Happy New Year!!

Hey Everyone!

I know that I have been a little MIA lately… I’ve had so much going on… to the point that I was literally trying to keep my head above water. Thankfully things have calmed down considerably for me and I am now back in business!  So on that note…. 

Happy New Year Y’all!!!! 

I know what you’re thinking… It’s only October, what is she thinking??? Well I’m so glad you asked!! Let me tell you! 

Today is my birthday and the beginning of a NEW year for me in MANY ways! I am so excited to be entering my 38th year. My 37th year was one full of growing, learning, stretching and tough experiences (more on that later). But it also had some wonderful, amazing, awesome experiences as well! It started out tough, honestly speaking, but ended on an AWESOME note! I’m so excited to say that on the “eve” of my birthday there have been a lot of “news” for me. Here we go….

New Growth

I’m so excited about the new beginning that this birthday represents for me personally. Where I was a year ago and where I am now are night and day! Last summer was one of the hardest summers I had for many reasons. Many things changed for me especially in the area of relationships. Out of those changes, I learned that Jesus is the only real true friend. And that He will be there when you feel so alone. I also used that time to regroup, refocus and reset my focus and priorities. I put goals into place, and am so happy to say that I was able to meet them. More on that later… Many times what feels like separation is really elevation and transformation. Even in my season of being “alone”, I was able to grow tremendously as a person, woman, wife and mother. I’m grateful for this season because it has strengthened me and really helped me to come into my own. Not only that, but has helped to strengthen my relationship with the Lord. So while the last year has had some major challenges in this area, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
One thing this past year has taught me is to really depend on the Lord in EVERYTHING. So many areas of my life were tested and tried, but when I remained focused on the bigger picture and grateful for what the Lord was teaching me and how He was forming me I found that things began to turn around for me. I’ll be honest with you all… I wasn’t always grateful and positive. Many times, I found myself focusing on the “bad”, but when I fully released my situation(s) into the Lord’s hands, it was then that HE turned things around for me.

New Position 

Last year was a really tough one for me professionally as well. Without going into too much detail, I’ll just say that it was hard to go to work every day. It got to the point where I started to go to therapy because of what I was dealing with on a daily basis. Starting therapy was one of the BEST decisions I made for myself. It was so helpful to have someone validate my feelings and help me process through them. Not only that, but also provide important tools that would help me get through each day. Sidenote: I’m at the point where I am looking to start therapy on a regular basis. Not because things are rough anymore, but because it helps so much to have someone help talk you through the various things you are going through and how they are affecting you.  To be honest with you, there were many, many, many days when I would come home exhausted from the day and all that I had experienced that I would not have a lot of energy for the rest of life’s demands. Okay, that was actually most days. I was always stressed and it was definitely affecting my relationship with my family. I knew that something had to change. And thankfully something did! With that being said, I was able to get a new position this year and I can say that I am loving it! I’ll be honest though, I interviewed for so many different positions that I didn’t think anything was going to come through for me. But when I stopped trying to do things in my own strength is when the tides turned for me. This new position has def been a learning curve, but I am now doing what I envisioned myself doing in the long run. When I got my degree in special education, the population that I saw myself working with later on down the road is the population that I am working with right now! I’m telling you, when the Lord does things, He does them WELL!! I can testify of His faithfulness and goodness! So that brings me to my next “new”. 

New Address

Yep! Your girl bought a house this summer!! I can’t begin to tell you all how awesome it feels to have a place to call my own! After 12 years of being in the MD area, It feels so good to finally be able to put my roots down. A lot of people say the home buying process is so stressful, but honestly, it wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be. It was actually really fun and enjoyable (thanks to our awesome realtor Casidy. If you’re looking for a realtor, she’s great! Let me know and I’ll send you her info.) We love our home and that we now have space to spread out. We are still getting settled and deciding on decor, but we’ve been able to do some things here and there. It’s so much fun decorating and putting our own touch on things! I’ll have to share how things are coming together as we go! We did the apartment living for seven plus years, and were grateful for the spaces that we had. That was what we needed for the season that we were there. But I tell you, having a home has done so much for me. I love that we have the space that we need and room to grow. And no that’s not one of my “news”… yet!  

New Hair… for now…

This is a fun one! As some of you all have seen, I am now wearing my hair “natural”. I did the natural thing some years back, but haven’t revisited it since then. I wanted to do something with my hair that would allow me to wash and go. I also was in the process of trying to save money (buying a house is not cheap!!!) so I decided to give it another go. I was a little nervous because my hair was shorter this time around and I wasn’t sure how the shorter look would go, but it’s been working for me! I’ve gotten so many compliments, and I’m actually really liking it myself! I feel like I have a better idea of how to take care of it, so I’m definitely feeling more confident with this look. I am VERY interested in trying the new natural hair care line from Tracee Ellis Ross. It looks like it would be good for my texture. If you use it or know someone who does, I would love to hear their thoughts on how it’s working. 

New Developments

So I know the last time ya’ll heard from me, I was in the process of completing a DNA test.  At the time I had shared that I was doing this, things got really hectic for me and I did not have the chance to share the results the way I had planned to. The results are in and I can’t wait to share them with you all! Things have happening behind the scenes in regards to this and I’ll be sharing the new developments with you all in addition to the actual DNA results. Let’s just say that I didn’t see some of this coming! It’s all part of my journey and my story, and I am so grateful for the tools that allow me to fill in the blanks so to speak. I’m planning to do a FB live video to share all of my Ancestry DNA updates/developments. You won’t want to miss it! I’ll be sharing a date and time soon, so stay tuned! 

Well that is all the “news” I have for today. While I am grateful for the lessons that 37 taught me, I am so excited about all the things that 38 will bring me this year. I’m truly grateful for the blessings of the Lord. It reminds me of this verse:

The blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

Proverbs 10:22 NKJV

I am truly blessed, not with material things, but with the things that money can’t buy. I am grateful for the gift of family, relationships, peace, love, joy and the list goes on.

But I’m also grateful for YOU!! Thank you to everyone who has traveled with me on this blogging journey. Thank you for caring, for your kind words and encouragement! You all mean more to me than you know!

Gr8fully Yours,