God does not play dice...

So I know it has been over a month since I wrote. I CANNOT believe how fast time has flown! My last post was kind of angry and I am happy to report that at this point I am in a much better place now!

The month of December flew by with me working so much, and did not suck nearly as much as I thought it would.  I did get to go see the North Carolina Ballet do the Nutcracker and it was amazing!! Christmas was actually very nice! I think I was so upset because everything was going to be completely different than every Christmas I have ever had for the past 22 years. But it made me realize that sometimes change is good. It was different, but it still felt just like Christmas. And it turned out to be a really nice day!

New Year’s was a blast. Camo man came up and we spent the night watching the legendary Raleigh acorn drop out of the sky. It was very nice and a lot of fun. I also got to live out my Serendipity moment and went ice skating at the outdoor ice rink in downtown Raleigh. It was beautiful and a lot of fun!

The past weekend I spent doing inventory until 5:30 in the morning at work! It was very interesting and definitely a great learning experience. I have never been through inventory with such a massive company and while being there all night was not the best, I did think I learned a lot. I also think I was able to prove myself. It is funny for me to look back at the past 4 months and realize how much I have learned so quickly! Especially how much I have learned about myself that was surprising! Hopefully soon I will become an official sales manager, be done with my training for good, and the whole world will open up to me then!

And, I get yet another vacation coming up! So in a week and a half I will be flying home to Florida and get to see everyone I missed so much over the holidays! I must say, they do if us a lot of vaca for all the hard work. I am so excited to go home and be in the sunshine!

Speaking of sunshine, I bought my first pair of snow boots last week. That was an eye-opening experience. I really hope I never have to use them. EVER. But at least now I am prepared! I am trying my best to be cold weather-chic.

Tonight I went and got my planner refills for the new year. I have sort of developed this ritual that I do every year when my planner runs out and I have to change it where I go through all the old pages of the year before and re-write quotes or other things I liked from the year before in the new one. I did this tonight, and it was so crazy to see how much has changed in one year!! Going through my old planner I relived so much: my first interviews for the company I now work for, going to Tenessee with Florida State, and then traveling to Raleigh to sign the lease for the apartment I am sitting in writing this, Graduating college! Camo man and I's first date (and now we just celebrated out 1 year anniversary!) my senior formal. On one of the Friday nights I had written "Going out with my boots out!" to my favorite country line-dancing bar in Tallahassee! So much has changed in my life in just a year! It was nice to go back and remind myself of everything I have accomplished. Remembering where I have come from, and exactly where I plan to go.

Overall, I would say I am getting more use to being here. I am beginning to fall into a pattern and find my balance- which is nice. I don’t feel like I am just here doing an internship and going back home soon anymore. I am beginning to feel like this IS home. Which is a weird thing to admit to myself finally. But I do like it. Some days are hard, as they would be anywhere, and I will definitely enjoy my vacation in Florida. But I don’t think coming back will feel so weird this time. Maybe I really am becoming a Big Girl?

Love Always,

Elle