Whoa. What a year. As I look back from the time I started this blog on April 24, 2013, till now, it kind of knocks me off my feet. This year has been an absolute whirlwind, full of ups and downs, tears and smiles, opportunities and closed doors.
The new season of my life started in a flash: Christopher and I got engaged on April 28, 2013. Two days later, Christopher was accepted into pharmacy school...in Savannah. Two weeks later, I graduated
college. Two weeks after that, I moved to my own place in North Georgia and away from my home in South Carolina as my family was getting ready to relocate to North Carolina, nine hours away from me.
Fast forward a few months, and my family and all I've ever known is crumbling around me. The perfect picture of what I thought I ever wanted for my future was shattered; more like ripped from my hands and shredded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Couple that with living a day away from the people I so desperately wanted to protect, and five hours away from my fiance, and I wonder how I even functioned some days. The amount of tears and feelings of loneliness I've experienced in the past ten months are things I hope I never have to experience ever again.
Needless to say, this year has not turned out to be anything like the one I expected when I started this blog last April. I suppose if you don't have expectations, you avoid disappointments, but I've not managed to make that work for me. I feel like if you don't have expectations, you don't have a focus or a plan, so how do you get things done?
As always, when I let go, God steps in. Prayers for guidance and focus, as well as to be close to loved ones have been answered. I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a position at the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce as the Communications and Special Events manager! I will be relocating back to Statesboro in just a few short weeks to join an amazing community that I love and have missed. I am incredibly thankful for the experience I've gained during the past year, but am so excited to be back with all of my best friends and only a short drive away from my fiance! Finally, I can say I am once again looking forward to the upcoming changes in my life with positive energy--I can't wait to see what comes next, and hope you'll continue to follow along with me.
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| My sweet new home in Statesboro |
I thought I was a pro-mover. Having moved every two years growing up {and sometimes on only three weeks notice} taught me the importance of throwing things away before the movers pack trash in a box, and organizing things to be packed in the way you want them to be unpacked. But see here's the thing: we had movers. While I did move three times by myself in college with friends' help, and moved last year with my family's help, moving all by yourself is a totally different experience. I keep looking around with no idea where or how to start, especially since I've spent maybe five whole minutes in my new house. Last year I spent time in the apartment, looking at the floor plan, and plotting where everything was going to go. This time around, I'm not totally sure my kitchen table will fit in my kitchen.
This weekend, Christopher and I had the pleasure of attending the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce 2014 Gala at the Russell Union Ballroom at Georgia Southern University. We attended last year when I was interning there, but went this year to kick off my new position at the chamber. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed seeing all of the people I had worked with in the past, and everyone was so welcoming. The food and drinks were really amazing, but we can't stop talking about the music performed by the Atlanta Pleasure Band. They were so good! They kept the crowd engaged the entire time, playing oldies and more recent stuff too. So much talent on that stage. It was a really fun night, and a sign of more fun things to come!
I'm super excited about moving to Statesboro and all of the fun activities I have planned: walks with Layla through Georgia Southern's campus, shopping at all my favorite places like Walker Boutique, eating at all of the new little places that have popped up in the year since I left, and hanging out with my best girlfriends. But I'm really looking forward to taking tennis lessons this summer! I tried to pick it up in high school, but never really had consistent instruction. In addition to learning the skills, I can't wait to get some of the cute gear. Now to find my pink tennis racket that I haven't used in about three moves...after I browse through some Tennis-piration from Pinterest!
