether, I have to try to get the most fun out of it, right? The other day I was sitting at our dining room table doing…

[kaywill98]

Asking Questions, Finding Appreciation

Every new week comes with new cool things to learn, and I've even got a few questions I'm hoping you'll answer for me. Don't worry, they're fun ones!

It’s been quite the week between MLK Day, the Inauguration, and continuing classes for many college students. I hope everyone has had a good one and found something good out of it because today, I’m bringing you something from my week to talk about. For me, on top of the holiday and historical Inauguration, it was also my first week of classes at the local CC and as usual, I went through the…

[kaywill98]

Welcoming 2021 With A Balanced Approach

It's a new year, but we're still looking at a lot of the same things we were last year. That being said, we've all grown a whole lot too, don't you think? That means our ways of finding balance in this new year also have: Here are three big examples.

Welcome to 2021 everyone. It’s been a month since I’ve talked to you all and I hope you’re all doing well! While it may be a new year, we are still facing many of the challenges, new experiences, and adjustments that we were last year. Yet, people continue to make their resolutions and hold themselves accountable for the goals they have this year because after all, it feels like it could be a…

[kaywill98]

A Holiday Story, Not a Novel

I'm doing something new this year, something different that I feel like we could all use. After all, our lives should be lived as a story, not a novel... I'll explain.

I have this phrase that I paste on the top of all my writing projects, one that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as we come closer to the end of the year and into the holiday season: “write for the story, not the novel.”  There are two reasons I write with it at the top. First, to remind me why I write in the first place. If I was writing for the novel, I would write one word after another…

[kaywill98]

A Different Kind of December

I'm talking about the holidays this week and I am not just doing it through my own words this time-- I'm doing it through three fun holiday commercials. A little bit of funny and a little bit of tradition, all good messaging. Check it out.

Did anyone else notice that decorations around towns and even Christmas ads on TV started popping up a whole lot earlier this year? After what seems like a year that’s lasted forever, we are finally in December and people are beginning to take solace in things that feel familiar— for some, that means jumping into holiday traditions. But what do you do when some of those traditions or many more…

[kaywill98]

Finding a Balance in the Holiday Season

It's hard to find a balance of time and money well spent during the holidays, especially this year with so many factors to consider. But there might be a way to seek out a middle ground to it all... think about it.

With the holiday season upon us in full swing now, many people tend to struggle in finding their own balance to enjoy the time whether that’s in deciding how to spend it or deciding what to how to cook for Thanksgiving dinner. With Thanksgiving behind us, the next balance struggle is one of commodities and consumerism: Black Friday. This holiday, some people like to go all out, and others…