My Big Adventure

Hi long, lost, friends!

I sat down to write (after about 6 months of being out of the word zone) because I feel kind of excited today, maybe like Pee Wee, without the pervy connotations?  Tomorrow, I start my BIG adventure!  It is probably my most exciting, unexpected, opportunity yet, career wise.  Thinking about it makes me smile and a little scared all at once; isn't that the sign of a good choice?  

You see the last 6 months I have been working in a position that didn't turn out to be a good fit for me.  It wasn't my gig.  I am grateful for the really wonderful people I met and things I learned; but for me it created a level of stress in my life that just wasn't what I needed.   I also was traveling constantly and that was something, that although I have done in the past, not while being married...so there's that.  

My new opportunity will give me new challenges and should allow me tap into the things I do best. There is an energy and what feels like "providence"  in this career move. It has been forever since I have looked forward to going to work and it seems like time has been crawling up to tomorrow!!!  I am, of course obsessing over "what should I wear on my first day?"  It feels like the night before the first day of school.  Please send good wishes and prayers my way!

Where, Oh Where, Do I Start?

Wow…six months can bring a world of changes, hmm? 

I went into 2020 planning to return to the blogging world on a regularly schedule, only to have to stop.  THAT is another topic all together and one I probably will not be discussing but, alas…it has passed, and I can move clearly into my life…MY LIFE…beautiful words.

It almost seems as if so much has happened I should use bullet points!  I am not even sure where to start... 2020 began quietly with nothing special on the horizon, or so it seemed.

Then Covid-19 arrived.  Nope…I did not see that one coming!    

  
All the while Covid-19 was rattling the world, my dear, sweet baby boy was entering his last semester of high school and this crazy pandemic turned his world upside down. Right in the middle of what is usually some of the most fun and memorable moments of your high school career, he was literally and figuratively “grounded”… but not by me!  He and his friends were troopers, though, and social distanced and wore/wear masks and they made the best of not seeing each other for weeks on end.  

His college orientation weekend was canceled and rescheduled to be an online experience.  He didn’t get a last day of school, yearbook signing, goofy senior pranks, Awards Day or prom…but he did get graduation!  As May came into view our school made the decision to schedule graduation and it turned out different, but beautiful, and very special.  Though we celebrated with a limited amount of family and friends, it was still so nice to have something sort of normal!

When Covid-19 began making waves, I was working in a job I  liked, in an industry (Hospice) that I admire, and think is very important.  I must admit, working in the medical field, even outside of direct patient care, was quite unsettling as Covid-19 rolled in and shook everyone up.  Outside of my view God was at work in my world and He, out of the blue, presented me with a career that I had always wanted, working with a fabulous team of dedicated professionals and the opportunity to give back directly to MY community in a way that I had missed with my previous position in which I was traveling all the time.  It was a gift I never saw coming and I was excited  to be back “in town” and not being on the road so much!

 

So...I guess this is bullet point 1!  I will be back with bullet point 2 of 2020 soon!

Well, I have been to Vegas...

I did make that trip to Las Vegas for work a couple of weeks ago and haven't had a chance to write about it because I have been working, working, working!  My week in Vegas was truly a work week and by the time I was home I was completely, totally pooped! Then Monday came and the whirlwind which appears to be my new normal started.  Oh, and did I mention I have gone back to school as well?

I was curious if I would like Las Vegas at all, since I really never had any desire to go to the city, but I did have a good time. I learned so much workwise and met more great people than you can ever imagine.  Of course, I took pictures so you can see my favorite parts of Las Vegas....

I stayed at and  my company's event was at the MGM Grand Hotel, which is like a small city in itself.  It was beautiful and was filled with tons of shops, restaurants, entertainment and, of course, gambling! Due to it being a work function I think I saw day light once that week!  

 

 Even though I didn't get to spend much time outside, I got to see lots of pretty lights at night....

 

But by far, my favorite thing was so very unVegas!  It was a handmade soap shop that had me drooling.  Yes...drooling!  I had to go in it, every chance I got just to smell, look and be amazed...

