Coming at ya from the student union on a Friday night having eaten Ben & Jerry’s and Cheeto puffs.

We are out here living the quintessential college student life!!!

In all seriousness though, most days/nights do not look like this. However, I’m STILL HERE at Boston University in my 5th year of the (6 year total) physical therapy program, and I kinda feel like a big kid in the little kid zone. I mean, I’m just a graduate student, which is a normal species in the university world, but I still know and interact with so many undergraduates, and I’m still at the same exact campus.

So it feels like I’m…college student “plus”.

Anyway, we are going into our third week of classes now. I’m taking things like neurological systems, evidence-based practice, diagnostic procedures, and scientific basis of human movement, and I’m still teaching gross anatomy twice a week.

a solid group of the BUPT students at the American Heart Association walk last weekend

Each day has been a gift. Each day has its wonderful joys, and each day has at least one moment in which my heart breaks for one reason or another. My friend checked to make sure I’m still having fun in my life, and yes, I am. Besides taking photos like the one below, I’d say the rollercoaster of highs and lows has been a new kind of fun.

Sarah and me “studying” outside in the dark on a Friday night

There has been a deeeeeep (like sometimes hard-to-find deep) undercurrent of peace through it all though.

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TOPIC CHANGE.

I’ve been blogging for 5 years!!! My “blog-iversary” was August 7th (peep this introduction blog post from 2013 — what a BABY), but here we are over a month later with a belated reflection post on 5 years of moving and grooving.

In 5 years of blogging, I have…

…recovered from an eating disorder.

…gained 30-40 lbs.

…grown to truly appreciate and respect my body.

…learned how to move and groove purely for the love of it.

…gone through the college application process.

…experienced miserable insomnia.

…learned to drive.

…potentially dodged death in a car accident.

…gone to prom.

…graduated high school.

…given a valedictorian speech.

…said goodbye to my best high school / dance company friends.

…moved to Boston.

…found a community of young men and women who are on fire for God.

…found incredible best friends.

…learned so much about the human body and many other aspects of the world.

…gone on a blogger retreat.

…met up with bloggers in person who I admire so very much.

…made many new real-life friends through social media.

…gone on 7 Catholic Center retreats.

…led a retreat.

…studied abroad in Ireland and traveled to several European cities (wow miss this).

…gone to two Us the Duo concerts and one Tori Kelly concert (you NEEEED to listen to her new album “Hiding Place”).

…met Us the Duo and basically became friends with them.

…seen my brother graduate college.

…had my first alcoholic beverage.

…graduated college with a bachelor of science in health studies.

…shadowed/worked at four different PT clinics.

…completed two Spartan races.

…learned to like running.

…gone to my first college-friend wedding.

…been asked to be a maid of honor.

…made so many mistakes.

…learned to take myself less seriously.

…seen hearts break into a million pieces.

…loved others so much it hurts.

…received and experienced love from others beyond anything that I can imagine.

…hurt others and been hurt by others.

…lost loved ones.

…seen my loved ones lose their loved ones.

…had the privilege of traveling deep into the scarred and wounded hearts of others.

…seen God work in miraculous ways.

…learned how to allow God, who pursues my heart, to love me and free me more fully.

This list is quite representative of the evolution of this blog. Daily Moves and Grooves started out as a very food and fitness-centered blog. I would do “what I ate Wednesday” every week, share recipes and workouts… and I honestly had more comments and visitor activity back then than I do now. But this blog has become a place more than anything through which I can share the stuff of life. Sometimes that does involve food and fitness, but more often than not, it is focused on the exciting, aching, rejuvenating, and saddening things that happen in just one heart of 8 billion in this world.

I’m just a person. It is so ridiculous and humbling to know that so many people have followed my life for 5 years (or any amount of time within that). If you are one of those people, or if you are here on this blog for the first time, I thank you. Thank you for caring about one out of 8 billion hearts. And to all those who have been a part of my life in these past 5 years, thank you.

Sap ends here. Talk to you again when I do. 🙂