The Graduate.

It took a trip to Rochester, New York, and an unexpected dose of inspiration that got me on track again.

And I can thank my brother's graduation for that!

Five years ago, my brother graduated from high school and trucked it far far far away to the East Coast to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was... not as he had hoped it would be, and there were definitely times of turmoil, but he pushed through and officially got that diploma!

Good for you, bro.

Like me, he's a recent graduate with no immediate job and is embracing this time of freedom by taking a road trip to the West Coast best coast.

While I wish I could also take a trip to the West Coast, I'm trying to appreciate this freedom I have at home and utilizing it in a way that will rejuvenate me for the future.

There was something about sitting there in that audience, hearing them talk so brightly of the future that just reminded me of that spark I once had. Since I returned home from London, it's been slightly dimmed due to doubt and anxiety, but during this ceremony, I felt jolted awake.

It allowed me to feel encouraged about the future once again, optimistic about what's ahead.

I just have to continue to remind myself: it's not about the end destination, it's about the journey that takes you there... And this journey has had many bumps in the road!

It's not a Krull family photo without all the goofy faces...

Well Red Woman.

"A well read woman is a dangerous creature."

What happens if you're well read and well red though? Double the danger?

If so, then I was one dangerous woman today.

See, one blessed thing about this break is my reconnection with reading. We haven't been in touch in awhile and it has been too long since I last visited the library and exited with a stack-full of books. Reading has been a part of my life since way back in the day and if you ask anyone from my grade school years, they'll remember an animated girl who read out loud, book inches from her face, and legs shaking up and down in excitement.

That being said, there is currently one book that I'm quite invested in by Rebecca Traister titled: All The Single Ladies.

It's educational, it's engaging, and it is all about girl power.

Thoroughly well-researched, this book delves into the history and trends of unmarried women and the rise of an independent nation. As a single woman myself, I was most intrigued, not out of hatred towards men (as most people assume feminists to be), nor out of my desire to stay single as a cat lady (although I am single and have been reading this to cats...), but out of curiosity.

And what I've gotten out of it so far, besides the horrendous treatment of women throughout the ages (did you know that one Harvard professor argued that "the female brain, if engaged in the same course of study as the male, would become overburdened and that wombs and ovaries would atrophy?") is that women simply want choice. With or without a husband, women desire freedom of choice in their career paths and they're continually breaking the mold of how a traditional woman should live (married at nineteen, and caregiver for the rest of their lives).

Now if that's how you want to live, then by all means! It's your choice, and not that of a man's.

Anyhow, it's well worth a read, as it is exceedingly eye-opening and inspiring.

So whether you're well read or well dressed in red, remember there's power to both. Hats off to whichever you choose...