Didn't mean to leave on such a "cliffhanger" for so long. Good news! No Covid-19 for me! I got my phone call that it was negative. And for all those wondering.... my chest doesn't hurt anymore, which makes me think it was either stress related or just seasonal asthma which is apparently a thing! Either way I have a dr. apt to figure out what's going on. It's no fun getting older. Lol!

So let me seamlessly segue into another bit of news. I'm moving! HA! Seriously my life is coconuts right now. Honestly, I know I'm eligible for unemployment assistance, and I know my job has every intention of bringing me back full time, but the smartest move I can make right now is to minimize my bills as much as possible and right now the biggest bill I pay is monthly rent. 

You have NO idea how bummed this makes me. I seriously LOVE my apartment. It's featured in my About Me section on my site because my home is such a big piece of who I am. However, I know me, and I KNOW I can make a cozy home wherever I am. I'm also seriously bummed to say goodbye to Nashville 😭😭😭. This city has been home for the past 10 years and I can't believe I won't be a Nashvillian anymore. ☹️ But I won't be too far...

The plan is to move back home with Mom and Dad to my hometown, Sparta, TN!!!

Spartans love: Lester Flatt, Church, El Tapatio, Bluegrass, High School Football (Go Warriors!), our Drive-In Theatre, and Liberty Square celebrations.

Ok, so it's actually pretty cute right? It's definitely a small rural town, but I have to say I love it. It's going to be a major adjustment for me but I am SO grateful to have parents that are willing to take me back in. Actually, tbh, they're super stoked. ;) 

So, yeah, I am moving out at the end of this month. 

Ohhhh my goodness. Things are crazy, but I'm not freaking out.... yet. I realized this morning on my walk that my life seems to run in 4 year life-changing cycles. Every 4 years since 2008 something really drastic has happened and changed my life.

• 2008: A tornado hit my college and altered my course
• 2012: I married
• 2016: I divorced
• 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic / Moving

 I'm glad to recognize this pattern. Now I'll be prepared for 2024 lol! 

Wow... it is AMAZING to me... that just a few days after writing my very first blog post about embracing an imperfect life that I've been thrown a major curveball. Two curveballs actually! Let's go back, 24 hours ago.... (harp music plays as we flashback)

Yesterday morning (May 6, 2020). I wake up.... my chest is tight and hurting like it had been days before. I decide I'm going to go get tested for COVID-19. My symptoms could be a myriad of things, but since we ARE in the middle of pandemic I decided it's better to be safe than sorry. So I get ready for the day and hop online to message my boss that I will be offline for a couple hours and told her why. Minutes later she calls.... along with my boss's boss. LOL one part of me was like "Whoa! This escalated quickly! They really care!" (which they do!). They asked about my symptoms and going to get tested n such.... then after a brief pause I hear the "Well, there's no easy way to say this." haha. SO I knew immediately what that meant. 

Basically my company, just like many others right now, isn't doing so hot and they had to let go of a bunch of people and reduce a ton of hours. I work in Marketing as the Creative Director for this company, and unfortunately there's just not a lot of marketing and selling happening out there right now. So my hours have been drastically cut. From full time to 12 hours to be exact!! Y'ouch! This happened, mind you, as I was literally packing up to go get tested for the Coronavirus!! LOL oh man my life... 

I literally can't stop laughing about it and that may sound weird and so disconnected like I'm in denial, but honestly? I think something inside me was already preparing me for this. I mean I literally just wrote about embracing a Wabi Sabi lifestyle, where things are GOING to be imperfect. If you look up Wabi Sabi art, you'll commonly see a rustic pot that had a crack running through it that has been beautifully filled in with gold leafing. I imagine me as a a little rustic pot right now, except i'm currently laying on the floor still split apart. LOL haven't made it to the gold leafing part yet, BUT I'll get there! 

I'm very grateful to have so many people in my life that support me. Even sending me food and alcohol yesterday!! (That's my kinda people). They've also been offering comfort through words. One of the go-to's seems to be,

 Haha oh man.... things are going to be OK though! I've already made a to-do list which helps me break things down so I don't get overwhelmed. I'm going to start cracking on that and just take it a day at a time! Should know my test results in a couple days, so I will just keep laying low till then. I don't feel defeated, I know this is the beginning of something new as well as the end of my current season and even home I'm in. It's definitely a weird combination to feel sad and excited at the same time, but that's where I'm at! 

​-E

 So, let me start this off by saying. I am not a blogger... or well I guess I technically am now, though I've never been one before. I have zero expectations for this blog, other than to use it as an exercise in articulating myself and as practice in "putting myself out there". 

Maybe it's the pandemic and end of the world as we know it that has spurred me on, but I've recently felt this... pull... to not hold myself back any longer. I imagine it sounds a lot like the voice that sings to Elsa in Frozen 2! lol. Like many other creatives out there, I tend to be the only one in my own way. Whether that's painting, writing, socializing, emoting, sharing, etc... the list goes on and on. I'm the one that holds myself back, no one else. 

Recently, I had a chance to open up to someone that I've had feelings for for a very long time. Long story short, the feelings weren't mutual. LOL, but that's ok! I was bummed, of course, but after a good cry I feel nothing but overwhelmingly proud of myself for truly representing ME and voicing my feelings. It's an amazing feeling! And it got me thinking, what would it look like if I applied this same authenticity into every aspect of my life? The quote on my homepage is, 

I have loved this quote for most of my life, yet I feel like I've lived most of it as a quiet little bird. I know I am creative, I know I'm driven to learn and keep improving, I know I'm not the best but I know I'm worth putting myself out there. So, here we are! Giving this (along with many other new endeavors) a go! 

Being authentic is messy and hard and might even open up more doors with more messes hidden, but I'm ready to tackle this Spring cleaning. The Japanese have a term for finding beauty in imperfections, it's called Wabi Sabi. And the basic principle is to accept your imperfections and make the most of life. So here we go, and let's see where this Wabi Sabi life takes me! Or better yet, where I take it! ;)