Taking the Reigns!

So much has changed for me in the last month and I couldn’t be happier about the direction I am going and all that is ahead!  I will try to keep this blog updated with the different adventures coming up; so feel free to check back for updates!

A quick recap on how I got to where I am today: I started a job in January 2011 with hopes and dreams of what could be; but, a year and a half later I had to throw in the towel.  To be brief, it just didn’t work out.  I tried.  I tried for a long time.  But, it just wasn’t didn’t work.  And, in an effort to stop living a life that made me so unhappy, I finally took the reigns and made the necessary life changes to try to find my happy place J  My last day at work was June 1.

Why Germany you ask?  I have actually been thinking about Berlin for two years now and only put it on the back burner when this last job opportunity came to light.  It seemed like such a great fit for me, so I had to give it a shot; but when I realized that I needed to leave my job, I knew this would be the best chance for me to make plans for that move back to Europe.  And, ultimately, after much thinking and researching, I decided to give myself a few months stateside to hop around and spend time with my family first.  My twin sister, Meagan, inadvertently helped me lock-in a deadline for quitting my job because once I spent some time with her little baby girl shortly after her birth (on our birthday!!), I decided that I wanted to spend some quality time with them by being Mary's nanny for the first two weeks that Meagan went back to work.  By making that commitment, I was locked in for some “Professional Aunt” duties and was forced to get my butt in gear with the rest of the arrangements!  After about five stressful weeks of packing, moving, working, floating (I got to live in the most beautiful treasure of an old house in DC for my last month in town!), more working, more moving, goodbyes, etc.; I finally really got to begin my adventure on June 10 when I brought the Greyhound down to Norfolk. 

The last two weeks have been nothing but relaxing, peaceful, stress-free and wonderful.  And after the last year and a half…all of those things are so very welcome!  Having the rare opportunity to spend two weeks with Meagan (something that hasn’t happened since we graduated high school!!); and, even more special, to take care of my now three month old niece, Mary, has been priceless.  I spent my days singing and reading to her and just being with one of the sweetest little babies that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing…and what could be better than that??  Singing her to sleep and watching her as she dreams; listening to her coo and try to talk or sing-along; helping her stand and dance along to the music that we would listen to (Goyte, The Avett Brothers, Disney songs, Fleetwood Mac); having her sleep in the baby bjorn, her body pressed up against mine and her face smushed into me as I walked on the beach and smelled the fresh breeze….all of these moments will be with me for such a long time.  Such precious moments that we don’t normally get to have, at least not for such an extended period of time….and I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to have each one of them. 

I also feel so grateful that Meam and I have grown back together after a few slippery years in which we fell apart a bit.  There was a time when we couldn’t be together for even half a day without arguing and wanting to escape each other; but, we have been working the last few years on building our friendship, relationship and sisterly bond back to a better place.  And it makes me so happy to know with all of my heart that we have most definitely accomplished that.  Now, we can spend two weeks together with nothing even close to an argument…and the thought of saying goodbye tomorrow brings tears to my eyes.  I wouldn’t want to escape this and all of these loving, easy, happy moments for anything….but the start of another adventure awaits me tomorrow…so I must go.  

A big thank you and so much love to Meagan, Mary and Paul for making the first two weeks of this journey such wonderfully simple and amazing ones.