In this week’s friDIARY, I’m talking about all of the new beginnings I’ve been enjoying and experiencing lately.
I honestly can’t believe it’s already December. I blinked in September, and now it’s the last month of the year. My time in Ohio has flown by so quickly. It’s strange to think how different my life looked when I first got here.
I had no job, and felt so discouraged about being ghosted by so many companies. Now I’m working at a daycare and absolutely in love with working with children.
I had no direction for a career in my life. Now I’m going back to school to pursue a teaching degree.
I knew no one in the area. Now I’ve made a few friends on BumbleBFF and have even connected with some local bloggers (more on that below.
So much can change in a matter of months. Even though it’s been a rocky road, I’m so thankful for the things that got me to where I am right now in this moment. I’m finally happy with the direction that my life is going, and I’m confident in the career path that I’ve chosen.
While my life has changed a lot over the past few months, many of those changes have happened in just the past couple of weeks, like…
LEAVING MY OLD JOB
I had my last official day at my first Ohio job last week. I was working with 3-5-year-olds at a daycare, and I loved so many things about it, mainly my kids. It’s such a great age group, and those kids made me fall in love with teaching. I’m so grateful to all of them for the path they set me on to becoming a teacher, and they’ll never know how much I love and adore each and every one of them.
It was a tough decision to leave my old job, but logically, it just made sense, and even though it wasn’t easy, I knew that I had to be selfish and do what was right for me.
My last day was pretty amazing. I made sure I wrote cards to the parents of everyone in my class, and I sat the kids down and verbally told them that I was going to be leaving them, so no one was surprised when my last day came. I got a few gifts from my kids and their parents and a good-bye gift from the owners of the daycare. One family even baked me brownies (which Kyle and I definitely enjoyed). The kids drew me pictures and gave me lots of hugs, and it took everything in me to not cry on my drive home. It was a bittersweet feeling, but I know that ultimately it was the best thing for me to do because I’ll be able to focus on my studies and eliminate an hour and a half of driving each day.
STARTING MY NEW JOB
I started my new job on Monday, and I’ve been really loving it so far. I only have an eight-minute commute to work. They did a really great job with training, and even though a lot of information was thrown at me at once, it made me feel super prepared for what I was getting ready to do.
I spent the entire week training with various people and getting to know the kids I’ll be working with and what my job duties will be. So far, everything has been really awesome, and I’m excited about being part of such a big team. Everyone I’ve met has been so nice and so helpful.
Tonight, we’re having a staff Christmas party. I haven’t gotten the chance to meet everyone on staff, so I can’t wait to get to know my co-workers a little more in a casual setting away from work. Kyle is tagging along, so it’ll be great for me to introduce him to everyone too. We’ll be doing a white elephant gift exchange, and those are always so much fun.
BLOGGER BRUNCH
Last weekend, I went to a blogger brunch hosted by Amy from Honeyteller. It was a super last minute decision, and I’m so glad that Kyle encouraged me to go. I was so nervous because I’ve never been that great at networking events (#awkotaco), but this ending up being lots of fun.
There were about 20 local bloggers that attended, and even though I didn’t get a chance to have conversations with everyone, I made sure I connected with everyone on Instagram. Amy also created a Facebook group for us to connect, collab, and get together for future events.
I’m hoping that creating relationships with local bloggers will create some collaboration opportunities, both with bloggers and businesses. One thing I loved about living in Shreveport was that I was plugged into the community, and I created relationships with the local tourist bureau and local businesses. I hope that I can start doing that here. It’s so exciting to finally be living in a place with an active blogger scene. Plus I’m already scheming on hosting a Galentine’s Day event. I’ve been itching to host a good party.
THANKSGIVING IN CHARLESTON
I had the best Thanksgiving that I’ve had in a very long time. It’s been eight years since I’ve spent Thanksgiving with my family in Charleston, so I’m super excited that I was able to make it this year.
My brother lives in England, but he, his wife, and their daughter flew down to spend a month in Charleston. I had never met my brother’s wife or their daughter, and that’s one of the reasons I prioritized going to Charleston for Thanksgiving this year.
My sister-in-law, Flor, is an absolute sweetheart. She’s so fun to talk to, and she’s such a great fit for my brother. I’m absolutely obsessed with my niece (if you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you saw lots of photos and videos of her on my stories). I didn’t see her first step, but I saw her fourth step and then she made a few after. She’s super shy, but so sweet, and she loveloveloves to dance. She met Santa for the first time, and she was such a champ. My nephew cried his little eyes out, but the picture turned out cute!
This Thanksgiving was extra special because it was the first time my dad, my brother, and I have all been together since I graduated from high school ten years ago in 2008.
Besides spending time with family, Kyle and I made sure we made the most of our time in Charleston. We took a quick walk on the beach. The water was freezing cold, and Kyle tricked me into getting my feet wet. It made for a cute photo though.
We also went ice skating at Carolina Ice Palace and drove to James Island to see the Holiday Festival of Lights.
The last few weeks have been so special. There have been lots of changes and new beginnings, and I can’t wait to see what awesome things come from them.
What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this week?
friDIARY is a weekly series where I share tidbits about my life along with [probably too many] unfiltered photos and random thoughts, including the not-so-happy ones. Check back every Friday for a new post! Click here to read my friDIARY.
