moving forward

Crazy it’s been a week and a half since I arrived in Florida.

It's been a crazy week and a half. Getting acclimated. Fining a house. Starting a new job. It's been hard and exciting and crazy all in one. But I can honestly say having a friend here has made such a difference. Today Kandice took me site seeing to Ybor city, MacDill AFB and we even explored the new area I'll be living. We of course had to visit my new house, too. Look at the gorgeous hibiscus. We ended the day eating dinner near where I'm staying at the Rooster and the Till and it was amazing. With the crazy storms coming it looks like we won't hit the beach this weekend but we made the most of this crazy weather.
My take away from the week is my new job will be challenging but amazing and that I love living in Florida. Lastly I'm in awe of life long friendships. Feeling so blessed.
Here are some pics from the week.

How was your day? Have your explored any new areas where you live lately?
Cheers!!
Michelle

real life adventures

Five days and counting.

Well, I've been here for a total of 5 full days and it's been amazing. The diverse community, beautiful weather, and just being adventurous exploring new areas has been great. In just five short days I've reconnected with an old Air Force sister, been to two different beaches, and have toured almost a dozen homes to purchase. I'm excited to say we got the house we put a bid on!!!

But the best part so far was my first day of work today. I arrived at the VA early, and was greeted by Veterans and employees all around. When orientation started, the Director of HR had everyone introduce themselves and tell where they'd be working. Their last question was, "Are you a Veteran?" And if you said yes, an HR staff member came over and shook your hand and thanked you for your service. They then asked your branch of service and handed you a corresponding badge and pin for you to proudly wear. Mine looked like this:

I was so floored. My military service hasn't been understood by the civilian sector fully, which is totally understandable.
We then filled out some paperwork and it was time to give our oath. I hadn't done this since my last reenlistment back in 2007 and I immediately choked up. Such emotions went through me. The day continued on, and with each briefing we were asked the question, "Are you a Veteran?" and each time I raised my hand, I found myself sitting up a little straighter. For I've always felt my purpose was to serve, and now here I am…serving the Veteran community and in my favorite state.

Let the adventures continue!!!!

Cheers!
Michelle

moving forward

Florida bound

Today I drove over 650 miles through five states. Thanks for your support with all my posts. To say this is the hardest thing I've done knowing my fear of driving is an understatement but in my eyes not taking this chance would be even harder. Here's to "onward and upward!!" Y'all rock!! #floridabound

moving forward

My final weekend.

It's my final weekend here in Illinois and my coworker's and friends have sent me off in style. My bags are packed and I'm ready to hit the road on Tuesday. While I'm sad, I can honestly say I'm beyond proud of the fact that I'm taking this leap of faith. Here's some pics that capture my last weekend!

I'll be journaling my journey so stay tuned!! I've even got my running gear packed!

Cheers!
Michelle

moving forward

New adventures!!!

Hey gang, I'm back!!! Big news!! I was offered a job supervising the pathology lab at the VA hospital in Tampa Florida!!! I'm looking forward to sharing this adventure!! Stay tuned!! Here are some pics from our visit to Tampa last month!

Cheers!
Michelle

moving forward

Blogging Hiatus

Hey gang,

In efforts to stick with my mantra of moving forward I’ve realized I also need to recognize toxic situations and when to separate myself from them. Ive learned that not everyone has my best interests at heart, and have decided my personal life needs to be kept a little more private. While I have loved sharing my running and life stories with you, along with some recipes I have created, for now I need to take a little break. I am not canceling or shutting my blog down, just stepping back for a bit to think about where I’d like to see this blog move in the future, if at all.

I shall return, I just am unsure of when or where…

Until then, CHEERS!!

Michelle

moving forward

Happy belated Mother’s Day everyone!!

Here’s some snap shots of my amazing weekend. I hope you all had a great Mother’s Day weekend!

Me and my Mommy

 

My baby girl
Being corny with the hubby!
Truffle risotto from Quartino’s….YUM
Grilled Octopus from Quartino’s
View from our room at the London house in Chicago
Aladdin was amazing!

Gosh they take my breath away!

Obligatory bean photo!

So pretty….


My family spoiled me with my favorite food and places in Chicago. Cheers to my amazing family for making me feel so loved and for always being in my corner.

 

Happy belated Mother’s Day!!

Michelle

Celebrate the good, depression, moving forward

Finding my happiness…

This morning I was reading one of my favorite blogs over at Suzlyfe. I love her blog because its raw, its real, all while being informative and entertaining. I needed a little respite from the funk I’ve been in, so when I opened my email this morning to get my daily dose of Suz, I found myself moved to tears.

