Tag: Changes

I am SOOOOOO Ready!!

I am SOOOOOO Ready!!

Okay, so I see it has been since 9/15 that I have last posted, which is an insane amount of time, but I have to stop and just let you know a little bit about what has been going on in our lives. Oh man, 

Don’t Mind Me!

Don’t Mind Me!

Good evening! Don’t mind me! I am just making some appearance changes to my blog! I am hoping that these changes will make This Beautiful Life a more pleasant place to visit! You might notice a new layout, simplified sidebar, and a new header and 

Jumping Back In!

Jumping Back In!

Crown HeaderGood afternoon!

There has been so much that has happened between when I last posted, and today, that I am a little bit overwhelmed with where to begin, so I just thought I would take a deep breathe and just jump back in!

As previously promised, big, BIG changes have been going on around in my world!!

The summed up version…well… I have left my job, hopped into the world of consulting, and in July am preparing to leave my field of work in it’s entirety!

YEAH!!!

and OMG! What the heck are you doing you crazy person???

At least that is what my inner critic is saying to myself!

Listen you! I have got important work to do, so back off!!

Whew! Now I feel better! 😉

Well, last time we spoke was in February. Since then:

  • My sweetie and I have gotten ourselves out of debt.
  • I went to Brave Girls Camp, which deserves a post all on its own.
  • I have left my job that I had been at for almost 14 years
  • I started a consulting job that requires me to commute almost 5 hours every day but pays more than I ever dreamed possible
  • My sweetie is happily, and very successfully, if I might add, helping his brother grow his home remodeling business
  • I am in love with that man of mine more now than I thought was humanly possible – I think we have hit the bliss stage of marriage
  • I have gained almost 20 pounds since starting this job, 2 months ago (didn’t know that was possible), which is about 35 pounds more than my lowest weight, which means mama’s got some serious work to do
  • I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and will be able to start putting my own wants and needs back on my radar again; and that has been a long, loooong time coming!! 😉

My official plan right now is that after, July3 (my last day as a consultant), I am taking one entire month off!

No guilt!

No obligations!

No shame!

No blame!

This will be my time to get to know me again.

What do I really want?

No, I mean, what do I really, REALLY want?

How much sleep do I need to feel awake?

Which foods agree with me and which don’t?

What do I really, REALLY want to be when I grow up?

Do I want to go back to school?

Do I want to be an artist? If so, what does that look like?

Is now the time to start my business? What would that look like?

The list goes on and on and on and on and…well, you get the idea!

This is such a luxury to be able to take this break, and I truly feel blessed to finally be in a situation where this is possible. After that month off? I am not exactly sure what is going to happen, I am just going to be playing life by ear.

My purpose is to find my joy and then get out there and go live it!!

My husband and I have agreed that I will be taking a 6 month to 1 year sabbatical from a “J-O-B”, which isn’t to say that I am not going to be working, but it is not going to be a typical 9 to 5.

What am I looking for?

Joy

Vitality

Creativity every day

Authenticity in the work that I am doing

Freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want

Opportunities to work with dynamic and creative women who inspire me

Beauty all around me as a habit

Peace

Work/Life balance

A sense of contribution

A sense that I am know, that I am loved, and that I matter!!!

That’s not too much to ask for, is it?? 🙂

I know it will be a lot of hard work, but I am certain that I am well on my way! I can feel it down to my very core of who I am.

This is all going to be a very good thing!!!

Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated!!! 🙂

Here is to a FABULOUS day! 🙂

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

 

 

Is This What Crazy Feels Like?

Is This What Crazy Feels Like?

Good morning! I told myself, when I decided to start this new blog, that the only way that this would be beneficial to anyone, including me, is if I agreed to be 100% totally honest, and use my absolute authentic voice. No more “everything-is-perfect-all smiles-all-the-time” 

The Times They Are A-Changin’!

The Times They Are A-Changin’!

Good evening! My life is getting a little bit complicated. Ok, that might be an understatement.  I guess this is what happens when you are trying to live your life a little differently! You can’t turn your life’s ship without making some new waves!!! I 

Starting a Revolution!

Starting a Revolution!

Good morning!

I woke up in a great mood this morning. I am not sure if that is because I am on day two of my four-day weekend, or if it might be because I had such a good day getting my house back in order yesterday that now I am ready to get out and conquer the world!! 😉

You know I have been using the phrase “If you want a different life, you have to live differently” as my daily matra, and it has really got me questioning how and why I do everything.

Why do I have so much stuff?

Why do I spend so much time watching television?

Why am I not arting?

Why aren’t I doing the things that I know I need to be doing?

