Natural Beginnings

It has been over a year since my last post...yes an entire year! It has taken me some time to admit that through the work on my doctorate degree which gave me a new academic writing voice, I lost much of my creativity along with any time I might have had to post here. But.. I missed you. This time around, I will not promise posts every two days, or once a week, or twice a month. Instead, this year I want to do things more as I naturally feel they are right for me. So with that being put out there, I will post as I feel that the time is right. So to get started, and get caught up (as much as I can remember), here are some things that went down during my hellacious year of life in 2013!

1. I graduated from the University of Arkansas in May of 2013. It was a quick trip with my loved ones to the NWA mountains for a nice ceremony and lunch at one of my favorite guilty pleasure eateries The Catfish Hole! Upon returning to my beloved DFW Metroplex, my parents hosted a graduation dinner which turned out to be lots of fun.
2. Cohabitation- Yes, this lady who LOVVVED living alone and gaining more of an awareness of how much I enjoy my space and ability to decorate the way I want to, took the plunge and relocated with my man. The transition was anything but difficult, in fact it has not been bad at all. We love our new place, love fixing it up, love that it is ours, and love each other enough to know how to give each other some space to enjoy and relax.
3. Part-Time Blues- I am not sure why I called this the blues...but many people would think that it is. However as you know, I don't care what people think! In order to work on my finances and savings to put some of my longest held dreams and goals into action, I decided to take on a part-time job. From September - December I worked an extra 16-20 hours a week and needless to say, I damn near killed myself. I took some time to relax and think during winter break, and this year I am down to 8-10 hours per week. Although this has caused me to once again re-evaluate some financials, I have also learned a valuable lesson about my personal well-being, mental health, and that money isn't everything. I am now thinking about dropping the other gig all together, but will take some time to make the appropriate decision for myself.
4. Summer Time- Work kept me pretty busy from summer to fall, but I did have some fun along the way. This summer I...
1. Went to Maryland for an innovate work conference
2. Planned and Co-Hosted a family reunion in H-town!!
3. Traveled to San Antonio with my boo and a great couple of friends
4. Visited NOLA for a good friend's dirty 30 birthday weekend
5. Lived it up in New Braunfels and San Marcos shopping and visiting the amazing Schlitterbahn water park with my favorite lady, my mommy. 
6. And spent much needed time with family and friends all over the place
5. Two Best Memories- Again, the year was jammed packed with ups and downs, joys, excitements, weigh gain and loss, tears, and laughter. But I must say, that the absolute best part of it all were two of my favorite 2013 memories...
1. Attending the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, DC. It was a long trip, with expensive entertainment, food and travel, as well as some really cold weather. But nothing could compare to being there live and in person to witness President Obama being sworn in for a second time. This is a day and the weekend was an experience that i will never forget. I shared it with some great people, who I traveled with all the way from little ole BCS Texas
2. But even more so that Mr. Obama, was the best Christmas I can recall having....probably ever. Cooking, talking, laughing, eating, and playing games with family and friends was great, but even more so was the little event that happened after we toasted in celebration of my parent's 35th wedding anniversary... My Love Bryan got down on one knee and popped the question!! Yep, he proposed to me and the antique/unique/family ring and the experience were absolutely priceless

So I guess I can say that 2013 was a really eventful year, and even though I did not do all of the things I wanted to do, I did do quite a bit and I am so blessed to have lived to tell the story of another wonderful year. I cannot wait to continue to share the journey of what 2014 will bring for me and those I love. Thanks for continuing to stick around and put up with me. Laters!