See, between not getting promoted and not hearing back on any prospective leads I thought I had, along with dealing with some resentment and anger issues (don’t ask, we can save that for another post, or not…) I’ve found myself in a funk. My mood sucks, my running sucks (if you can call running twice a week actual running) and my cooking has even started to suck. The ONE thing I actually think I am half way decent at has fallen flat and left my family (more so me) less than impressed. This has been ongoing for the last few weeks, and with each dish I prepare, it’s either under/over cooked, over seasoned, or just plain blah. And this is quite unlike me, I’d like to think at least. So last night when my hubby had to take my oldest to the dentist, I thought, HEY, I will make the steak for the tacos we planned on having along with getting the beans and corn ready. Too easy, right? Wrong…I cooked the steak with beautiful grill marks and set aside to rest. I then decided it necessary to mutilate the beans, overcooking them by a good 15 minutes. Just before they got home from the dentist I went to slice in to my beautifully grilled and rested meat to find it was still RAW. And not just slightly raw, I am talking, the cow may have had a MOO or two left in him. Ugh…I threw it back in the pan, and sighed a heavy sigh.  

After dinner we cleared the plates and I told my family I was on a hiatus from cooking. If I can’t joy in cooking, I simply can’t cook. With that, I headed upstairs to take a shower and have a good cry but when I turned around my oldest daughter had decided to come up and comfort me. I don’t hide my emotions very well, and my family knows me better than most. She gave me a huge hug and said, “You ok, Mom?” and I broke in to a sob. “Don’t settle in life honey,” I pleaded with her. “Write your books, chase your dreams, just please don’t get stuck like Mommy is. While I was in the Air Force it was ok to have this job, but now I feel stuck.” And she just hugged me tighter, promising she’d chase her dreams. We even pinky promised which is like a golden seal in our house. Yup, my almost 18 year old still will pinky promise with me. ❤ And suddenly I found my happiness again, right there in the comfort of my first born daughter’s arms. Funny how the tables can turn.  

My takeaway from last night was twofold. Yes, I am feeling stuck, and I think RUT might be my new middle name. BUT…I had a beautiful moment with my daughter that no one can take away, and I need to focus on moments like these vs. feeling a little stuck. Because we can’t be stuck if we are still making the choice to get out of bed every day and do our best.

OX10L

 

My time will come. I just know it. And I am so thankful for the beautiful people in my life that have helped me see the brighter side of things. Thanks Suz, this one is for you!

 

Cheers,

 

Michelle

 

Uncategorized

A little imagination and a lot of hope

To piggyback on yesterday’s pretty pathetically sad post (I am TOTALLY blaming Mother Nature and the crazy rain we’ve been having in the Chicagoland area), today I am going to chat about what I’ve envisioned all along for my life. I always envisioned myself being successful. And not just holding a steady job, keeping my kids alive and make sure I pay the house payment each month.  No…I saw myself in a position that I wanted for myself. Maybe owning my own coffee-wine shop/restaurant, maybe working side by side with someone in a creative aspect, heck, maybe even owning a cute little shack/food truck somewhere near the beach where I would serve yummy food to customers that were lined up wearing swimwear and sunscreen. Can’t you smell the salty air and feel that wonderful breeze in your hair already?! I sure can!!!

miamibeach
South Beach, Miami

 

 

Either way, the dreams all had a common theme. It was me, doing what I love, and sharing that love with others. And while I didn’t have to use my imagination for this post, as these dreams have been a part of me since I was a small child, I am sharing these dreams with you as part of the Wednesday word post from over at Deb Runs! Today’s word is imagination! What do you imagine for your future? Do you have any dreams that some might call far fetched?

WednesdayWordScrabbleButtonCheers!

Michelle

Celebrate the good, Uncategorized

Things I am celebrating…

Sorry for my absence as of late. My days are filled with work, and I spend my evenings with my hubby as we are still getting used to being around one another. Any spare time has been spent with my family. Thus, the blog and my running have taken a back seat…that will hopefully change soon!!

Here’s what we’ve been up to!!!!!

In the last month we’ve eaten tons of amazing food at some very wonderful restaurants, taken an amazing family trip to Disney, and I am currently stepping outside of my comfort zone at my job (time will tell if anything pans out, but I am still celebrating that I had the courage to go for it anyhow!).

I’ve also been cooking a lot more, especially Sunday suppers and I just finished the super fun MasterClass series by Gordon Ramsay. I’ve gone through the instructional videos once, having re-watched the “how to break down a whole chicken” video a few times and attempted my first breakdown on Sunday with success. It wasn’t perfect, but I did it!!

Had a little help from my hubby!!

I have not, however, been running. I haven’t quite figured out where that is going to fit in my already busy day, and I need to figure it out pretty quickly as training for the Chicago Marathon will need to commence before I know it. I think once the weather warms up a little more, and we continue to get more day light, it’ll be a little easier to make the time after work.

How have you all been? Tell me something that’s new with you in the last month or so!!

Cheers!

Michelle