Personal Journal

January 2023

by Katelynn Kellogg

1.3.2023

Back to work today after one of the LEAST relaxing winter breaks that I have ever had. Unfortunately I spent my entire break in the house, in the bed, and continuously coughing/blowing my nose. A real treat.

And I was dealing with some serious “back to work blues” last night just thinking about having to come back to the office today.

But none-the-less, I made today a good day. Jay and I were able to get a workout in, cook dinner and be in bed by 9:30 which is one of our new goals so we can back on track with healthy living and productivity.

I’m here for it.

1.4.2023

Big accomplishment of the day! I’ve reached 100 day streak on Duolingo. I haven’t been very good at keeping up with my lessons, or dedicating a lot of time to learning, but I have managed to squeeze in a lesson everyday for 100 days, which feels pretty damn good.

The longest streak I’ve ever had was a little over 200 days, and then I broke my phone and of course lost my streak because I didn’t have a phone for about a week (and at the time I was unaware of the option to complete lessons via the web). I know I’ll get back to 200 eventually but 100 is a big deal and I’m here to celebrate my accomplishment!

My biggest barrier to utilizing the Spanish I have already learned is my fear of conversation. There are a lot of things I can say in Spanish. I know a lot of words and sentences, but if a Spanish-speaking person responds in Spanish and I don’t know what they’re saying, that is paralyzing to me.

What do I do then?! I spoke to them in Spanish, so they assume I know Spanish, but in reality, I do not and them responding in Spanish completely throws me off my game.

I will work on overcoming this barrier, but for now, that’s my biggest obstacle to becoming fluent.

Want to be my Duolingo friend and encourage me along the way? Add me: Katelynnk91

1.6.2023 – Week one of January… Survived and THRIVED

I spent my entire winter break sick. I barely left bed, and I accomplished literally nothing besides watching absurd amounts of television. This week, was not that.

I went back to work Tuesday and had one of the busiest weeks I’ve had since I started my new job in September. I accomplished quite a bit, but honestly, my to-do list was longer when I left the office today than it was after having 10 days off. Despite that fact, I had a great week!

Some of the positives this week:

  • Due to the constant go-go-go of the week, my days went by pretty quickly and I was able to maintain momentum and positivity throughout.
  • I realized I have next next Monday (Jan. 16th) off of work because of MLK day, so I planned a camping trip!
  • I made it to the gym every day this week.
  • My bf and I are traveling this weekend for his softball tournament and that should be fun.

1.17.2023 – MLK Weekend Over, back to work

My weekend outdoors traveling from State park to State park was everything I wanted it to be. Last week all I could think about was the trip and then the trip happened and now I’m back to work and all I can think about is the trip!

I am working on writing up some content for each of the parks I visited to add to my Texas State Parks list and I can’t wait to get that posted for you!

While I was on my trip I couldn’t help but think about why I don’t have a YouTube channel. I’ve spend years traveling, I’ve been to 10 countries, 26 states and I’ve camped/hikes in numerous national and state parks across the US. So.. here’s to spending hours of wishful thinking, reading articles about how to utilize YouTube, and potentially, some day, creating a channel where I can share my experiences with you visually!

Who knows what’s next, I’m a dreamer!

Here’s to updating my Facebook photo for the first time in almost 3 years. 😂

1.25.2023 – Anniversary Week!

This past week was nothing short of absolutely exhausting.

Work has been so busy I’ve had 30 minutes or less of free time each day that isn’t pre-scheduled for projects, meetings, and tasks… which means email responses are slow and my inbox is compounding at a rate that stresses me out.

Despite that, I do have some exciting news to share.

First, today is my boyfriend and I’s 6 month anniversary and I’m so excited to celebrate tonight over dinner and wine! I’m still undecided on where we’re going for dinner, but I’ve chosen where we’re doing wine tasting and I’ll be sure to update you all with that info later!

Second, I made a HUGE investment this week and purchased a GoPro Hero 10 with a couple mods so I can start making better quality videos on my trips and hopefully start a youtube channel!

I’ve thought about starting a youtube channel for years. I mentioned it in previous blog posts and it’s just one of those things I CANNOT stop thinking about. So, after a lot of analyzing, I decided besides the set up costs (for the camera, mods, etc..) what do I have to lose?

It should arrive next week on Tuesday and I can’t wait to learn how to use it and start recording my hikes, canoe trips, camping, and more!