Looking ahead to 2019….

Well….it’s been a few weeks, hasn’t it?  No, I didn’t drop off the planet after Black Friday.  HAHA….although it seems my presence on social media and the blog HAS been dramatically reduced – but all for good reason!

It’s at this time of year that a lot of us start reflecting on the years that has past and planning for the next.  At least I do (please don’t leave me hanging here)!

I think back to January 2018.  I had accomplished over 60 different full-face makeovers to achieve my Make Up Artist certification with my company, Senegence.  It was a busy holiday season leading up to my completing it.  I traveled to California for more training and then Bryan and I enjoyed a week celebrating our success with Senegence during an all-expense paid Costa Rican dream vacation.

My sister got remarried!

February came; Bryan and I embarked on a fitness journey with Orangetheory Fitness and with the help of Girl, Wash Your Face started focusing more attention on our relationship with one another and ourselves.

March was a blur with my son turning 2 – HELLO TODDLERHOOD – ….April  I started my blog (FINALLY), attended a wedding weekend in Charleston, and traveled to Tulsa, OK for me to attend Seminar 2018 with Senegence with four amazing women on my team.

I turned 36 in May and my amazing husband treated me like a princess and took me to New York City where we jogged together in Central Park and we roamed around the city like we were local lovers.

June, July, and August turned into the summer of pool days, Mackenzie learning how to swim all by herself, making new friends, and becoming a Barre instructor!  My friend, and the owner of the Columbia SC Moms Blog, Tiffany graciously allowed me to tackle the position of Marketing Coordinator.

September was the celebration of me and Bryan 4 years of marriage and we enjoyed a STAY-cation here in the city we have come to call HOME.

October was all things FALL….oh, and we got a puppy!  (Shelby, German Shepard love!)

November began the holiday celebrations and my new venture as a Licensed Life Insurance Producer.…and in December we had our baby girl turn 5 and a quick trip to Jackson, Mississippi to see if we could see ourselves living there in the following year.

Turns out…..as I sit here in my local Starbucks on a Tuesday afternoon, WE CAN.

The last few months I have added more to my plate than I realized.  I was listening to a podcast by my favorite #girlcrush – Rachel Hollis – and she made a statement that resonated with me. “If you are doing everything, then you are also doing nothing.” She was speaking about priorities.  Giving attention to ONE goal and doing everything possible to CRUSH it.

I have had more friends in the last few weeks tell me “Brandi’ – you’re so busy!” than I am actually comfortable with.  The term “busy” is off-putting to me.  I am never too “busy” for my children, husband, or my loved ones. But I have too many pots on the stove to the point that not a single one is able to get boiling.

INSERT MISSISSIPPI.

About four months ago, I was doing dishes after dinner and Bryan casually mentioned he had a former coworker reach out to him about a potential job opportunity with a growing company.  I was somewhat distracted, but I asked him where it was located. When he said Jackson, Mississippi – I immediately felt my heart skip a beat.  UM…..excuse me?  Mississippi?  UM – NO.  Which turned into a pretty intense discussion that ended with me in tears and adamantly against even thinking about it.

For some reason, this job opportunity kept coming up and over the course of several months I became less opposed to it.  Especially when the company offered to pay for me to join Bryan to check out the area.  The red carpet was rolled out for us and let me just tell you that when I drove around Madison, it was the furthest place from Mississippi that I could’ve ever expected.  It was beautiful.  The people were friendly.  The schools are highly rated.  The town had everything including a Starbucks drive-thru and Kroger and Bonefish Grille. Bryan and I worked out together at the Orangetheory in Madison and met a few really great people who assured us we would love it.

And so…..with a leap of faith, we made the decision to jump in 2019 and call somewhere new HOME.  I am so proud of Bryan.  He deserves this opportunity more than anyone I know.  I am excited for our kids to travel to somewhere new and make new friends while learning how to stay in touch with our other loved ones.  The home we are renting for the next year is GORGEOUS….I truly can’t wait to make it ours.

So, what about me?  What does 2019 look like for me?

Well, the stars aligned to make room at a very reputable preschool/daycare in the area that Mackenzie will attend 5 days a week and Marshall will attend Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So, on Monday, Wednesdays, and every other Friday, Marshall and Mommy will hang out together running around town, making friends, and maybe going to the gym and the library.  On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday I will be selling the snot out of some Life Insurance. (haha….I’m not really kidding).  I will still be blogging here and selling my Senegence products, but I will be focusing on being GREAT at ONE thing.  In fact, my word for 2019 is FOCUS.  I want to be laser-focused on one goal at a time.

And I want to get Marshall potty-trained.  That may require more focus than anything.  🙂

For now, I am going to revel in the holidays and soak up all the time with my loved ones and once the new year is here, we will be caught up in the throes of moving….but I am excited.  What do YOU have planned for 2019?