Re-Connecting to What Brings Me Joy

I've taken a break from blogging. I fell away from it one day in an all of the sudden type of way. I felt like it became more of a chore than anything and that not many people were looking at it, so I stepped back. A lot has happend this year and I've grown a lot in some areas and have fallen away from what I used to love in some other aspects of my life. So, Here I am. I dyed my hair blonde because I needed a change (and blondes have more fun, right?) I'm 5 weeks away from graduating from college. I'm planning a wedding. And now I'm writing again in an attempt to re-connect with what I used to find happiness in. 

Does this ever happen to you? Something stops making you happy, so you let it go only to find yourself missing it down the road? 

I'm guessing this happens to the best of us. I'm going to use this post as a spring board. To reflect on some of the changes over the past year and as a first baby step towards blogging again, and hopefully creating again.

First of all, Alec and I adopted a lovely, handsome cat. He used to live under a bush outside of our apartment and now he spends every night cuddled up with us and our other cat, Meowzers. We immediately fell in love and we like to think the feeling was mutual. We named him Romeo Catulet and he ended up being a missing piece in our lives that we didn't even know we were missing.

 This is a photo of Meowzers and Romer in our old apartment. 

I also turned 21 this August. Now I'm part of the real world and can go wine tasting and be fancy.

We went to the Adirondacks for a camping trip with my brother, his girlfriend, and my mother. I've really come to love camping and hiking over the past year. Something about being outside surrounded by God's beautiful, green Earth and breathing in fresh air just makes my heart sing. Just the thought of exhaling as I take in a beautiful view without the rush of everyday life getting in the way makes me feel more comforted. I love the slow pace of the Adirondacks. How most shops close at 4 pm so that everyone can relax. How connected you can be with nature there. I love it all. Not to mention the "Adirondack Pine" scent that you can even take home in candle-form to re-live when real life takes over again.

We did some wine tasting in the Finger Lakes. I look forward to more of that. The day this picture was taken, Alec tried french onion soup for the first time and said "This is so good. I want to baptize my child in this." Now we always order french onion soup together every chance we get and are constantly on the hunt for the best version in the area.

I experienced my first football game ever!

Alec and I celebrated our 5th Christmas together. We actually moved home for several reasons at the end of November. We wanted to try to save some money for the wedding and start growing our roots back in our hometown instead of in the college town we were living in for school. This winter has been a very difficult season of life for me. We had to take all of our routines as a couple and combine them with three other people when we moved back home and this has proven to be a very challenging shift. I also am commuting to school which takes a bit of time and energy, but only have 5 more weeks left until graduation. So, this is more of a transition phase for us and we've learned a lot about overcoming different obstacles together. 

Alec and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. We celebrated with more french onion soup, wine tasting and a marathon of Grey's Anatomy. Romantic, isn't it? We thought so. 

I've been exploring my passion of childbirth a lot this semester. I'm writing a thesis on alternative methods for pain relief during labor and even looking at midwifery schools to attend. The biggest struggle right now is finding a nursing job in labor and delivery so that I can start doing what I love for a living as soon as possible. 

I've been trying and failing at eating healthy and working out. I've gained so much weight since we moved home because we stopped eating all the healthy, natural foods I cooked at our apartment and started eating 3 carb meals and lots of processed foods and fast foods now that we live with my family. I know I'm in control of what I eat but it is NOT easy, especially with how busy I have been with my last semester of nursing school. I'm hoping and praying that this gets easier as the weather gets warmer, but it is to be continued. 

We also went to Puerto Rico for spring break. Alec rode on a plane for the first time in his life and I overcame my fear of snorkeling! Last time I went snorkeling I had a panic attack mid-swimming because I saw a jelly fish and a barracuda.  This time, though, I loved it. I'm really proud of myself for that and hope to do it more in the future. 

Finally, I have been trying to re-focus on Yoga and have started the journey of trying to become a Holy Yoga Instructor. (Stay tuned for more on this later!) I've also been very involved in doing my Bible study and trying to read the entire Bible this year. It makes me feel so renewed and refreshed when I can just hand over my anxieties to The Lord and know that He will handle them. 

Thank you for listening to my story.