Things have been incredibly insane lately. After our anniversary trip in late July, I felt like our lives sped up to 10000 miles per hour (mph).

I’ve been here before – WE have been here before.

I have been commuting to College Station for work since last summer. During this time, Jose and I were debating on where to purchase our first home. We were stuck between moving closer to our families or staying in the city. We considered every pro and con, and as you know, we chose to stay in the city.

This decision drove me to start searching for a job in Houston. And let me tell you, it has been a process – a long one.

I am excited to share the process is officially over. Beginning this week, I’ll begin working in Houston again. It feels surreal to see it in writing. I cannot believe we are finally here – the chapter we have been patiently waiting for ever since we knew we were going to purchase a home in Houston. And although I love to share the positive with you, I want to share the dark moments too. I want to be transparent as possible because if you are in a similar situation I want you to know you are not alone.

This past season was one for the books. I learned so much about myself, marriage, family, and business. I don’t even know where to begin so I’ll just break it piece by piece.

My family

If you have your loved ones near you, hug them tight. Don’t take them for granted. Visit your grammy, have lunch with old friends, schedule a cocktail hour with your sibling, or simply have dinner with your parents. Life is way too short – stop acting like they’ll be here forever. Stop making excuses to visit them. If you don’t have them close to you, give them a call. Send a text. Schedule a FaceTime call. Don’t wait. Don’t wait until you’re not busy. Life never seems to slow down.

I am pretty much in tears thinking about the time I spent with my family while I was in College Station. I did my best to be intentional during my time with them. I gave life advice to my little brother about school, friends, etc. I encouraged him to pursue his dreams about becoming a professional gamer (that’s a thing, you know). I told him to follow his dreams because he is the creator of his life. When I was with my little sister, I gave her advice on money. I encouraged her to not be so hard on herself as she completes her final year of graduate school. I told her “they” don’t expect her to know it all. I also picked on her and had a few sister “fights”. I lectured her on The Bachelor and how it all works. I believe we also had a few coffee dates and deep life chats. She’s my favorite person to talk to about the brain and how humans operate. Sister – if you’re reading this, I love you. Thank you for being an amazing human. And to my other sister who’s now a new momma, thank you for giving me my first nephew! I loved being able to see you while you were pregnant. I loved asking all the questions I wouldn’t ask to any other person because they’ll think I am so weird. I loved her random visits at work. And best of all, I loved being able to see my little nephew as often as possible.

Oh man, don’t even get me started on my parents (aka dad/stepmom). These people are insane and I love them for it. Insane in a good way. We are always laughing together. I love my Dad for making me coffee every single morning. I love my momma for cooking dinner every single evening. I love how they always kept their fridge stocked with wine. Good wine. I love how pampered I felt when I visited. I seriously felt like a Royal Princess. God bless them. God bless them for dealing with The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise. God bless them for dealing with an episode (or two) of me being terrified to sleep in the guest room (will NOT get into this, LOL). God bless them for dealing with my sarcasm and smart comments. God bless them for everything they do for my siblings and I. They know how much we love them.

Every Wednesday, we would eat breakfast at my grandmother’s house. What a blessing. I enjoyed chatting about life with grammy and aunts. I loved getting to know them on a deeper level. We eventually named ourselves The Breakfast Club. Every single Wednesday morning, I’ll be thinking about them.

What can I say, I am eternally grateful for my family and the time we spent together. I will cherish them for as long as I live. I am excited to host and welcome them into our new home in the near future!

Business

Well, well, well, what can I say. You can never learn enough about business and how to operate a successful one. I grew up in a house of entrepreneurs. My dad has always been one, I have a brother who owns his own business, my grandmother had her own business in Mexico, the list goes on and on. The lessons I’ve learned through these people, mentors, and friends, I’ll take them everywhere I go. I have an entire list of podcasts and books to give you if you’d like to learn more about business.

