New Year, New Hustle
See you later 2018!
I am so ready for 2019.
It's been a long time since I have written a blog, so I figured it would be a good time to recap 2018 and talk about where I'm headed in 2019.
I am not going to lie, 2018 was probably one of the worst years of my life. But, when I look back on everything I've done this past year, I realize that it wasn't really as bad as it seemed. And things are getting better. I wanted to revisit the awesome things that happened and document this year so I can look back and remember I made it through.
In January 2018, Bryan was about halfway through his deployment. I was really struggling because I couldn't find a good job. Bryan ended up coming home for a week on a work errand, and we made the most of it by visiting my mom in Daytona Beach and a quick overnight trip to Disney. We also got to attend my grandfather's celebration of life.
February was a slower month, but I still had a few memorable moments. I helped plan a Valentine's Day spa evening for some spouses whose husbands were deployed. I also traveled to Charleston, SC for work with Military Child Education Coalition. I continued to work hard in the gym, and ended up losing the 10 pounds I gained after the move to Florida.
In March, things started looking up. I was hired by two different organizations and was able to work from home with both. I started with The Value of a Veteran, and the job seemed great, it was part time, and pay was decent. I also started my training with Pixie and Pirate Destinations, planning awesome vacations for clients. I joined a book club, which I really missed from California. I traveled to Newport News and Goose Creek, SC for work with Military Child Education Coalition. My mom came to visit me, and then I went back with her to Daytona and we took a trip to Universal Studios. I also decided to buy my stand up paddle board, which I LOVE!
In April, things were moving along great. I started volunteering with the Alzheimer's Association, helping with the annual Walk. Katie and Laura came to visit me for a few amazing days, and we went to a wine festival in Sandestin. I started pushing myself a little harder at the gym, and set some goals, like climbing the rope.
May was definitely a whirlwind. Bryan returned from his deployment and we had a lot of adjusting to do. I traveled back to Newport News for work with Military Child Education Coalition. Bryan and I also took an impromptu trip to Tampa Bay to see the Capitals win a playoff game.
June was probably the busiest month of 2018. It started out with a trip to New Orleans with Bryan's parents. I had never been there, and I LOVED it! I took a work trip to Colorado with Military Child Education Coalition. When I returned, Heather, Eddie and the kids came to visit us for a whole week. It was a blast! Soon after they left, Bryan and I hit the road to Daytona to spend a week with my mom, Aunt Joyce, Emily and the kids for the 4th of July.
In July, after we got home from Daytona, Bryan left right away for Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Alabama. I got to go visit him for a weekend and we visited the zoo. I also started training to work as a coach at my gym!
In August, Bryan and I made a big decision to buy a vacation property and purchased a condo on Navarre Beach. My friend Jen and her daughter came to visit from Illinois. I started volunteering as an election poll worker and worked my first election. I also made the crazy decision to sign up for the Disney half marathon, so I started training for that. One of my first short races during training was a sprint triathlon that included SUP instead of swimming, which was awesome!
In September, I did a lot of traveling! I started off the month at Disney and Universal for a training trip with Pixie and Pirate Destinations. It was AMAZING! We were fortunate enough to get a VIP tour and to attend the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I met my fellow teammates and made some awesome new friends. After that, I headed to Alabama for our annual Military Child Education Coalition training conference. Finally, I made a last minute decision (because of a $100 round trip flight) to come to Baltimore with Bryan for a few days! I also kept working hard in the gym when I was home.
October brought even more travel (what else is new, right?). Bryan and I headed to Busch Gardens in Tampa for Hallowscream. I participated in a 10k called the Wicked Triple as part of my half marathon training. We survived a hurricane, and were spared severe damage by a very thin margin. I met one of my gym goals of climbing the rope! Later in the month, we headed back down to Disney with the Cox family and then hopped over to Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights, which was my favorite year so far there!