It was just too much!!!  And of course, I did spend a little time doing some late night retail therapy!

Yes, the jacket came straight home to South Carolina along with a few other goodies!

 







My biggest surprise about Vegas was how small it truly is.  There are a lot of suburbs, but the actual "Vegas" you always see on TV and the movies seems so much bigger on the screen than it is in real life (I guess that is a Hollywood trick?)  I was expecting this monsterous city full of skyscrapers and crazy traffic.  Either way, I can finally say "Vegas, been there, done that."

Worklife....

This week finds me working from a location I have never really wanted to visit but here I am.  Let me tell you...there are more light bulbs than at GE!  Welcome to Las VEGAS! 

I will be here all week in meetings and conference activities for my job but I plan to have a little fun as well.  Maybe I have never mentioned that I love my job and my industry.  What girl doesn't like playing with clothes, jewelry and make up....and getting paid for it?  Sometimes I look around and can't believe I have been so blessed to have my job and how much I love it.  It stretches me and challenges me and gives me a peak into what can be.  I have learned so much about myself and my abilities in this position.  My Co-Workers are fantastic as well, providing guidance, encouragement and support.

Though,  I won't be popping any money into the slots, I will be experiencing some new and fun things this week and hopefully I can share with you!  Have a GREAT day!!!!

What a long 2 weeks it has been...

I have to say the last two weeks have seemed incredibly long to me...as if someone stuck an extra four days in the middle of each one.  We started last week on a high note with a fun Memorial Day Celebration.  I love having a house full of friends and family and it was a wonderful way to start the week...then work happened.

Not to say that I don't love my job, because I do, but when you try to cram 5 days of work into 4 it never seems to work.  Not to mention, I got some very good, positive news from work last week but that same very good, positive news also has made my mind practically explode as I try to wrap my mind around what it means for my career.  Honestly, had I know this change was coming, I would have taken a couple of days off after Memorial Day to just clear out the filing cabinet in my head!  Now, I am flying by the seat of my pants and trying to organize twice as much as before.  Luckily I work with a great team of women who are supportive and I am leaning hard on their experience and expertise! I also have a very good friend who is literally an organizing guru and I shall be "borrowing" some of their time for literal organizing.

This past weekend flew by #1 because I worked an event for my job on Saturday morning (and also picked up 2 gorgeous original art pieces that I need to share in another post) and my little guy was sick on Sunday.  He was also sick on Monday with a fever and just felt bad all over so that kind of threw me into a funk and started the week on shaky ground.  Thankfully, today he seems back to his 150% self.  It is a challenge I am still not quite comfortable with when either of my boys is sick and I have to work.  That is my #singlemom  challenge I think...well, that and figuring out just when to grocery shop. 

So, chalk this up to the most boring blog post ever but the past week or so have been crammed full of work, house cleaning, sleeping, work, church, the boys, cooking, laundry and a plethora of other "exciting" things!  I promise my next post will be more fun...maybe about my recent trip to Kiawah Island and my first trip to the magical Angel Oak on James Island? 

I have done some good reading this past week, though, which is rare in my life these days.  It seems since my world changed a few years ago I lost the ability to read a book. Books have always been an escape for me and I am so happy to finally be able to lose myself in one again.  Though right now, I seem to have several going at once!  Oh, and I can no longer stay up all night reading...this whole grow up working girl thing has cut into that.  :-)

Here's to a week filled with smiles and days sprinkled with sparkles!

Sparkle has not left the house!

 

Yes, I disappeared!  It has been a crazy couple of months filled with football, fun with friends & work. We have had so much dreary weather I have been in kind of a funk so I have focused a lot of work.Work is good in that way.  I can dive in and hide behind it while my mind doesn't have time to dwell. . 

  

Oh, and if you are wondering...it is STILL raining in South Carolina....STILL.  That has not helped my funk one single bit.  There are areas where people have still not be able to return to their homes from the flooding weeks ago.  I think it is the general consensus in SC that WE ARE SICK OF RAIN!

 

But, I am not loosing my sparkle again....just spending some time polishing it up.