some meaningful and informative comments. thanks for the read.
If I can chime in with my 2 cents (disclaimer: I have never done a cross country flight. only have my gfpt and so reflecting on that experience). I was doing 3 sometimes 4 sessions a week. after my first solo, I got to the point were I hit a hard wall. when I was up flying it just always felt like a mechanical process and not one of learning. this is something to keep in mind when I do go back to flying.