I guess I made a blog???

Well, howdy!

If you’re reading this I think it’s pretty safe to assume you’re a friend, family, or someone who is a casual-stalker of my Instagram profile and decided to follow this link and see what it’s about (I see you out there - don’t think you’re that sneaky).

In this age of digital media that we find ourselves in, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to have an online presence and how I want to maintain connections to the people that are important to me as I start my career, move around, and see what life has in store for me. Well, little did I know that I’d have to think extra intentionally about these lines of communication when I moved into my first non-college and non-childhood home, only to find out there’s no wifi and almost no cell service! (Go ahead, ask me about how my mom and I have been playing daily Marco-Polo over the phone.) I’d been thinking about the concept of a blog since a peer started one during her time studying internationally and I found myself really enjoying getting these glimpses into her life and journey, despite never being that close to begin with. So, as you can probably tell given the fact that you’re currently reading a blog post, I’m going to give it a try! The way I see it, a blog is a low-stakes way to allow others to stay informed with my goings-on and it gives me a place to share my triumphs and failures as someone early in their career.

While this blog is going to focus primarily on my experience as an intern for the National Park Service, I hope to be able to share funny, heartfelt, engaging and potentially embarrassing anecdotes from my life with those who find themselves compelled to read. I know that this doesn’t replace the value of a personal conversation whether it be over phone call or text, but when cell service can cut out at any moment, I like to think that this platform is a little more… reliable. But this is not to say that I’ll be completely un-reachable; by all means PLEASE reach out! I’m currently on the waitlist for a hotspot from the local public library and would LOVE to reconnect with people while I’m here. Really, I extend this offer to anyone reading - if we haven’t talked in a while, if we were never that close: reach out anyway. No awkwardness, no need to explain away the lack of contact. I think all too often I find myself too nervous to talk to people just because it’s been too long since the last time we did, but that’s no longer a good enough reason. As I implore you to do, I, too, will make an intentional effort to reconnect with the people I’ve enjoyed but have fallen out-of-touch with.

So, as I sit here in a local coffee shop making the most of my temporary access to wifi, I’m excited to introduce this blog to you all as I start this next chapter in my story. Truthfully, I have no idea where it will lead but now we can find out together. Like any good story, I hope there are highs and lows, plot twists, new characters, intense romances, new revelations, deceit and backstabbing… okay, maybe not that last one. Let’s just hope it’s a story worth reading.

Thanks for being here!! If you’ve made it this far, I’m grateful for you.

Signing off,

Maddi