2025 has been SUCH a year for me

Warning: this will be a rather navel-gazing kind of post and I’m not even going to pretend otherwise. Proceed at your own risk. 😉 

The other day as I was driving to work, I was thinking about what a dizzying year this has been!

I finished nursing school.

I had to commemorate the last day of class with a picture!

I had my pinning ceremony.

study buddies!

I wore my first-ever graduation gown. 

And my first graduation cap!

I passed my NCLEX.

I started a job as a nurse.

RN!!!!

I started my BSN program.

I crossed two more states off my see-all-50-states map. 

Oregon with Lisey

Also Oregon with Katy!

Annd…I bought my dream car. 

Four years ago at this time, I was in the depths of despair because of my marriage, and I could barely see how to keep on going. 

But I walked out just a few weeks later, and ever since, my life has steadily improved. If only four-years-ago Kristen could see 2025 Kristen! 

In 2018, I turned 40 and I thought, “I hope my 40s are going to be a good decade.” But 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 were objectively some of the worst years of my life.

However, 2022, 2023, 2024, and especially 2025 have been SO MUCH BETTER, and I am grateful. 🙂