To say it’s been “a while” would be quite an understatement, so I’ll skip over that and just say, “Hello again!” Since we last spoke, my life has seen a number of exciting changes (that hopefully will allow me to get back to a consistent blogging schedule!). I’m going to give you the full update, because I feel like many of you will be able relate to the types of decisions I have had to make over the past few months.
I made some big decisions!
The last time I posted, I indicated that I would be taking a break from blogging to focus on my career in public relations. Though I didn’t have the same passion for public relations as I felt for both writing and healthy living, my job had really picked up, and I saw some interesting opportunities ahead. As my days got busier and busier, I didn’t want to sacrifice the content on my blog and post things that I wasn’t proud of.
For those of you who don’t know, I worked at a boutique public relations firm in New York City and spent my days executing large-scale national campaigns for everything from oral healthcare products to coffee and the Paralympics. On a given day, this could mean flying to LA for a video shoot or traveling around to different publications in NYC to talk about my clients’ products. The job was fast-paced, challenging, invigorating and over-whelming all at the same time. But I loved it. And I loved the people I worked with. They were not just my coworkers – they were my friends.
They indulged me by eating my cupcakes and saying they liked them.
While my job was demanding, it added so many great things to my life, both personally and professionally. In fact, I met my boyfriend back in October 2011 on a west coast work trip in Las Vegas (more on that story another time). We hit it off right away and couldn’t believe our luck meeting a fellow New Yorker all the way out in Vegas.
Vegas was very good to me!
When we got back to the east coast, he introduced me to his “New York world” in the Hudson Valley, a world I didn’t even know existed. There’s a joke that most New Yorkers don’t realize there is a world outside the city, and I was one of those “city dwellers.” I fell in love with the Hudson Valley on my first train ride “upstate.”
Holy Mountains! I didn’t even know this place existed.
As things progressed, life became busier and busier between the job and the new additions to my personal life. That’s when I made the difficult decision to stop blogging.
I would spend most of my weekends upstate, hiking, baking, relaxing, and each Monday morning, I found myself dreading the return to the city more and more. I loved the “wide open spaces” and the beautiful outdoor scenery of the Hudson Valley with its sweeping mountain and river views. The worst times were extended vacations, such as the winter holidays, where I’d spend a long period of time upstate and then have to switch gears to the bustling city life again.
I don’t want to go back to the city. I just want to stay in the house and make birthday cake pancakes while it snows!
It sounds dramatic, but I felt caught between two worlds (I am so tempted to include a quote from Sweet Home Alabama right here…)
Late last year, the BF and I decided we were ready to take the next step of living together. The only thing standing in our way? A 90 minute commute and a demanding job. I was pretty adamant that I did not want my other half to even consider moving to the city. I knew in my (almost 30-year-old) heart that city-living was no longer the direction I wanted to take my life. I wanted a slower pace with time to do real-world things like cook dinner and bake copious amounts of Sometimes Healthy cupcakes and donuts. I wanted time to focus on my future and think about next steps and to not always feel like I was just scrambling to get through the day. I realized that my dreams of being an NYC-career woman had changed, and that I was seeking a lifestyle that would give me a healthy balance between work, hobbies and eventually family.
All roads were pointing out of NYC. There was just one problem: jobs in the Hudson Valley for communications professionals were few and far between.
Sorry NYC – you know I love you but I have to go!
To be honest, I spent many weeks and weekends frustrated and uncertain about the future and unsure of my next steps. While our relationship was not officially “long-distance,” we were ready to see each other every day! And I was ready to leave my city life behind. To me, commuting into the city daily for my job would have been a half-way deal, and working such long hours, I knew I wouldn’t feel like I was really living my life to its fullest upstate. I knew I would end up taking later trains home than planned and sleeping on both my brother and Michelle’s couches.
So…I just waited and hoped something would come up. And…it sort of felt like a miracle when something came up rather quickly…
Sorry to leave you with a cliff-hanger, but this post was getting too long. Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story!
You’re back, you’re back! I was just thinking the other day how much I missed your blogs and all the delightful goodness and fun in them. I’m so glad you’re back to making the world a bit brighter and a more cheerful place, xo.
Thank you for reading – it means the world to me!
Agree with Anjelica! I am so glad to get my sometimes healthy updates to put a smile on my face… Rory will be too- no one appreciates a sometimes healthy breakfast like he does! xxoxoxoxo
Stay tuned for some fun new healthy breakfast options! Perfect for the groom-to-be!
Yay! Looking forward to this!
Thank you so much for reading Christine!
Welcome back! Love the post…keep em coming! xo
I hope to see you soon! I always loved the posts about you and Eric 🙂
Welcome back!!
Thanks Emily! Thanks for always reading and for encouraging me to come back. It’s not a coincidence that this is up the weekend after you visited me 😉
aww! this makes me smile! so nice to get a window into to who you are these days! glad life is great and i must say i’m astonished to see that you can cook and so pleased. I would like to take credit for teaching you how to make campbell’s soup. I’m sure that was the inspiration! 🙂 lots of love!
This is such a nice comment! I know this sounds crazy but I’m not sure which Anne this is – please do tell me! I really appreciate you reading 🙂
muskin 🙂
That is what I thought!! Thank you so much for reading 🙂
And now I just read this part! Guess I read the 2nd part before the first. I can relate – I was a communication major and am now in the advertising sales business, so I always wonder “what will I do?” when I leave the city one day. I’m not ready to leave just yet, but when I do I will not want to commute. I guess I’ll just have to see where things take me!
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