The past year has been a wild ride. Last year I moved back to my home town and, though there's not much more than hills and Dollar Generals, I missed it terribly while I was gone. Pikeville was a wonderful place to live, but it wasn't home. I tried my best to make it home, but little ole Sandy Hook tucked away in the middle of nowhere is just where I needed to be. Closer to family, surrounded by those I know and have always known. Being an introvert, you don't need a lot of socialization or city wandering to sustain. Since coming back home, I've been doing just fine on my little hill, in my little cottage, next to Mammy and Papaw with Mads and our animals.

While I was gone, my business plummeted. Before moving I was doing pretty well. I was busy, I had appointments and could feel something great coming around every corner. Moving two hours away was a sacrifice I made for those I once cared for more than myself. I don't regret a thing, as it was all part of my personal journey, and we all need experiences like those to grow and be who we are meant to be. As Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice. It was time for me to throw myself into the dark room and develop as a person.

Coming home wasn't hard, but adjusting was. In a small town like this, I don't need to explain why - everyone already knows. And that's okay. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Things happen, people grow and move and become better every day. It wasn't until I completely started over, a newly single mother, having no real work experience outside of my small business, learning how to really live as an independent adult, finding myself again, that I found it. I found happiness again. I found strength and peace and family and everything wonderful.

But enough about the past year, and more about the now. Now, I'm ready to HUSTLE. I'm ready to WORK! I've been blessed with a welcoming home by every single session I've had this year. But it takes more than a year to be successful, and I'm in it for the long haul.

xo