Why am I not living in the city I want to be living in?

Why am I not working towards my dream career?

Why am I not happy?

In asking myself all of these questions, I am quickly realizing that all of this is because of the choices I am making in my daily life. Not even just the big choices, but all of the small, seemingly insignificant choices as well. They are taking me down the path that is called my life, but unfortunately right now, I have been letting those things take me down this path while I have been numbingly on autopilot. It has just seemed safer that way.  Safer, but not better.

When I was a teenager I used to walk everywhere, and I really mean EVERYWHERE!!! I had filled out a questionnaire while I had worked for this small Risk Management office, and it asked how much walking do you do on a daily basis, and I remember answering something like 4 hours a day! and if I remember correctly, that was a CONSERVATIVE guess!! I walked to school every morning, then downtown to work after school, then to my boyfriend’s place, then back to school for practice in the evening, which had another two hours of walking a couple of times a week.

No wonder I had so much energy!!!

I was like the energizer bunny, and although I am about double the age I was then, I wonder what would happen if I started walking out of the need to get from one place to another again? Would it start a revolution? Would the masses rebel? Ok, so I don’t really have “masses”, but I wonder what my sweetie would think? Would he think that I have lost my mind? or would this just seem like another “Chrissy Transformation” that he has come so used to expecting from me over the years??

What if I were to completely remove the television from our living room?

Would we spend more quality time together?

Would we do more outings?

Would it make us happier?

Would we be bored out of our minds?

Are we those people???

Or is it me? Am I THAT person?

The answer to that scares me, because I know that I AM!!

I watch the world go by.

It seems safer that way.

Sadder, but safer.

I know that it doesn’t have to be this way, I am starting a revolution!! I am taking my life back! No longer do I want to play it safe, sitting on the sidelines watching as others live, laugh, and love! I WANT THAT FOR ME! I WANT THAT FOR US! I WANT THAT FOR MY FAMILY!!!! 😉

So, I am going to take it!! We only get this one life, and if I don’t start now, then WHEN??? So, today, right now is as good a time as any!!! My sweetie is going to take me to my old High School so that I can walk from there to downtown, just to see how far it is/how long that will take me, and I will meet up with him there. Then we are going down to the University so that I can FINALLY take pictures of their gorgeous historical buildings (I have lived in this city on and off for the past 24 years afterall!!!) that I have ALWAYS wanted to take!

I am a loooong way from the girl I used to be, but if I can borrow some of her abundance of joy, my life’s happiness would improve drastically!!! Wish me luck!!

Here’s to a FABULOUS day!!

 

“If you want to have a different life, live differently!”

Randomness Tuesday!

Randomness Tuesday!

Good evening! I thought I would share with you some random thoughts on this randomness Tuesday! I woke up this morning, with my first alarm, which is not something I have a tendency to do. I usually let the first alarm wake me up, but 

A Confession & The Night Off!

A Confession & The Night Off!

Good evening! I have a confession to make! I am tired, I have no idea what to talk about tonight, and I don’t wanna blog tonight!! PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE FELT THAT WAY BEFORE!!! Man, I really am sooo pooped!! (What an AWFUL expression!) 

Saturday of Decisions

Saturday of Decisions

I am not sure what to blog today, and I am not sure how long my PC is going to cooperate with me (I think it is on it’s last leg!), and I am a little blue this afternoon.

But…I guess the best place to start is that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my family! I live for them. Some of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE people are family members. I am learning that there is a time and a place for every thing and every thing and every place has a time. So when my sis came over and told me that she had made the decision to move back to AZ with her kiddos, I was really, REALLY torn. Happy and sad, both at the same time. I really want her to be happy. Really, REALLY HAPPY!!! Having her here has brought such joy, and optimism into my life. She is like home. I am sooo HAPPY that she is making the right decisions for herself – she is worth taking care of!! But, I must confess, I will miss her TERRIBLY!! It makes me want to move out of Salem too. I feel like this is a sad, lonely, and closed minded town. Maybe changes are coming for us too???

The show I am watching mentions decisions like this:

“People don’t seem happy where they are, they are looking for something better. The grass is always greener on the other side. ”

My thou ghts are, sometimes you may have to plant your own grass! 😉

It goes on to say:

“Frogs symbolize new life, new transformation. The journey from tadpole to frog. That is what any of our life’s decisions are all about, trying to make sure that we don’t die as a tadpole, we want to become full-fledged frogs!”

LOL!!! Thanks, I needed that!!! I may have to get out my book, Who Moved My Cheese?.

Oh, and hey – I LOVE YOU, ALEX!!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