JUST JUMP - NEW BEGININGS

Life is filled with new chapters filled with our personal stories; when a new chapter begins, it is best to document and sometimes share it. This blog is part of a new chapter for me in which I plan to document my experiences, adventures, opportunities, and more in one place for family, friends and anyone else who stumbles upon it to enjoy. 

Since this blogging thing is new to me I also ask for your patience while I get the hang of it. 

As a disclaimer, I am not an accomplished writer but I will attempt to be engaging, witty, and concise while sharing the raw and real truth including the good, the bad, the ugly, the funny, the embarrassing, and whatever else pops up.
At my core I am a Christian, Minimalist, Designer, and Student so elements from these perspectives will be intertwined in the story. I will attempt to keep things short and to the point so it is an easy read but some events may require a lengthy description. There will be images and videos because of the many unspoken words they provide. I may mention something and not go into detail at that time but may later. So stay tuned or ask for more details.

Those who know me well know that I don't fit any traditional molds. I do not like to be told I cannot do something and I certainly don't go about things in traditional, common or expected ways. I love variety and although I can set boundaries I do not like feeling constrained or limited. Adventure should have been my middle name which would have sounded so much better when my mom got mad and used my whole name to get my attention.... Jill Christine vs Jill Adventure, right?

All stories need an introduction:
About 6 months ago (Dec. 2021)  I had the thought that I should pursue a degree in Historic Building Preservation. I had just completed a Master's of Fine Art degree in May of 2021 and had not entertained any ideas of more school. I wasn't sure if anything like that existed but since the thought would not go away I looked into options. There were a few programs available in the US but more abroad. Europe has always called to me so of course I focused there. A PHD program came up that looked amazing but it was a three year degree and at age 57 three more years felt like too much. Then I found a year long MSc program in Historic Building Conservation at Kingston University in London, England. That seemed doable so I applied and told Heavenly Father that if this was what he wanted me to do I would need to be accepted. One week after submitting my application I received my acceptance letter to start the program in September of 2022 and the journey began. Piece by piece things fell into place and in three days, on Sept. 12, 2022 I leave for England! This chapter is slated to last approximately 16 months so hang on and enjoy, I plan to!