#seasonschallenge

This is my best friend Kiara. In first grade the teacher sat us together because both of our names started with K. She borrowed my FreezerBunny pencil and I borrowed her llamacorn eraser. We’ve been besties since. Sometimes she gets a little too enthusiastic about the books she’s reading but it’s okay, she puts up with my science rants. 

And this...is Thorne Espinoza. He’s my other best friend and fellow science enthusiast! We like to go exploring the bay together. If I’m honest with myself, and you...I might...uh...Okay I totally have a crush on him. He’s just so great! I can talk to him about anything and he gets me! You’re not gonna tell anyone...are you? 

He doesn’t know about my feelings...but Kiara does. She says he’s oblivious. She’s not wrong. Sometimes I humiliate myself in front of him but he doesn’t seem to notice, thank goodness. The other day we were at the park and he started waving so I waved back even though I was right next to him. I thought he was doing like some new cool secret friend wave or something...turns out he’d just seen one of his friends. That guy stared at me like I had four plumbobs...How embarassing. Even Theo looked at me like an idiot...traitor. See if I rub his belly or give him treats anytime soon.

Spoiler, I will. I can’t resist puppy dog eyes.

I went straight home to do my homework. I think Mom noticed something was up because she came in to “help me” but she knows I never need help with science homework...and she’s awful at chemistry. Between her being silly and making up new elements for the periodic table like pooperite, and the cats constantly nuzzling me I felt better. 

My moms totally rock. I’m really close with both of them. We spend a lot of time together gardening, playing games, swimming, or cooking. Sometimes they annoy me but I know I’m lucky.

Oh, last week I got sick, so there’s that. I was feeling a little dizzy when Mom started giggling. Guess she wanted me to die or something. 

Kidding! I gotta admit, when I saw the swirly spots all over me I giggled too. Mom gave me some tea with honey and ordered medicine from the doctor. After I took it she demanded I go relax in the hot tub for a while because the heat would be good for me. I wasn’t about to say no. 

It worked, although the steam makes my hair all loopy. I felt better the next day. 

Thorne came by to make sure I was alright. I may have swooned a bit. The heater was on the fritz so mom called for help and we all wore coats inside for a couple hours until they arrived to fix the darn thing. On a completely related note...I learned some new curse words while Mum was trying to help fiddle with the dial. 

All in all I feel like it’s been a wild ride lately. My birthday is coming up soon and I don’t know if I’m ready for it. At least I’m going to graduate top of my class so Mom said she and Mum are going to do something special for me. In the meantime they got me some new equipment to excavate rocks!! My old set was cheap and a little rusty. I’ve had it forever and when I was a kid I didn’t take great care of it. This new set is really nice!! 

Well, here I am in Granite Falls! It smells like rain and trees all the time. I love it! 

I probably should have left home earlier because I didn’t arrive until the ranger station was already closed. I thought I’d brought a tent but I guess not...looks like that bag was actually just a folding chair. Oh well, at least I got to try roasting different foods over a fire! There was a log bench on my campsite so I went ahead and slept on that, better than nothin’! 

In the morning I woke up pretty early and decided to be adventurous...by that I mean roasting and eating some edible bugs. Don’t worry, I knew which ones were safe! Thorne is big into edible bugs and he’s been lecturing me for years about them. Honestly? They weren’t that great...but they were better than I expected.

When the ranger station opened I immediately bought a tent to try and make the rest of my trip less...uh...mosquito-y. That’s a word now. I collected some great stuff, did some fishing, and really got to think out my life. What did I want to do with myself? Where should I go? I love nature, I love finding new things and getting dirt under my nails...I love the smell of dust and the slow careful movements to uncover a fossil from limestone...

That decided me and I’ll tell you now journal; I want to become a curator! Working in a museum with all the artifacts, teaching people about fossils and geology, refining elements from various crystals, discovering new metals...that’s the future I want! And ya know what else this trip taught me? I want to do it on my own. My moms told me they’d help me get started if I wanted to move out, or that I could stay home as long as I want. I love them so much but I need to do this for myself, ya know? I’ve always had support from them, a safety net to fall on and I’ve never really gone outside my comfort zone...I think it’s time. I’ve been a barista for a couple of years now and I’ve saved some money. I’m going to start my life when I finish this vacation and I’m going to do it by my own steam. 

Mom was really proud of me. I was shocked. Not only was she okay with my decision but she thought it was a good idea! She and Mum both told me that they were still here if I needed anything. I guess I still have that safety net but at least I know that I’m not going to use it unless absolutely necessary! 

I applied for a job at the San Myshuno museum of natural history in the geology department. It’s only a two hour drive from home but moving to the city, away from nature, seems like a step backwards in some ways. Then I remember that with this job I start on my path. I won’t always have to live in the city! If I move up and get closer to my dream I’ll also be able to live where I want! 

Mom took me out to celebrate when I got notified that the job was mine. It’s nothing big but I’ll be studying crystals in the museum’s geo-lab and that sounds like fun! Mum had to work so she wasn’t able to come hang out with us but we had fun anyway. She promised to visit me after I got into my new place. Well, actually, they wanted to help me move but I said no. This is my journey, I need to be self reliant. 

San Myshuno is a big place and...apartments aren’t cheap. I found one anyway though, it’s small and the shower leaks, there are some incomplete walls and it doesn’t have a separate bedroom...but it’s mine and it has a cool view. I’ve put some shelves up to display my collections and I have a bed...that’s all I really need! Uh...some lights might be nice though...