At 22 I got engaged, landed my first REAL job in my field, and lived on my own. At 23 I planned a wedding, had the best 2 month seasonal job of my entire life directly following my first (and had that moment that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life), had to face some tough decisions, got married, had a honeymoon and made a huge move. 24 has brought on the life of being a wife, living on my own 1,000 miles away from my hometown, my family, and my friends, having to live, breathe and think together as a couple, scoring an amazing job at a museum as a research assistant, and the amazing changes of starting a new life together. This past year has had some of the most incredible changes, lessons, and experiences that actually making being an "adult" worthwhile, as it's been something I've really been dreading as age comes with responsibilities and independence. It's really surprised me how much being an adult isn't half bad. The key is to follow your passion, not care what other people think about you, don't let other people tell you what to do with your life or who to be, and just trust yourself and let things fall into place. Fall in love (with the right person), do things you love, and be the person YOU want yourself to be. Just honestly, I really like it all. This life. It's great. Living in north Florida where the winter is mild, where local citrus is always available, and where we live in a fun, cultural, college town surrounded by natural areas to explore and endless opportunities for a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, I have no complaints. I would assume that Josh agrees.
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| Us one year ago |
It's really amazing what can happen in just one year. Just one year ago, we were bundled up in Cape May, living on our own in a dead shore town in NJ, where we could see the sunset every night on a deserted beach and watch library movie rentals every night. The house was covered in inches of snow where I woke up at 4 or 5AM to drive through unplowed snow and ice just to get to a retail job that corporate would never close. I popped out custom paintings one by one, identifying myself as an artist since my "winter" job (there are no opportunities to frolic with shorebirds or butterflies in the dead of winter up north) at Petsmart was not exactly my dream job. I looked forward to the future where uncertainly lied, and I didn't have a clue what living Florida would be like. But I needed a change and was falling into a funk of a daily routine and actually welcomed change, which was something I always dreaded. Next I scored a job as a zookeeper, was ecstatic, yet shortly after gave that opportunity up when Josh was accepted into a Master's program in wildlife ecology at UF. I also had to give up 2 other job opportunities I could have taken due to bad timing. I really hung on, pushing through day after day, panicked about future jobs, searching endlessly and day by day and I was constantly paranoid I would move to Florida and be unsuccessful. I forced myself to focus on the wedding. My friends threw me an amazing bachelorette party, my family and friends put together an incredible bridal shower, and then of course, the wedding came along right in the middle to divide up my personal struggles and hurdles of the first half of the year with the drastic change leading to paradise and happy newly wed and purpose filled living as a fresh new start in the second half of the year. Our big day was absolutely perfect, so much I wish time could have stood still. Only one week after, Josh and I made the biggest move of our lives together, and I strung along every item I owned with me down to Florida. We fell in love with Florida (we mutually decided we never want to live in the cold again!), had a honeymoon, and the timing worked out perfectly that I gained an opportunity helping with research at the Florida Museum of Natural History right after we got back... then slipped into a full-time position as a research assistant. I now live a life where we love our life together, both do something we enjoy, successfully support ourselves financially, have the opportunity to visit those back home often, have an array of 4 legged (or finned) pets, and we just couldn't be happier. I do have to say, it's been a great full year, both fulfilling and successful for both of us.
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| Us now! |
Cheers to a good year moving to the past, and here is to looking forward to what 2015 will bring! I do hope that whether you had an amazing year you have to top, or a not so great one you want to put behind you, that this New Year will only bring you success, happiness, and health, and the strength to better yourself to all you wish you can be!
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