During this time, I was also able to monetize my blog. You probably remember this was one of my goals for 2019. I was ecstatic when I made my first dollar last month. This would have never been possible without you. Thank you for being a part of this journey. Thank you for supporting my goals. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My goal is to provide valuable information. It could have taken another year, or two, or five, I would’ve still blogged. I would do it for free because I finally found my creative escape. This makes my soul happy. Writing and sharing experiences fulfills me. Sharing my outfit details makes me excited! Giving you recommendations on which blouse, jeans, bed frame, or jewelry, to purchase is my jam! I have enjoyed connecting with you on a deeper level this year. Thank you for trusting me – I seriously cannot thank you enough.

Myself

Boy, oh boy, I didn’t expect to overcome my anxiety of driving on the highway. It isn’t perfect but I feel so much better compared to last year.

In December 2017, I was hit by a reckless driver on my way to work – he literally t-boned me on the highway while going at least 60 mph. Thank God, nobody was seriously injured. After a few sessions of physical therapy and massages, I was back to normal.

My body was back to normal but my anxiety was on a whole new level. Back in May, during Mental Health Awareness Month, I realized something. The wreck from December caused post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I never tied the symptoms to PTSD. Anyway, it was easy to discover this past season was meant for many things, including overcoming my fear of driving on the highway. It was a little torturous, but hey, I am still here. It remains a work in progress but I have come a long way. And for this, I am grateful.

Exactly one year ago, my little fur baby’s health slowly began to deteriorate. To this day, it remains as THE hardest thing I’ve had to go through as an adult. It makes me sad to remember those days because it was so hard seeing her slip away. I hope to come to a place where I’ll be able to share about that experience without completely sobbing. What I want to share for now is, this past season was also meant to be there for her. I was blessed to be there every step of the way. Literally. I was able to be with her 24/7 to take care of her and help her. God knows how much I miss her so I love when she appears in my dreams to visit. I know I will see her in heaven someday.

Marriage

So where are all of my ladies who are in a long distance relationship? Or were in a long distance relationship? I get you, I feel you. We were not exactly in a long distance marriage but it certainly felt like it. We always looked forward to Wednesday’s because it was the day we would finally see each other. It may sound crazy to some people, but those days away from my husband, felt like eternity. You can bet we were super intentional about our time together.

But on a serious note, want to test your marriage? Decide to purchase a home during your most insane/craziest season while traveling or working in a different city/town. That’ll tell you a lot about each other. This test will either strengthen your relationship or show you the weak points.

Listen – our marriage isn’t perfect. Nobody has the perfect marriage. There’s always room for improvement. The past couple of weeks were filled with pressure. Pressure from our jobs, family commitments, and everything that comes with buying a house. It was intense. We had many phone call meetings about everything with everyone. We had nonstop text conversations about furniture, appliances, etc. I did hours of research about every decision. On top of this, I was applying for jobs and having interviews. As you can imagine, I had moments of rejection and breakthroughs. I had days of pure peace followed by pure madness. It was not easy but we pushed through until we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. And for this, I am thankful.

This wraps up what I’ve gone through since late July. This explains my inconsistency, acne, and meltdowns. I feel nothing but thankfulness for this chapter. I took away many lessons that will serve me in the days, months, and years to come. What a great time to be alive – did I just quote Drake?

If you are in a season of change, or feel conflicted about what is your next move, I encourage you to really evaluate your state of thinking. Are you aware of your thoughts? What is the story you are telling yourself? Are you being negative? What is your perspective on life? What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Are you in a state of thankfulness? Do you give thanks for the hard moments? Are you victimizing yourself?

Our state of mind is everything. Our outlook on life is everything. Be careful with your thoughts, the words that come out of your mouth, and the actions you take. Everything manifests into real life. There is a favorite quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer and it goes like this, “The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” The best way for me to translate this is, your life is a true reflection of what’s happening inside your head. I hope this encourages you to shift your perspective if you are on the negative side of things. However, if you are on the positive side of things, and you are living the life you love, let’s keep spreading the love and knowledge.

Last but not least, be thankful for the insane moments. There is a lesson to be learned in each one. Also, thank God (or whatever you believe in) for closed doors. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but in the end, things always fall into place. Take comfort in knowing everything will be okay.