Okay y’all… this month has been insane. Like, “Did that really just happen?” level of insane.

First off, drumroll please — my first year at SNU is officially in the books! And guess what? I made the Dean’s List! I know for some people that might not seem like a big deal, but for me? It’s huge. This year stretched me in every possible way: spiritually, emotionally, academically. And to come out the other side with something to show for it? That honestly is so encouraging for me.

Now for the part that’s… less fun. I finally got a semi-official diagnosis for my left arm after that fall from a stunt. Turns out, I dislocated my elbow, tore my UCL ligament, and also managed to get an avulsion fracture. Cute, right?

But here’s the good news: no surgery. That means I won’t be out for a whole year, and hopefully, I’ll be back flipping by July. Still, recovery with PT has been so hard. Some days it feels like I’ll never be 100% again. I keep fighting this fear that I won’t be the same athlete I was before… and then I catch myself. Because honestly? Maybe I’ll be better. This injury has taught me to appreciate what I had and fight for what I want. All I want to do is be a lunatic and flip again. I think my brain is permanently wired for tumbling at this point, I miss it like crazy.

Switching gears now…

We went back to Pearsall, Texas this month. For the first time in over a year. And it wasn’t a random trip. We went back because my older brother, Torre, passed away. This is usually the part where there’s just an awkward silence. Because what do you even say about something like that? I still don’t actually have the words, honestly.

Pearsall, the town I grew up in, hit me in waves. Every corner had a memory. Every street we drove down had a story. The access road me and my high school friends used to cruise. The Tractor Supply where we’d get cat food. My high school, still looking like it did when I was a freshman. It was all so weird and familiar at the same time.

And the food, y’all — Barbacoa, the great Tex-Mex, and chile that actually has some spice (sorry not sorry Oklahoma). I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had it again.

But the biggest realization? Texas isn’t home anymore. Pearsall will always be a part of me. I’ll always say, “I’m from Pearsall, Texas an hour south of San Antonio”. But Oklahoma is where I belong now. It’s where my people are. And weirdly enough… I missed it while we were gone. Like, actually missed it.

Oh — and before I forget — this is random but also important: I read now. Like, full-blown reader status. The girl who used to swear she hated books is now flying through chapters like it’s nothing. Growth, right?

So yeah. May was a lot. Joy, grief, growth, fear, gratitude — it was all there.

And next month? I’ll be 19. 😳 So catch y’all on the other side of adulthood 2.0.

With love,

Lexi