Hello, HELLO friends! It has been a minute since I last blogged. This past year has been full of ups and downs.
One year ago this week, I lost my job and then within two weeks of losing my job, I got COVID and it hit me hard. As things do happen in threes, you know there had to be one more thing to go wrong and it did … it’s funny looking back and not nearly as big of an impact, but it happened. I was getting dressed one morning and I pulled up my jeans and in a split second, my jeans ripped right up the crotch. The words that came spewing out of my mouth were, “You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s next?”.
With Christmas coming and me not knowing where my next pay cheque was coming from, I decided to freelance back into my drafting business that I had started back in 2015. I did some networking, picked up a couple of projects, but it wasn’t full-time. I decided to put some time into blogging and affiliate work, but I soon realized, it’s not easy in Canada to earn an income of any kind through affiliate connections or collaborations. I had to want to blog for my own enjoyment and not to put food on the table.
For 17 weeks, I was unemployed. It was not easy and it was getting harder and harder to put a smile on my face every morning. Add to that, my two oldest boys were away at school, so the empty nester void was creeping in. I learned a lot of things in those 17 weeks. I learned how to grocery shop smarter than I had in the past, saving money and with less food waste. I learned to use the food in the freezer before buying more food to freeze. I also did a lot of home cooking for my youngest and I because I had the time.
Finally mid-February, I was contacted by a job recruiter who was looking for someone with my skills although it would mean I would have to commute quite a distance. I had originally said no to commuting, but I was re-assured that I would be able to work remotely and only have to go into the city one or two times a week. I was so unsure about this job prospect, but I could not go any longer without work. I needed a steady income, so I agreed to interview with the partners of the firm and I’m so glad that I did. The partners at this firm are nothing short of kind, generous and thoughtful. They are also incredibly ambitious which I love. The staff are also wonderful, so I’m in a very good place right now only commuting twice a week which is manageable.
So that’s how my year has been in a nutshell. I have grown so much this past year as a person. I have learned who my people are and I have learned that I don’t have to impress anyone but my kids because I’m their mom and I know as a parent, they look up to me. We’ve come a very long way together and I know I can lean on them sometimes as much as they need to lean on me.
Thank you for letting me share some of ups and downs along the way.
Picket Fence.
I never did do a blog post about our picket fence. In the Spring of 2022, my oldest boys accepted the challenge of building me a white picket fence and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. It’s simple, but has so much impact on our property. I will do a separate blog post about the fence, but for now, to hold you over, I’ll share some photos of the gardens around the fence since it was built. I have spent so much time enjoying the fence and the gardens. It really has been a dream come true for me.
Plants:
Front of fence: (Purple) Perennial Sage (Salvia)
Back of fence: Endless Summer Hydrangea, Potato Vine
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