What a year, man.
Since the wedding, and my incredible trip to Japan, and being laid off, and a record-breaking NaNoWriMo, and getting a new job, and taking on a freelance writing project, and buying a house, and moving… I’m honestly not sure I’ve taken a breath the whole year!
Now that we’re in our new place and I’m just sitting here on the bed, thinking about the future and what’s next… I’m not even sure what to do with myself. Hence, a blog post. It’s always good to be a little introspective when you’re not sure what you used to spend your time doing, am I right? What do I do with my hands?!?
So, let’s recap.
First things first. I’ve been at Mixer for 5 months now! I kind of can’t believe how fast the time has gone. I’m learning a ton, and it’s particularly fun to immerse myself in the streaming world, since my own background is so YouTube focused.
This job has afforded me the ability to travel to PAX South and East already, which has been a really great opportunity to get back in the convention scene. I’ve even run into a number of people who used to watch my videos while at these events — which was a funny experience for my coworkers to witness. One girl came up and told me that my videos meant a lot to her when she was younger (^_^) while I was talking with one of my Mixer partners — after the girl left he turned to me, eyes wide, and asked, “Who are you?”
*wink* Just your friendly Microsoft Partner Account Manager!
Beyond work, so much of my time since January has been spent on buying a house. Joe and I have known for a long time that it was something we were interested in doing, and there’s something about being married yet still living in the rental you’ve shared with so many roommates that just… doesn’t feel like you’ve fully taken that next step. So we started searching in earnest right after the holidays, and thankfully the whole process only took a couple of months! Moving is always a bit of a nightmare, but we’ve successfully landed on the other side, and we’re so thankful.
Now the fun part: decorating!
Now I’m just excited to figure out what’s next! We don’t have any MASSIVE plans coming up on the horizon, so for now… I’m excited to put my feet up, pick out a new couch, and figure out what to do with the fact that I now own a backyard. Am I now a person who can grow actual food out of the ground? Can I buy a slide ‘n slide? Do I have to learn how to mow the lawn?
In my very immediate future, I have the following fun things to look forward to (and hopefully write about!):
- This Saturday, April 27th, is Indie Bookstore Day! That means that a group of friends and I will be taking the indie bookstore challenge, which includes visiting 21 unique bookstores in a single day. I am so pumped, and there will be a blog post chronicling our adventure.
- Next Wednesday Joe and I are packing our bags and taking a long weekend to go to Iceland! This is a place I have always wanted to go, and we’ll be spending our first wedding anniversary there!
- I’ve got two camping trips, two weddings and hopefully a writing retreat planned already for the upcoming months. But I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a chill summer.
That’s all for now! I just wanted to get back in the swing of things, since part of moving for me is going to be centered around building some new/better habits. I’m really trying to set my new spaces up in ways that are positive and productive, and I’m excited to keep you all involved along the way.
Until next time!