Wow. Where do I even start? I feel like there is so much to update you guys on and talk about so I guess I\u2019ll just start where I left off. If you\u2019ve been following along, the last life update you would\u2019ve seen was my Red Cap<\/a> blog post as I announced my graduation from college back in November 2019. If you haven\u2019t read that one I recommend you do so, because I share one of my proudest moments, and I hope it can be a reminder to you to always be proud of all you have accomplished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got to walk across the stage on December 14th, 2019, with my red cap on my head and my chin held high. It didn\u2019t seem like a huge deal in the moment, but looking back, I am beyond grateful to have had that opportunity. It is one I will cherish for a lifetime\u2026 especially given the current circumstances which I will address a little later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the end of that chapter, the future was on my mind. How could it not be? I was excited to have this huge accomplishment under my wing, but scared to death of facing the life changing choices that were very near. Everyone talks about the \u201cgreatest 4 years of your life,\u201d and the friends you\u2019ll meet, and the memories you\u2019ll make\u2026. but no one ever tells you how it\u2019ll feel when it ends. No one ever tells you that you STILL won\u2019t have everything figured out. So, I\u2019m here to tell you. If you\u2019re graduating college soon and you feel lost and lonely and excited and confused, it\u2019s okay! It\u2019s okay to not have your whole life figured out – no one does. You\u2019ll get through it, just take it one day at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward a few weeks, and I\u2019ve applied to finance jobs, social media jobs, digital marketing jobs, and basically anything else I could think of because I had no clue what in the world I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Or did I? In the back of my mind has always been a career in blogging. 5 years of blogging (on & off LOL) helped me discover who am and what I want in life.  It\u2019s my passion. It\u2019s my dream. It\u2019s what I love. But with a family of corporate successes and a world where blogging is still not a widespread career field, I was afraid of what people might think. How would everyone react to the news? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first week of March 2020 is when I took my leap of faith. I decided to tell my closest family and friends my truth – that I was going to pursue my blogging career full-time – and it couldn\u2019t have gone better! Did it really matter what other people thought? No. But for me, this was just a reminder that I<\/em> was the only thing standing in my own way. This gave me the push I needed to move forward with a newfound self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just when things felt like they were moving forward, the world took three steps back. COVID-19 hit just like that – hard, unexpectedly, and all at once. We all quickly went from \u201cis this real?\u201d to schools cancelled, lives changed, and life lost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I continue, I want to make it abundantly clear<\/em> – I am among the very fortunate ones. I am healthy, I can still afford to pay my bills, and the people I love have not been severely harmed. That is more than I can say for a lot of people in our world. So, at this time, I feel extremely fortunate and extremely grateful. But nonetheless, this pandemic has indeed effected everyone, including myself, and today I\u2019m here to share my experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that the virus instilled boredom, uncertainty, and panic in everyone. For me personally though, it came at a very transitional point in my life. I just graduated college, I was exploring my career options, and trying to figure out not only my long-term plans, but also my short-term goals. Quarantine sent me back to my parents house, and even though I love them more than anything, you can imagine how different your life is when you go from living on your own for 4 years in a college town to living with your parents. It\u2019s an adjustment for sure. But life goes on. You figure out how to juggle time spent with several families, your new career in progress, and the uncertainty that is ensuing. And before you know it, it\u2019s been a month and a half of quarantine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 weeks into quarantine and it\u2019s May 2nd, 2020. Poor Cameron (my boyfriend of almost 8 years if you\u2019re new here) was supposed to graduate from college on May 2nd. He did in fact finish his degree, but as you all know, graduations were cancelled. Many were robbed of this meaningful moment, including some of my dearest friends. My heart breaks for them and for their families. So, although the ceremony was cancelled, their accomplishments will not go unnoticed. Class of 2020, I am PROUD of you and all the hard work you\u2019ve put in. No one can take that away from you. Luckily, Cameron is continuing his education in the fall, and will {hopefully} be able to have a real graduation when he finishes his graduate degree in May 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 2 full months of quarantine, we are trying to adjust to this \u201cnew normal.\u201d That means continuing our daily routines (in the safest way possible of course). Summer is here, and Cameron\u2019s internship is still happening, so we packed our bags for a summer in Chicago. We\u2019ve been in Illinois for 4 days so far, and all is well, but we\u2019re still acclimating. This state has barely started to reopen (unlike Georgia which had already been reopened for weeks), so we\u2019re working from home and taking walks outside as much as we can. I\u2019m happy to have my own space again and time to devote solely to the blog, but will we ever fully get used to quarantine? I guess only time will tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think anyone could have imagined we\u2019d be facing a global pandemic, much less any of the other struggles that came alongside it (quarantine, unemployment, recession, etc.). It\u2019s something we will all remember for the rest of our lives. It\u2019s been an eye opening few months, and as we head into summer and the months ahead, I\u2019m going to continue to be thankful, cherish the little wins, and make peace with uncertainty. I know we will get through this, it\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wow. Where do I even start? I feel like there is so much to update you guys on and talk about so I guess I\u2019ll just start where I left off. If you\u2019ve been following along, the last life update you would\u2019ve seen was my Red Cap blog post as I announced my graduation from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7265","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-lifestyle","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"yoast_head":"\n