November brought some turmoil in my work life. One of my jobs, the Value of a Veteran had a lot of financial problems and ended up letting go of all of the employees. Bryan and I had to rework our budget and figure out how to live on one main salary. I continued to look for work though and got extremely lucky when I was offered a position at Freedom Learning Group as an independent consultant. My gym had a HUGE gala to end an amazing Little Black Dress challenge. Bryan and I drove (yes, you read that right) to Baltimore for a 2 week trip to celebrate Thanksgiving! I kept training for the half marathon, even running in Maryland when it was 16 degrees outside!
December ended on a good note. I started my first few projects with Freedom Learning Group, writing curriculum and designing courses in Organizational Leadership for Colorado State University. It's great work, I do it from home, and the pay is great. Bonus- I'm finally using my PhD! We attended Bryan's cousin Brandi's wedding, where Bryan officiated the ceremony! Christmas brought tons of parties, a Ho Ho Hustle 5k, and a quiet Christmas at home.
We rung in the New Year at a small party in our friend's home. I continue to work my booty off at the gym and train for the half marathon which is in exactly 1 WEEK!! I still have some unresolved issues going on, including a possible legal situation with my previous employer Value of a Veteran, which I can't really go into until it's resolved, but I promise to let you know. I also have some health "stuff" we are still trying to figure out. I blogged about my rash, allergist appointments, large spot on my leg, and dermatologist appointments. In November I was informed that my bloodwork came back positive for some antibodies indicative of an autoimmune disorder so I am still pending an appointment with rheumatology, but I feel fine! I continue working with Freedom Learning Group, Military Child Education Coalition, my gym Coastal Fitness Training, and Pixie and Pirate Destinations, where business is BOOMING!
I'm happy to say goodbye to 2018. Next week we head back to Disney for the half marathon and in February, Bryan and I are off to Phoenix for the Waste Management golf tournament. I can already tell this year is going to be better than last year. Bring it on, 2019!
I am so ready for 2019.
It's been a long time since I have written a blog, so I figured it would be a good time to recap 2018 and talk about where I'm headed in 2019.
I am not going to lie, 2018 was probably one of the worst years of my life. But, when I look back on everything I've done this past year, I realize that it wasn't really as bad as it seemed. And things are getting better. I wanted to revisit the awesome things that happened and document this year so I can look back and remember I made it through.
In January 2018, Bryan was about halfway through his deployment. I was really struggling because I couldn't find a good job. Bryan ended up coming home for a week on a work errand, and we made the most of it by visiting my mom in Daytona Beach and a quick overnight trip to Disney. We also got to attend my grandfather's celebration of life.
February was a slower month, but I still had a few memorable moments. I helped plan a Valentine's Day spa evening for some spouses whose husbands were deployed. I also traveled to Charleston, SC for work with Military Child Education Coalition. I continued to work hard in the gym, and ended up losing the 10 pounds I gained after the move to Florida.
In March, things started looking up. I was hired by two different organizations and was able to work from home with both. I started with The Value of a Veteran, and the job seemed great, it was part time, and pay was decent. I also started my training with Pixie and Pirate Destinations, planning awesome vacations for clients. I joined a book club, which I really missed from California. I traveled to Newport News and Goose Creek, SC for work with Military Child Education Coalition. My mom came to visit me, and then I went back with her to Daytona and we took a trip to Universal Studios. I also decided to buy my stand up paddle board, which I LOVE!
In April, things were moving along great. I started volunteering with the Alzheimer's Association, helping with the annual Walk. Katie and Laura came to visit me for a few amazing days, and we went to a wine festival in Sandestin. I started pushing myself a little harder at the gym, and set some goals, like climbing the rope.
May was definitely a whirlwind. Bryan returned from his deployment and we had a lot of adjusting to do. I traveled back to Newport News for work with Military Child Education Coalition. Bryan and I also took an impromptu trip to Tampa Bay to see the Capitals win a playoff game.
June was probably the busiest month of 2018. It started out with a trip to New Orleans with Bryan's parents. I had never been there, and I LOVED it! I took a work trip to Colorado with Military Child Education Coalition. When I returned, Heather, Eddie and the kids came to visit us for a whole week. It was a blast! Soon after they left, Bryan and I hit the road to Daytona to spend a week with my mom, Aunt Joyce, Emily and the kids for the 4th of July.
