Life update: What’s happened in 3 years

Life is funny, isn’t it? Nearly three years ago, I published an episode of the Self Care Podcast with a friend and ex-colleague, Georgia, about corporate burnout. Little did I know, that would foreshadow the future I was rapidly approaching. Not only did my then-current role take ALL my free time, my mental health, and my self-confidence, but it also took this very blog (and the podcast).

Let me pause to acknowledge my ownership and responsibility in all of this. I absolutely could have handled things differently then. I didn’t maintain effective boundaries, nor did I prioritize the most effectively. BUT, if only you knew the circumstances… We’ll talk about all that at another time… with wine.

I’ve felt compelled to come back in some way over the past few years, but wasn’t sure in what capacity or what it would even look like. Since starting my first blog, One Millennial’s Guide, back in 2016, I’ve always enjoyed sharing my stories and perspective. Additionally, I’ve loved creating a space for others to share theirs too. With each iteration of my storytelling — whether in blog, email, podcast, or other delivery channel — I’ve tried to overcome what held me back in the previous life: comparing myself to more established bloggers, obsessing over analytics and reporting tools, and social engagement, just to name a few.

This last hiatus not only lasted the longest but stemmed from something else entirely. Things are only slightly calmer than they were a few years ago, but I feel like I’m mentally in a much better place with stronger boundaries, healthier mental and coping habits, and mostly free of the weight of COVID looming over every aspect of life.

Anyway, a LOT has happened since we last got to catch up.

So, what’s happened in the last 36 months?

I found (and fell in love with) a new career path

A mere six or so months after I packed up AD, I left the job that I alluded to earlier. I was far from happy and was utterly incapable of operating from a healthy place. I was losing myself and I had to jump ship. I took on a Strategist role at a small agency in Seattle early in the summer, and by September, I was back at my former company. You may think that sounds wild, but the stars had aligned and the circumstances had changed.

I had the opportunity to jump from marketing, which I loved, into the world of internal communications and employer branding. Along with the change in scope, I had a new leader and sat in the HR function within the company. I quickly dove into learning this side of the business, applying what skillset I had from my time in marketing, and meeting an entirely new set of partners. To say I loved it would be an understatement.

I leaned into the opportunity to build up a department with a handful of full-timers, long-term student assistants, and rotating interns positioned all around the globe. Together, we built the foundation of a very successful communications program and had the stats to prove it.

And this August, I packed up my desk to take the next step in my adventure, which I look forward to sharing more about soon. Stay tuned!

We bought a new house!

By mid-2021, the COVID restrictions were lifting and we had a glimpse of what regular life could look like again. We’d survived the lockdowns and shift to remote work in Billy’s open-air loft condo at the beach. Don’t get me wrong, the place is beautiful, but the upstairs bedroom area overlooks the living area, and the only door in the place is the bathroom. We needed more space, more privacy, and more doors.

I think we spent every waking moment on Redfin looking at new homes. We toured many older properties — tudors, mid-century split-levels, and larger condos — before landing on new construction. Regardless of it was a single-family home or a townhome, we knew we wanted to be outside of Seattle proper to get more for our money.

Fortunately, we found a new development in a growing urban village that fit the bill. In the move, we tripled our square footage (and kitchen storage), upgraded our dining situation from a coffee table to a full-fledged room, and each got a dedicated office which was ours to decorate. We’re coming up on two years in the new spot, have fully adapted to being landlords after renting out the old condo, and have begun working on customizations to make our house more ours and less builder grade. If you want to follow that journey, let me know and I can work it into the blog or Instagram Reels.

I proposed (and we got married!)

There’s an adage that says something to the effect of, “When you make plans, God laughs.” Well, it must have been open mic night when my proposal plans were coming together. I had it all planned out — the ring was delivered to my parent’s house in California, we would land in Carmel in two days for Billy’s birthday weekend at Carmel Valley Ranch, and I would propose as we watched the sun slip down into the Pacific.

