Back to School

First, the big news: I'm officially going back to school!
Thanks to a couple of very generous scholarships, I'll be pursuing a Masters in International Disaster Psychology through the Univeresity of Denver starting Fall 2026! It's an incredible program similar to a Masters of Counseling but with a focus on marginalized folks and cultural sensitivity. It also includes hundreds of hours of hands-on practice through practicums in the Denver area and an 8-week international internship, which is perfect for my learning style.
I'm so excited to move to Denver, get back to school, and start helping people!

Anywho, as to how the winter went! Because I made those trips to Washington, Yosemite, and Mexico in the Fall and during the winter, I couldn't afford to travel and play the entire winter this time. I ended up finding some great ways to entertain myself and bring some money in, though!
I worked at a new Yemeni coffee shop in Durham called Qamaria where I learned a lot about coffee and food service, and worked the hardest I've ever worked for the least amount of money. But, it was only temporary, so it's all gravy!
I also worked a few months as a coach for Triangle Rock Clubs (TRC) competition team, which was a blast! Honestly, that job at TRC and my coworkers at Qamaria were just about the only things that made it hard to move back to WV to guide one last season.
I learned so much, met so many amazing people, and made so many great memories at those jobs, and I was even getting paid! What a difference having a little savings makes at the start of the season.
Kim also moved into the van with me in January, and now we're in WV together! She'll be guiding the Via Ferrata for the season before we move to Denver, so we're both getting a fun nature-y summer before jumping in on life in Denver!

A friend of mine got into track racing in the last few years and invited me to a track day at Virginia International Raceway! It was so, so cool to get to explore that world, meet all the really cool people there, and see all the wild cars! Originally, I was going to get to drive my friends Honda Fit on a parade lap, where everyone drives around the track in a row at a little below race speed. However, the schedule got thrown out of whack by a wreck early in the day (everyone was fine), necessitating a couple hours worth of repairs to a trackside wall. Even though I couldn't get behind the wheel on the track, I did still get the chance to do a ridealong with an instructor, which was totally bananas!! I believe his top speed was something like 135, easily a personal best for land speed. I'm hoping to make time to get back before I flee the state!

I was also encouraged to use my time before grad school to do more than tread water waiting for school to start. I ended up taking an 18 week course on Life & Wellness Coaching that only has one more session left! I learned a ton, and definitely see a place for my newfound skills in my future career.
That said, I need coaching hours under my belt to get my certification after taking the class. So, if any of y'all are curious about life coaching, hit me up and give it a shot! :)

This spring and summer looks like it'll be about the same as the last few, but I do have a few trips on the horizon! Kim and I are going to Europe in a couple weeks for a mix of outdoor and metropolitan adventuring!
Then in the fall, of course, we're planning to drive crag to crag to get to Denver, spending some quality time in at least one of them! So, stay tuned for those adventures :)

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