And so it begins!

For the past few weeks, a friend of mine from work has been telling me to start blogging. At first, I was hesitant. I didn't necessarily feel confident enough to share myself with everyone. Only a handful of people (those who I call my best friends) know the real me, in and out. I've always felt uncomfortable with sharing my deepest emotions, opinions, and thoughts with the world. However, she's made a great point that's really stuck with me: she told me that someone may stumble upon my blog and relate to what I have to say. Maybe I could help or inspire someone, just like many people have done for me.

So, here I am. Blogging will help in many ways for me. My mind is a cluster of thoughts; venting and writing my confusions, concerns, inspirations, random thoughts, and stories will hopefully free my mind. It will also help me grow as a writer. I've been writing in journals ever since I was in the seventh grade. I continued to write for my high school and university newspapers.

So, here I am. I'm going to provide a brief introduction. My name is Kristen. I'm 22 years old. Redhead. Photographer. Writer. College student. English major. Library Assistant. Oh, and I have an amazing boyfriend named Alex. My life has its ups and downs, and here's where it gets complicated: I have Crohn's Disease and was diagnosed in May 2008. It's gotten worse in the past two years, but I'm trying to keep myself healthy and happy as possible. I have my good days and my bad days. Last, but not least, I'm a very puzzled, stressed person. I'm currently trying to figure out my purpose in life. I know, how cliche! But I'm absolutely serious. It's something we all can relate to.

You'll learn more about me when the time comes. I don't want to overload you with random facts. Sometimes I can get carried away and ramble about anything and everything.

I'm excited to start writing and I'm glad I finally came around to setting up a blog. Believe it or not, it was a big step for me.