Happy July Y'all + Ch, Ch, Changes

July is the month that feels the most alive to me. The days are long. It is filled with visits from family and friends, not to mention the celebration of 4th of July, followed immediately by my birthday and very soon thereafter, Nolans. Our yard is filled with birds, roaming deer (I awoke to a buck feet from my bedroom window early on Saturday morning), rabbits, coyote and an occasional bear (there has been one visiting our neighbors' houses this summer!). We get more exercise. And our social life gets a little insane. I could do July about six times a year. 

This summer has already been very good to us.

We have been taking full advantage of our yard every evening.

                                      
There are some big-to-us changes brewing too. For my birthday, I was pining for some new blouses and dresses as well as some home accessories I've been eyeing, but on the cusp of 33 I realized my money could be more well spent.

 

So instead, I've aligned myself with a graphic designer to design a blog and logo that is more inline with, well,  me. While I've been happy with the content that I've been feeding the blog, I'm not inspired when I see my landing page. A year ago, when I recommitted to blogging, I told myself that if I maintained it for six months (while balancing a full time job and children), then I would get my site designed. Fast forward, and I have and I'm still enjoying it. The blog name will be changing and will be moved to a .com site, and the new site should reflect the character of the designs that I gravitate towards. I cannot wait to have that site come together, and have it rolled out  for you in a few weeks.

I also took a bit of a leap several weeks ago when I went ahead and enrolled myself in the 
Complete Course in Interior Design at the New York Institute of Art & Design. My materials have only just arrived and I'm starting to establish a schedule for studying. Creating a new habit can be hard for a 33 year old!

I don't have expectations for where this leap will take me. I'm not leaving the workforce, I'm not seeking blog advertisers, and I'm not changing the scope of my content. I just kinda figured, why not?  I realize that I have oh-so-much to learn when it comes to designing balanced and harmonious interiors, and deciding to seek the fundamentals of the industry should be my next natural step. At the least, I hope that it will help me to create a home that personally reflects our family and lifestyle. The program is quite risk free financially speaking, as well as the time commitment it demands. I can work at my own pace and complete assignments in my time. Who knows, maybe I'll share a project or two here with you.

But that ain't it y'all. A new career opportunity recently presented itself, and so I am leaving hospitality after about ten years in the industry. Hospitality is a hard field to be in, as we operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all major holidays. Burnout is not uncommon, and in the past year balancing two children with a 5-7 day work week has proved to be exhausting. Jon and I were averaging 1-2 days off together a month (that's about 20 days off together a year!!!), and it has been down right making us grumpy. So to say I'm eager to learn a new field, grow professionally, and have a more structured schedule, would be an understatement.

I'm on the cusp of change and growth this 33rd year, and I'm welcoming it. For funs sake, I did a round up of some goodies I'd love to have under my birthday tree, if I had one.

Antlers/Striped Towel/M/Blouse/Galvanized Frame/Wall Clock/Dress/Outdoor Pillow/

Chambray/Michelle Morin Print/Pool Towels/ Galvanized Pot

 

I'll be spending the rest of the week preparing for Nolan's birthday party that is coming up this weekend. Hopefully I'll take a few minutes to snap photos so that I have some to share with y'all!