It has been 1 year since our journey began with our move from the golden state to the orange state, and I mean orange... We have had an eventful year! I'm sitting hear reflecting and I'm overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I have started living in TN just recently and by that I mean I have stopped acting like I'm on vacation. Hahaha! This has been a year filled with lots of first and we have had some great times! I remember the day I first landed in TN with Justin and it was raining! It was the middle of summer, it was so hot, humid and raining. Since then I have learned that it rains here all year long, its not a big deal and it won't last long. Oh and "we need it." I have struggled with this blog post for awhile now and i think it is because I feel the need to reflect. Like most people I find this scary... the truth, how I feel, did I make a mistake? It can be hard to look at ones life and actually think about it. I'm not going to make some BIG announcement and say that I like it here, so if that's what you are waiting to read keep on waiting. I'm not saying I don't, I'm just still waiting.
The girls have gone through the most transition. Charlie Mae just had a wonderful birthday party and it was incredible that so many friends and family came! Last summer we had just moved here and we only had family to invite and they were awesome and came...this summer she had 14 kids at her party! It was great, we all actually had friends over. It was also a blessing that my family from California was able to make it. Little Charlie has grown so much over this past year. It blows my mind. She went from needing a potty seat to her first day of school, not needing a straw to drink, finally sliding down slides, riding a bike to wishing she was 16 so she could drive. Addison has probably changed the most. Last summer she couldn't even sit up on her own. This summer she is running through sprinklers, talking/yelling, and smiling all the time. She really has a wonderful disposition. She is so pleasant to be around. Addison and Charlie remind me everyday what life is about. They define love for me. They sure make it hard for me to work full time...
I've been working full time at The Tennessean for one year now, and I'm happy and so grateful to have this job. I love what I do on an every day basis. I have received several awards and and have exceeded my revenue goals 9 months in a row. I went through 3 months of training where it didn't count. I have survived 3 rounds of intense layoffs, I've had 5 days of furlough, I've been managed by 2 people and I have been a part of 2 complete team restructures! There has been a few instances where I didn't like the way issues have played out and after I spoke with management and expressed my ideas, complaints, and suggestions... they impressed me by siding in my favor. This showed me that they value me as an employee and see me as a part of future plans. I have learned a tremendous amount about cutting edge digital solutions and have managed to continue to learn through monthly team trainings. I was a part of 2 major new business adventures that have kept us as strong competitors in digital marketing. Don't get me wrong, this is a very stressful job. It is all deadline driven, extremely fast paced and my revenue goals are high. I have to have extremely high activity levels to reach my goals and I need to be very strategic about how and where I spend my time.
Scott has been busy too. He still has his partnership with Handyman Connection and he started his own company Haston Home Improvements. He has been working fairly steadily for the past several months. We are hoping he will start getting bigger jobs. When we get back from vacation, we plan to do some advertising and some more marketing. If he could get bigger jobs it will take some of the pressure off of me. He has enjoyed this past year for sure...
"The FOUR seasons", was always Scott's answer to the question "what do you miss most about Tennessee?" Me when I'm asked "what do you miss the most about California besides family?" I always answer with "the weather!" Classic Sarah & Scott, we have always been opposites! When I think about the four seasons and Tennessee I just have to think about the bugs! I hate all the bugs. The mosquito's last summer ate me alive! I was allergic of course and I would get giant welts every time I was bit. Then this spring we had the awful cicada invasion. That was just crazy. They were so loud, they had big red eyes and they were every where. Oh they were awful. Now we have every bug you can think of...I will say the fire flies are pretty cool to see. I like to watch them from the kitchen window but still they are pretty cool. Scott and Charlie have caught a couple.
So my thoughts on Tennessee, if you are still reading this... I think sweet tea is sugar water and will just make me fat! I learned that "bless her heart" is usually a back handed comment, small town politics are very dirty and its all in who you know. I've learned that when I'm not sure what to say, "God Bless" and "Go Vols" are always appropriate. Ive learned their is a difference between southern and country. I can tell you I feel better today then I did last year. At least now I know when the leaves begin to change, fall is here an even though I will be cold, I now know it will get colder! I will remember gloves are needed, scarfs are no longer simple accessorise. Tornadoes are very much a real thing and a safe room is where you want to be when those loud sirens go off. When it does snow, you simply drive on top of it. Sleet is freezing rain, and black ice is a frozen road. I will say that I am going to commit to living in Tennessee. Of course this level of commitment came from my ster... Just her being here made me me realize I'm not living here emotionally. We are currently leasing a house and our contract is up in October. I think if we decide to stay in this house for at least another year we will find it easier to move in. I'm always thinking about moving on and whats next that i cant focus on living today. That is something I need to work on. I'm going to pick out some paint colors, hang some Sarah stuff on the walls and maybe even plant something in the yard. Here's to another year in TN... let the experiment continue.
