welcoming the new year.

As the new year approaches, the majority of us have begun to vocalize or write down our new years resolutions. We've thought about how we will better ourselves, how we will improve and what we'll do differently. To be frank, 2012 was a tough year for me. It really tested me in a lot of ways. From being laid off from work, moving to an entirely new place and deciding to pursue a completely different path, my emotions ran high. I decided to follow my heart and listen to my gut, which can be a rather scary thing. With that being said, I wouldn't trade 2012 for any other year. I am so happy I experienced the things I did. It has made me better, it has shown my humility and it has inspired me. This year my resolutions will not include losing 5 pounds or anything of that sort. For this year, I am happy with who I am and what dress size I wear. I will not add a trivial note to my list. My list is a lot simpler this year, 2013 will be filled with much laughter and much love and lots of red lipstick.

Tonight you'll catch me wearing these beautiful black onyx earrings husband surprised me with. (I think Dan thought it was time I switched it up from my pearls) Red lips included.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!

xo,
Michelle

busy little bee

Hi friends. How are you? I'm fine. Well, to be honest I'm exhausted. I've been running around like a mad woman, getting ready for the holidays and interviewing for what I like to refer to as my "dream job." Seriously, it's my dream job. And guess what? I got it. I landed my dream job. I couldn't be happier. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to reach my goal. From personality tests to second and third interviews, I almost feel like I need a vacation after all of that! ;)

In all seriousness, I am so grateful. I cannot believe this is happening to me. When I got the call I was feeling a bit low. After my third interview I was told I would have to wait 2 more weeks to hear back and to be honest, I wasn't too thrilled about waiting that long. I was anxious. I was nervous. I was a whole mix of emotions. I was expressing my anxiousness to my husband, we were standing outside, he started hugging me and telling me I would hear something soon... and then my phone started ringing. I looked at my phone with slight confusion as I tried to make out the number. Is this someone I know? I hesitated for a moment and then started jumping up and down. I was so excited, I almost forgot to pick up. 5 rings in I answered with a high pitched, overwhelmingly excited, "Hello." It had been 20 minutes since I left my interview. I was congratulated over the phone and accepted their offer. Tears started to roll in and my husband began twirling me around in his arms. Kissing me on the cheek and telling me he knew I'd get it all along. 

I would just like to give a big shout out to my family and friends who've supported me throughout this dream catching journey. I am so blessed to have such an amazing support system. Not to mention, I may have married into one the best families ever! Dan's family is incredible and it feels so nice to live close to them. 

So here's to following your dreams, living life with passion and never giving up! 

xo, michelle 

in the pursuit of...

Lately, I've been a little down in the dumps. I feel like this month has put me on an emotional roller coaster with no means of escape. My poor husband. At the end of the day I catch myself thinking, "Oh goodness, how does this man handle me!" To be fair, I've been under an intense amount of stress. ;) Being a 20 something year old can be tough. I feel like I'm in the process of making these huge, life altering decisions and I'm constantly questioning myself as to whether or not the path I'm following is the right one. How do we know? Do we follow our hearts or our minds? Because let me tell you, my heart and mind are in constant debate. They rarely agree.

I've been talking a lot to my grandfather about life. It's meaning. And what he's learned. I love talking to my grandparents. They always give me this sense of awareness I can't find anywhere else. They are so grounded and speak with such wisdom.

I have always been so concerned with the prosperity of my professional career that I sometimes feel it keeps me from living in the moment. I'm always thinking about the future. And although it's good to do that, I'm learning that I need to find more of a balance. I need to learn how to enjoy the journey. And holy cow, it's so much harder than it sounds. I'm what I like to call a "worry-er." Maybe it's because I'm the oldest sibling, who knows. But I worry. Even about silly things.

So this is me, trying to find balance in a very complex, complicated world.

I stumbled upon this article a while back and it really inspired me. An Australian nurse compiled the top regrets of her dying patients. The list is as follows:

1.) I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected from me 
2.) I wish I hadn't worked so hard
3.) I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings
4.) I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5.) I wish that I had let myself be happier

here is the link to the article...

At the end of the day we have a choice. We can choose to be happy and proactive. Or we can choose to be boggled down by imaginary expectations and create our own madness. I choose to be happy. That's what I want to be when I grow up. Happy.