In July, after we got home from Daytona, Bryan left right away for Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Alabama. I got to go visit him for a weekend and we visited the zoo. I also started training to work as a coach at my gym!
In August, Bryan and I made a big decision to buy a vacation property and purchased a condo on Navarre Beach. My friend Jen and her daughter came to visit from Illinois. I started volunteering as an election poll worker and worked my first election. I also made the crazy decision to sign up for the Disney half marathon, so I started training for that. One of my first short races during training was a sprint triathlon that included SUP instead of swimming, which was awesome!
In September, I did a lot of traveling! I started off the month at Disney and Universal for a training trip with Pixie and Pirate Destinations. It was AMAZING! We were fortunate enough to get a VIP tour and to attend the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I met my fellow teammates and made some awesome new friends. After that, I headed to Alabama for our annual Military Child Education Coalition training conference. Finally, I made a last minute decision (because of a $100 round trip flight) to come to Baltimore with Bryan for a few days! I also kept working hard in the gym when I was home.
October brought even more travel (what else is new, right?). Bryan and I headed to Busch Gardens in Tampa for Hallowscream. I participated in a 10k called the Wicked Triple as part of my half marathon training. We survived a hurricane, and were spared severe damage by a very thin margin. I met one of my gym goals of climbing the rope! Later in the month, we headed back down to Disney with the Cox family and then hopped over to Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights, which was my favorite year so far there!
November brought some turmoil in my work life. One of my jobs, the Value of a Veteran had a lot of financial problems and ended up letting go of all of the employees. Bryan and I had to rework our budget and figure out how to live on one main salary. I continued to look for work though and got extremely lucky when I was offered a position at Freedom Learning Group as an independent consultant. My gym had a HUGE gala to end an amazing Little Black Dress challenge. Bryan and I drove (yes, you read that right) to Baltimore for a 2 week trip to celebrate Thanksgiving! I kept training for the half marathon, even running in Maryland when it was 16 degrees outside!
December ended on a good note. I started my first few projects with Freedom Learning Group, writing curriculum and designing courses in Organizational Leadership for Colorado State University. It's great work, I do it from home, and the pay is great. Bonus- I'm finally using my PhD! We attended Bryan's cousin Brandi's wedding, where Bryan officiated the ceremony! Christmas brought tons of parties, a Ho Ho Hustle 5k, and a quiet Christmas at home.
We rung in the New Year at a small party in our friend's home. I continue to work my booty off at the gym and train for the half marathon which is in exactly 1 WEEK!! I still have some unresolved issues going on, including a possible legal situation with my previous employer Value of a Veteran, which I can't really go into until it's resolved, but I promise to let you know. I also have some health "stuff" we are still trying to figure out. I blogged about my rash, allergist appointments, large spot on my leg, and dermatologist appointments. In November I was informed that my bloodwork came back positive for some antibodies indicative of an autoimmune disorder so I am still pending an appointment with rheumatology, but I feel fine! I continue working with Freedom Learning Group, Military Child Education Coalition, my gym Coastal Fitness Training, and Pixie and Pirate Destinations, where business is BOOMING!
I'm happy to say goodbye to 2018. Next week we head back to Disney for the half marathon and in February, Bryan and I are off to Phoenix for the Waste Management golf tournament. I can already tell this year is going to be better than last year. Bring it on, 2019!
Reading your post feels like a whirlwind ! If you can't see all that you have accomplished in 2018 and still feel a little unhappy or discouraged by 2018 I feel ( I really don't know what to say here). I'm beginning to think you are a workaholic . Your achievements are amazing. Your workload and work ethics are amazing. I cannot believe you would feel disappointment in 2018 at all.I hope 2019 brings you great happiness and joy. I'm looking forward to reading your blogs, hopefully seeing you and Bry and living vicariously.through your year! Thank you so much for that. I love you. You amaze me!
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