Enjoying Easter!

Easter 2013

Addison coloring eggs.

It's been awhile...

I was surprised to see how long it has been since I created an entry, which is silly because one would think I would remember it's been awhile. As I begin to write I am reminded of the feelings of fear of my content which kept me away for so long. The crazy pressure I put on myself of what will others think? This is a theme that has made an impact on my life and in fact in recent time I am thinking it has made too much of an impact. We have all heard this phrase 'it doesn't matter what others think.' I heard it again today as I was explaining the importance of women in the workplace being recognized for their brains, talent, education & experience. The response I heard was 'it doesn't matter what others think.' To which I replied 'truth is truth.' I pondered for a bit and I have decided I can not accept this answer. We should care what others think and I care what others think. I want my children to care what others think. I want to be able to educate others on the truth and I want to learn from others as well. We should all be a little bit more concerned about what others think because only then can we make a difference. We must all work together to over come obstacles and help each other grow. Not turn the other way and think it won't impact me because it will & it does.

My family and I have recently gone through many changes in our lives. Some exciting news is my sister and her family have moved to Tennessee to be closer to us. I couldn't be more excited to share this experience with her, her husband and 2 beautiful children. It is great that our children are going to grow up together and create memories together as a family. Sharing Easter with Jennifer was amazing. It had been several years since I was able to spend a holiday with her and I loved it. Scott's family has been incredibly sweet and have participated in all the madness I have thrown at them to help me feel welcomed as a Haston and I love them more for it. I will say though it was great to have more family here and share a holiday in my home with my sister.

We all went to an egg hunt last week at church and the kids really enjoyed it. There were games, coloring and hair painting. Addison LOVED having pink hair!! Charlie and Maryam got rainbow hair and Jax chose an orange streak down the center! The egg hunt was a hit! The kids found a ton of eggs! So much candy! It was crazy... then we all ate pizza and enjoyed fellowship. It was a great feeling to introduce my sister to our church family. I have made such great friends and bonded with such wonderful people it was an incredible feeling to have my 2 worlds collide.

Professionally I have made some changes in my career... it was a tough decision and I thought long and hard about it. I have decided to resign as the General Manager of Tennessee Mobility. I left on good terms and I accomplished many revenue goals along with implementing several systems and processes that helped increase sales and booked service hours. I created strategic marketing innititives and executed comprehensive plans taking the company to new levels. I am happy with my accomplishments and I am ready to move forward. It was a very tough decision because I loved my job and I put my heart into the company. I realize now that I let it consume me and I started to lose myself. That is a pretty scary place to be. I believe the turning point for me if I had to pinpoint it was when I went to pick up Addison from Mother's Day Out and they didn't know who I was!! This broke my heart... my heart sank in my chest. I always wanted my girls to be proud of me for having a big job and I was so focused I lost sight of myself and what's important to me, my family. Once I got a grip and did some searching I started to remember my passion for marketing and creating full scale campaigns. I love creating projects, executing, compiling results and watching revenue grow. I really enjoying adding value in this way... so I headed out on an interview journey. I was extremely lucky and fell in love with 2 companies right away. One I was able to consult with and create a 2 year digital strategy along with several events. I analyzed their current strategies and created new content. I had an opportunity to design, write and create an entire special section focused entirely around spring fashions.  I was thrilled to be a part of it and I can't wait to see it published!

I started my new role this week as a Marketing Manager for what seems to be an awesome company with amazing people. I have really enjoyed everyone I have met so far and I am really looking forward to the changes that are coming along for me & my family. I plan to get back into updating my blog more often so I will include more details soon. This week has been company training and so far I feel great about my decision.