I haven't written in a few days; I know I know, I'm terrible...Again! I've actually been battling a really bad cold for the past week. I was hoping and praying it wasn't the flu, and I still don't think it is. I'm finally getting a little better and in much better shape to get back to my writing!
So this post is a little overdue. If you've kept up with the last few posts I've written, then you've heard me say on multiple occasions that I was going to write a post to update you all on the many new things that have happened in my life over the past year and a half.
I started this blog back in the Summer of 2015. I wrote a post or two, got super excited about blogging, and then it all just stopped. Work happened, life happened, and basically my blog fell by the wayside. I got so consumed with my job that I had absolutely no time for anything else. Funny thing about me, when I'm working at something, I put my all into it; 110%. And unfortunately I learned a major lesson that making your job your whole life isn't always the best thing. I learned that maintaining a work-life balance is crucial for your sanity!
So the job I was working at was the job I got right out of college. I set out to work my way up within a company, and I did just that. I started from the bottom, and worked my way on up the ladder. For those that don't know, I got my BBA in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of the Incarnate Word in May 2012. Shortly after I graduated I got a job with an advertising agency, and that was all she wrote. Kidding!
Last year, January 2016, something major happened. I finally paid off ALL of my student loan debt. Phew! I'm a goal oriented person, so my plan was to live at home with my mom after college graduation (which was awesome by the way because my mom is my best friend) I was going to live at home while working full time, save money, pay off my student loans, and then look to buy a house. Buying a house for me just made more sense. I had no need to rent an apartment and waste my money, when I could just save and wait for something better, like purchasing a home, which is a much better investment than an apartment. I know most people don't have that luxury of living at home, so I feel very fortunate to have had that chance to do so. So Jan. 2016 rolled around, I paid off all of my student loan debt, then I started looking for a house. Most people will look for a house and their search lasts a while. My search lasted about a week, ha! The first week in February 2016 I found the house I wanted. It was perfect. A one-story, single family house, white Texas stone on the outside, located in the neighborhood I wanted to be in, located on a cul-de-sac which is what I wanted, it had a green belt located behind the backyard which was perfect because then no one could build behind me. It was just the perfect scenario. Everything checked off my list. So, boom! I made an offer. And of course they accepted my offer and I closed on my very first home on March 16, 2016. That's the day I got the keys to my very first home!
The house needed a lot of work. The previous owners rented the house out, and the last tenant was this "bachelor-pad" type guy who worked out of his house, he was incredibly messy, he had tons of cats who used the floor as their restroom. Basically, the house needed to be gutted, and that's exactly what I did. I ripped out all of the carpet and got hard-wood floors in the living, dining, and foyer, and new carpet for the bedrooms. I repainted the entire interior of the house, got all new doors and knobs, got a brand new kitchen consisting of new cabinets, all new appliances, new sink, new faucet, new counter-tops, new back-splash, I got new bathroom vanities, new toilets, and I think that's it. Hope I'm not missing anything! And then I got a brand new bedroom set, a brand new living room set, new TVs, and of course lots of new decor. In my next few posts I plan on writing all about my home decor. So stay tuned for that!
The whole process was a lot of work, stress and money. But I'm a determined person. When I want something, I'll make it happen, no excuses. All of that got done within a span of about 5 months. It's crazy to think because when you're in the midst of it all, it seems like it's taking forever to get completed, but looking back, the things I did to my house, most people do over a span of 5, 10, 20 years! And I did it in 5 months! Nuts.
That same year in the Fall, I got an unexpected surprise. The company I was working for was having some severe financial issues, and they unfortunately had to make the decision to let a few people go so that the company wouldn't go under. I was one of the people let go. It was surreal at first, I mean I had been there for 5 years. Blood, sweat and tears went into that job, literally. But, in all reality, that's business. It's cut throat. And in the end, companies only look out for themselves. Everyone's dispensable. What I didn't realize at first is that it was a blessing in disguise. I learned a lot with that company, and I'm grateful for my time there, but at the end of the day, it was a job. It paid the bills. But I wasn't happy....at all. I was miserable, for many reasons. And I felt I was too young to be so unhappy. I'm a true believer that God didn't want me there any longer. I was losing myself. My time there had expired. And while it was a hard pill to swallow at first, I completely understand why it happened now.
During my new-found freedom, I decided to do new things. I rekindled old friendships, I finally had time to be with the people that mattered most in my life. AND.....had I not been let go, I wouldn't have gotten the best thing of all....my 3 new fur babies! If I was still at my old job, I would have never thought to get 3 new puppies. But on a whim, I thought "why not?!" and in December after Christmas is when we got Sadie, our first fur baby, and then the 1st week in Jan. 2017 we got the other 2 fur babies, Maggie and Mollie. They're amazing. They're the light of my life right now, and I just can't get enough of them.
Another new update that just occurred as of tonight is that my brother just made an offer on a house and they accepted it! So he'll be getting a new house too! And what's funny is this time last year I was getting my house, and a year later now he's getting his house. My mom had a proud moment tonight.
It's been a whirlwind, but honestly, I constantly have to remind myself to take a step back and realize how blessed I am. God has always taken care of my family and I. Always. My faith in Him has never been stronger than it is right now. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us!
Until next time, loves, ciao!
Xoxo
