Our friends Megan and Mike told us it would happen. You start the ball rolling towards an upcoming outdoor adventure and before you know it you're shaping up to become a genuine gearhead - gortex this, cap 3 that. Here lately I've found myself on REI checking against my can'tforgetitgottahaveit list one too many times.
But a long trip where one lives outdoors calls for a good bit of gear and let's not forget, the world is a runway. That and I pack like a girl. What you may not know is that our dog, Sully, is coming on our westward adventure along with us. And you also may not know that just as hikers have to tend to their mode of transportation feet, dog's paws have to be watched after, too. Miles and miles a day on rugged, hot or snowy terrain can cause the pads of their feet to crack and bleed and if Sully goes out of commission then that'll be a disappointing timeout for us as well.
This was news to us so we did some research. Consumer reviews led us to the purchase of a set of Ruffwear dog boots and thankfully this hilarious moment as Sully tried them on for the first time. Poor thing doesn't understand our good intentions.
So, my brain is fried and I am le tired, but deep down I'm truly beaming with excitement and relief. I'm into visuals, so I was planning to slap a picture up of my new signature along with my fresh-out-tha-oven, sweet (nevermind the blood, sweat, tears and years that went into achieving them) credentials buttttttttt they don't call this the World Wide Web for nothing. Just think, some creeper out there could happen upon my blog (eureka!) and find themselves privy to my authentic signature and use it in some stealthy, fraudulent manner to steal every penny I have! Poor sucker. And because I wouldn't want to cause anyone such disappointment I'll stick to the golden rule of the internet which is basically: don't be stupid, nothing on the internet is private, that's kinda the point.
Nevertheless, its exciting to share the final product of these past 6 years. 6 years! It has been a long road and in my most nostalgic moments I'd gear up to do it all over again. But the truth is - the view from here, looking back now that I'm at the very end, is much more fun. And I'm glad. Glad that I chose nutrition and dietetics so many years ago - way back in high school after my Mom got sick. Glad that I went to Clemson and stuck with it for 4 years. Glad I took a breather after graduation to get some work experience and dip my toe in the field. Glad I got accepted to the only internship program I applied to and to cross paths with the friends I made through the process. Glad to graduate from the program feeling like I put a lot of myself into it and got a lot out in return. Glad to have such strong support from my family and friends along the way. And finally, glad to have passed my exam this past week to finally become Kayla Anderson, RD!!!
Ahhh I seriously never knew credentials would feel so good :) So, how am I celebrating? Well, I may ceremoniously burn a text book out on the back 40 orrrrrr waitforit - I think I'll continue to put the finishing touches on planning and prep work for our big summer trip out West. Just 17 more days!
