...I guess this is what happens when you work 7-days a week.
I realized the other day it's been a while since I had written my last blog post and after logging on, I see my last blog post was IN JANUARY. WHAAAT?!
Yeah...a lot has happened in the last month...I mean 9 months............I moved, got a new job, went to a couple weddings, started a new venture, took a little vacation, moved again, learned a couple life lessons, and *POOF* here we are in November. Anyway...
I re-read my last post and could feel how hopeful I felt back in January. I had made a mental note to myself to write one blog post a month--at the LEAST (I'm laughing at early 2019 Molly). I recovered from my second-year-in-a-row sinus infection post-holiday season and was feeling overly confident in my blog post skills. (Disclaimer: I will happily get a sinus infection every holiday season if it means my nieces and nephews continue to think I'm fun Aunt Molly). Winter was ROUGH. If you're reading this not in Nebraska-- it seemed like Winter 2018-2019 really took a likin' to our parts of the country and decided to camp out for longer than necessary. Here's a recap of what's happened...consider this 9 blog posts rolled into one. Efficiency.
This year I had the honor of doing the invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes and place cards for a small wedding. Calligraphy and hand-lettering will always be my #1. There's something about it that I completely get lost in and I can't get enough. It's something that I feel a strong passion for and I truly can't explain or really express how grateful I am to get to bust out my calligraphy pen and work with ink...just like the Pilgrims would have done.
While my love for the pen, ink, and paper or paint and canvas...or ketchup and a plate(jokes) will always be my first love, I did get to exercise my skills as an *actual* graphic designer. A dear friend had me create the save-the-date, wedding invite, and programs for her wedding to her beloved.
Using my 'passions' I created some bag tags for a club basketball team and came up with a logo for the PC Aquatic Center. I DID get to paint a couple projects and dance at a couple weddings--which if you know how much I love to get down with my bad self...you know how jazzed I am about that. I think I have a new PR in sign making, and I am totally bragging about that (joking)...but really. I impressed myself with how fast this sign came together:
In other news...before I left the wholesale printer, I had the pleasure of putting together some videos (a whole two!) highlighting some products produced in that building (FireCling and Golf Sponsor Signs). I'll be honest, at first I was not into the idea, but after getting the first one done, I felt better about what I was doing and had fun doing it. I forgot how much I like editing videos and how much creativity I truly love putting into it.
I saw my #1 in concert, but missed my other #1 on the course--super bummed about that still, but there's always next year.
This post isn't too interesting or laced with sappy-happy-tear-feelings or much comedy, but no worries, I'm drawing out the closing with a little nugget of sappy-honesty for you...
This year I learned the hard way that work will always be there for you, and you can get burned out really fast if you continue to burn your candle at both ends, spread yourself too thin, or continue to tell everyone, 'Yes.' Life is about keeping your peace within yourself so you can share your light with others. I learned it is important to actually be a little bored sometimes--contrary to my 2016-present day beliefs, being a little bored sometimes is actually good for the soul. Our days should be filled with those we love and desserts-- even if it is carrot cake (shame on the person that thought it was a good idea to put a vegetable in a dessert...). We should eat as much hummus on our carrots as we want and sleep until we wake up. We should travel and we should stay home -or- have a staycation at home. Responsibilities are important, and jobs are important, but when we over extend ourselves is when we step into quick sand and don't even realize it is too late until we've gone into the upside down and all of a sudden we're talking to Falkor trying to figure out directions to get to Diagon Alley. I learned it is important to recognize what is truly important in life and what can wait a little longer. I learned that sometimes carrot cake is kind of good and I'm slowly turning into a little old lady with all the docuseries I watch on Netflix. I still love history and I'm psyched for The Crown to come out in a couple weeks. The Office wasn't overly impressive, and I actually found a lot of it annoying, but it ended well. I learned I have more than enough and I'm letting go of what I can. I learned I can drive a moving truck and I've knocked my clementine peeling and eating time down to 15 minutes from 30. I tried cantaloupe and watermelon for the first time this summer and both were equally disgusting as I had imagined, but I do like the clementines. I learned how to rely on others more/ask for help/speak up for myself and how special it is to have a support system when your family lives 4-5 hours away. I learned I don't need to keep all the coffee cups I come across and I only need two pillows. Magically enough, I still need to work on getting a little more serious about my business and my time management (yes, I'm supposed to be working on something else right now), but it isn't going anywhere. I learned you will never regret telling those you love that you love them, even if it is for the 34th time. I learned that leaning into fear is actually really good... still scary, but good-- OH-- and being nervous and excited register the same in your brain. I'm rambling, but my main point is take the time. Take the time to be with those that mean the most and tell them you love them. Work will always be there, don't be late, and do your best, just don't give too much of yourself or...well...you know where I'm going with that.
Mark my words--it will not be another 9 months until my next post, but for the sake of honesty, it will probably be post-Christmas while I'm snuggling a box of kleenex snuggled under a blanket with a sinus infection, happy from the festivities. Just to cover Future Molly's bases, Happy Thanksgiving, have a happy Holiday Season and don't worry too much about a resolution because there's always next year.
