A Season of Transition

“God wouldn’t allow anything unless, it has a purpose.” Sharing all the good and bad transitions and circumstances the last year has brought.

Well it sure has been a minute since I’ve written one of these. I’m not sure if anyone reads blogs anymore, or will even read this. But here it goes.

So much has happened this past year, I don’t even know where to begin. It’s been a year of transition and personal growth, a lot of ups and downs, and I think looking back it will probably be one of the most pivotal years of my life.  

With that, I always find myself wanting to come back to this space. No matter what is going on with me personally, this blog, being creative, sharing my passion and love for decorating and DIY, is something I just need in my life.

And honestly, that’s regardless if people are here to follow along or not. But I hope you all do stick around and pop in when you want to, because a lot of you have been around for over a decade, and I appreciate that more than you know.

So, here I am. Ready to be vulnerable, ready to create, and ready to just enjoy this space again, when I can, however that looks.

Mental Health

Let’s just rip off this band-aid first. In July of last year, I made a decision to get off of a medication I was prescribed four years prior for post-partum anxiety. It did its job, but I think I was on it too long and didn’t love how it was making me feel. Which happened to be just plain emotionless.  

When I discussed this with my primary doctor, she instructed me how to wean off in just two weeks. Well, I was very uneducated and naive to really anything related to SSRI’s, and had no idea that stopping it could potentially cause withdrawal symptoms.

Thus began a year of absolute wreckage on my mental health, and my body. I will spare you all the side effects and details, but let’s just say, this past year has been nothing short of a battle, mentally and physically. And still is.

To cope, and after being continually gaslit by my primary doctor, I have started a new health journey in functional medicine. I’m only a few months in, but it has been a great experience so far. I’m learning a lot, and taking a ton of supplements to help level out what my body was lacking. I just wish this option was more affordable for people who need it as much as I do.

I’ve started therapy for the first time in my entire life. I was hesitant, and it’s also something very new, but so far I have some great takeaways from it. So I look forward to continuing that as well.

I have a lot of work still ahead to get to where I need to be. But I just wanted to say, your mental health matters. And advocating for yourself is so incredibly important. And I hope if you ever need to, you fight for your health like I am right now.

Finding Faith Again

In the midst of the last challenging year, something good has come out of it. And that is a complete surrender to and renewal of my faith.

I’ve always had God in my life, but not like this. I made a last minute decision to go on a three day woman’s retreat with my church, not knowing a soul, not knowing what to expect, and to say it was life changing is an understatement.

Since then, I have picked up my bible and started to actually read it. I listen to a lot of Christian music now, and that alone has gotten me through some dark days. I connect to music so much, I always have, so it has truly been a game-changer for me.

I turn to Jesus first now. And I’ve never done that before.

So, even through the struggles, something good always makes a way. And if all this was just to connect more to God, I’m more than okay with that.

A New Job

Something else new, because this year apparently is all about change, I started a new job and have been back in the working world for about eight months now.

For the last six years I have had the absolute privilege of being home with my two girls. It’s something I will cherish and be thankful for forever.  

They are both in school full time now, so it was time to go back. The routine of it has been good for me, even though I miss them terribly. It’s been one of the toughest adjustments of this year, but a necessary one.

It makes time more limited to fit in for this space, and to be creative. But I’ve realized I absolutely must make time, because it is just a part of me that I can’t change, and the desire to create has never lessened.

Endless House Projects

I may have paused sharing, but I’ve never stopped working on our house. There have been subtle changes, and some big ones coming.

We started the process of finishing our basement that will add two more bedrooms, another bathroom, office space, and open family/play room. I’ve poured into making our girls rooms magical, and have a long list of other updates to work on.

When we bought this house, we never planned on being here for the past thirteen years. And now, I can’t imagine leaving it anytime soon. It’s not our forever home, but it’s one we love for right now. So taking the time to really make each space work for our family has been my priority.

Turning 40

I said this year has been a pivotal one, and it isn’t lost on me that it’s also the year before I enter a whole new decade. I turn 40 in February, and I knew I wanted to put in a lot of work on myself before then.

I didn’t expect all the challenges that have come, but I know they are all teaching me lessons that I’ve needed to learn for a while.

To not care what others think about me. To grow in my faith, and build a solid foundation with Jesus as my center. To work on not being a perfectionist, that has cost me a lot of opportunities in my life. To learn how to manage stress and anxiety on my own. To focus on my health, after years of neglecting it. To focus on what truly matters in life.

I have so much to still work on, but dare I say I am thankful for the struggles that are getting me closer to who I want to be.

And thank you for being here. I hope you still find some sort of inspiration here, and make it back when you can.