Thank You For Joining Me!

I never could have imagined that starting a blog would become not only an outlet to vent on life, but a way of life in general. Over the last few months, I have challenged myself to open up to the world and express different aspects of reality with you. For all of the bloggers reading this, you understand how tough it is to put yourself out there and share real-life stories. To allow others into our lives and to not be afraid of what anyone says. I sincerely commend you all for that, as I have faced my own inner battles while sitting you front-row and center into my journey as a new wife.

Sure, there are ups and downs, but life wouldn't be as interesting if things were always perfect. We are tested and we prevail, even if we get kicked down a time or two. Staying positive has always been one of my biggest strengths, but the fear of failure has remained my biggest flaw. Over time I have learned that I am not always right, I cannot always have it my way, yet I can still learn about myself and those around me. I can still evolve into a woman that I aspire to be - successful, fair, compassionate, and true.

I can't stress it enough, from the bottom of my heart, that I thank you all for taking the time to follow me as I continue to change and be impacted by of all of you on Bloglovin. Here's to 100 more!

Following Career Instincts

I have to admit - October has put me on a slight hiatus. This five-week month has been both a reality check and an inner debate of my career path. The questions of my future and planning for the future. Where would I see myself in a year? In five years?

Approaching my one year anniversary at work, I started asking myself these difficult questions. I knew I was ready for the next challenge, but where would it be? For one, I wanted to stay at my current company, where there is so much opportunity to grow and thrive. But I was ready to explore other options and I began meeting with people outside of my department. This was my chance to learn more about the different areas and see if they sparked any interests. A great way to connect and research. To my surprise (as I had not been actively searching jobs), there was a position available that my instincts ensured would be a great fit. I had that "Aha!" moment when you just know and it feels right. A role that blended my past with my present experience in retail and I felt passion stirring up inside my bones again. I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least give it a shot.

After talking it over with my current manager, working on scheduling with HR, and then one long week (that felt like a year) of the interview process, I received an offer the following Tuesday. I cannot truly describe the feeling of excitement that overcame me. Hard work, determination, and the drive to be successful really can pay off. I saw what I wanted and went after it, knowing there was always a chance it wouldn't work out. But at least I tried, and even rejection wouldn't stop me from continuing to push myself in the future. We can never give up on our dreams, no matter how many doors get closed. Or how many "no's" we may hear. We can't give up on ourselves and what we want in life. Only we can control our futures. I took mine by the horns and there's no turning back.

And so, I start my new position in mid-November after a well deserved vacation that Jay and I will be taking back to Aruba. We are heading to where our first week of marriage began (on our honeymoon). We will be able to revisit the places we shared together as we started and celebrated our newlywed life. And what a way to kick off a new job! I'm telling you, the timing of it all could not be more perfect. It truly is a sign that everything happens for a reason. As long as we take control of our future and go after what we believe in, everything then seems to fall into place.

The Life We Leaf

The changing of the seasons always makes me take a step back and think about the meaning of change in general. The leaves on the trees don't just decide one day that they want to be a different color. They turn into hues of reds and oranges because they adapt to the colder environment. They no longer need to produce ingredients that help them grow. Much in the same, we make changes because we are thrown into situations of everyday life. We wear warmer clothes because the temperature drops. We turn off the air conditioning because we can be comfortable with the windows open. But unlike leaves, we also have the ability to change when we want to. Because we can make decisions whether they are smart choices or not our finest moments. And then comes the caveat - we must learn to deal with the aftermath of the decisions we make that could alter the rest of our futures. It's kind of scary to think about how much power we can hold from making a choice. How a mere action or thought can steer us into one direction or another. Change can be good, but can it also be bad?

We can take the word "change" and spin it into almost any shape or form. We often hear "change is good." But what about when it wasn't our choice? What if it was the only way and you had to just accept it and continue to live your life? There are things in my life that I will never seem to understand. Things that I cannot control. Things that maybe I wasn't directly related to, but rippled it's way into my life and has affected me and my course. We all experience impacts like this, and I know I am not alone. Part of it makes me angry because I wish I could control the things that alter my life. I guess that's why they call it life - it's our general, random, principle of existence. We live and we learn. We exist and then we're gone. I don't mean to sound morbid, but the speck of our existence is a microscopic dot that falls into a short time-span of the world and all its history.

You see how my mind starts to wander from just the thought of change? Such a concept can snowball into something much larger than us. But what about the things we can control? And that we can change? The good kind of change? The things that make every day worthwhile? What would be the point of living if we couldn't control our existence? Questions could continue to spiral on and on. But at least I know I have the power and the right to make things happen in my own life. And hopefully those decisions don't negatively affect someone else. It's just my way of adapting to change. The best and worst. What I can decide and what I must adjust to. After all, we all seem to be leaves on a bigger tree. We just happen to have two ways of making things happen.