reflections on fall // school, blogging, and books

hello! it’s been awhile. i’m sorry i haven’t posted all month, but more on that later! it’s been an extraordinarily busy fall for me, but in all honesty, it’s been pretty wonderful. even if i was slightly very stressed for two months straight, i have experienced so many new things and met so many lovely people. i thought that i would give you all a little update today about the exciting things of this fall. 

01. high school

this fall marked my first term at boarding school in New Hampshire, a thousand miles away from home. it was most definitely a huge change for me– living on my own in a dorm, having no friends when i arrived, and (most notably) being away from my family for a huge chunk of time.

it was so hard for me at first. even as an introvert, i felt so alone in the first few weeks and i was so uncomfortable all the time. but then i met some people through classes and running cross country. i slowly began to feel more comfortable with them and get to know them better. that’s one of the amazing things about boarding school– you live so close to many of your friends and consequently spend a lot of time with them.

the school work is very difficult, but i think i’m the happiest i’ve ever been. the diversity is so amazing at school, and i’ve met the coolest people.

02. cross country

every fall (for the past three years), i have run cross country at school, and this fall was no different. one of the reasons i love running xc so much is because the team is so close and devoted to the sport. somehow, cross country teams are always made up of the nicest people (and weirdest, in the best way). 

i’ve met some wonderful people this year running cross country. shout out to emy, lucy, helen, celine, and olivia! it was always nice to go on a run after a particularly rough day (in math, inevitably) and talk with friends. cross country has taken a huge part of making my fall great!

 

03. coming home

it’s crazy how being away from home for extended periods of time makes you appreciate time with your family. i remember coming down the escalator last week after my flight from New Hampshire, and just feeling incredibly happy to see the people i love. THANKSGIVING WAS AMAZING WITH MY FAMILY. <3

also, I MISSED MY DOGGIES SO MUCH. and my family got a new puppy to make things even better! so i’ve been hanging and snuggling with her so much.

04. reading

in terms of reading, fall could have been better. but i guess it could have been worse! i finished my goodreads challenge earlier this year,, aaand there went my motivation to read, right down the drain. take this, combined with the fact that i didn’t have a lot of time to read anyway, and you get me reading 2. books. a month. *cue the scary music* OH THE HORROR.

but i did manage to read a few great things!! shout out to Turtles All the Way Down, The Name of the Wind, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. SO AMAZING. 10/10 would recommend.

 

05. blogging

September and October were actually really good blogging months for me– i was making content i loved, and i had my one-year blogaversary in october!

buut then in november, i just stopped blogging, social media, EVERYTHING. there was some burnout unfortunately. i didn’t feel motivated to write blog posts or take pictures, and i’m still kinda feeling burnt out now, even after a month of blogging break. near the end of october, i felt more and more like i was simply cranking out content, instead of writing posts i wanted (and was excited) to write.

but i’m hoping december will be better! there will be tons of holiday-themed blog posts to write and probably some winter photography since i’ll be living in the snow for the first time!

 

and that’s all for this little update. <3 thanks for reading; it was a little rambly, but i felt that i needed to write a blog post about this fall and all that’s happened. i’m hoping to write more bookish blog posts here in december so get excited for that!

xo,

madeline