Christopher and I have been talking about making a big life change for a while and the time is here to light this bitch up.

Deciding when to explode your life, quit your job, change careers, move to a new state, and start all over can be overwhelming. We’re now in our later mid 30’s (oof that’s hard to type), have careers, own a house, care about people here in Florida, and have Florida related routines we really like.

But we also have dreams of traveling more, living somewhere with seasons, and I am so burnt out in my job that I can’t imagine doing it any longer than absolutely necessary. I have felt stuck for years. My friends have started moving away, growing their families, getting new, more exciting jobs, and I am doing the same things I’ve been doing for the last decade. I have worked at the same place for almost 12 years, lived in the same house for 10 years, and nothing really changes in our lives. I need a change of scenery, a change of pace, and to take a big leap for me. I have wanted to do something creative as a career for a really long time, and the dream crushing, paper pushing, people pleasing, eye roll inducing field of higher education student affairs generally saps me of my creative juices.

I hope to get paid to write, to design stationery, and/or open a store. I want to help people stay connected and celebrate the little things in life. I want to use the lows I’ve felt to help those in the darkness of struggle feel seen, understood, and comforted. I want to use the joys I’ve experienced to encourage people, to help people reach out to someone, or make a to do list. I want to be part of making the world a little brighter, I want to sprinkle some glitter around, and make pretty things.

Taking this leap is fucking scary. I may not be happy with my life now, but I know how it all works, I know what fresh hell to expect. I know what I want in the next phase, but how to get there is grey, and fuzzy, and basically my worst nightmare. I hate the unknown. I hate not having a plan. I hate that this means being far away from my Florida friends and family, and my favorite Florida places. But I hate the pit of despair I’ve been living in the last few years more. So light ‘er up, babe. We’re ready to blow this popsicle stand.