When we woke up the morning of our flight — both with the plague — I had a full-blown panic attack. We scrambled to reschedule the flights, hotel, rental car, and all the reservations we’d made for that weekend, and I called my dad to overnight the ring to Seattle. Though it cost the equivalent of a year’s worth of tuition at Pepperdine, the ring arrived at a PO box by 10 AM the morning of Billy’s birthday.

I strung up bistro lights and did what I could to make our deck beautiful with the limited energy I had. We sat outside, and as the sun set, I followed through on my plan and he said yes! While it wasn’t as romantic as I’d hoped, it was still magical in its own way — plus, Beau got to be there, too!

Fast forward a year and a half, and we got married at Carmel Valley Ranch, overlooking that same valley. It was more of an elopement than a wedding, with just our parents, our officiant and fellow AD author, Amanda — all the way from Ireland — and the two women that helped us pull the day off, our fairy godmother from CVR, Thea, and the photographer of our dreams, ZhaZha.

I’ll share more in an upcoming post about the wedding (and pictures of course), but for now, you can see a sneak peek of some of the photos we featured on our holiday card this year on Instagram.

Almost started a new podcast

In my journey to figuring out how I was going to ‘come back’ to this world, I struggled with what to do with the podcast. Look, I LOVE writing blogs. It’s something that comes naturally to me and I feel totally safe behind the keyboard. But the podcast allows listeners to hear what’s being said (and not said). It feels a little more authentic, more vulnerable, and more real.

It’s because of this that when I thought about my return, I thought maybe I should challenge myself to do a podcast instead of a blog. About a year ago, I bought the domain for two podcast names I’d considered, as I was sure at the time I wanted to leave Self Care where it was. I had ideas of a similar feeling format, but slightly less structured and less focused on mental health.

Obviously, I didn’t act at the time, because the puzzle pieces didn’t quite fit. I don’t know if it’s something you guys would want, and it didn’t feel right to embark on this new path without talking about it first. So blog it is! (For now…)

I am completely willing to do both, but have to find the balance between blog and podcast. With work the way it is, travel picking up, and everything else I’m investing in time-wise, the Podcast would be every other week at best, or likely even monthly to start. I don’t want to produce anything for you that’s half-assed. Let’s start here, and get me reacclimatized to the world of sharing the stories of life and my inner monologue and go from there. Sound ok?

And lastly, we adopted a sister for Beau

After pressure encouragement from my mom to get a sibling for Beau, I was starting to come around to the idea of a second fur baby. I thought I’d be alone in this new kitten fever, and was shocked when Billy started sending me pictures of perfect little fluff balls on Petfinder. There was one he sent to me on a Monday morning that stood out from the rest. A beautiful four-month-old tabby cat that was described as a love bug, independent, and playful. We’d submitted the application for consideration that night, took the interview with the rescue organization the next day, and had a heart-to-heart with Beau immediately after.

We described to him what it meant to have a sister — he would have to share food, toys, and attention, but that he’d have someone to play with and keep him company when we were working. (Don’t judge me, it gets worse…) I then ripped a piece of paper in half, scribbled yes on one and no on the other, and asked Beau if he was okay with us adopting little ms. love bug. He sat on the paper that said yes, and we took it as a sign to proceed.

By that same Thursday, we got to meet what would soon be our new kitten at a meet-and-greet hosted by her foster family in town. While her three siblings played with one another and begged for treats, the smallest of the bunch — our girl — was off on her own, creating adventures. It felt like another proof point or a good sign that she was independent, just in case Beau wasn’t as open to the idea as we’d hoped.

A couple of days later we brought our new baby, Row, home. We quickly updated Beau’s Instagram handle to accommodate his new sister, along with two weeks of accommodations in our real world. Trading off who slept in the room with her and the guest room with Beau, carefully hosting under-the-door sniff sessions, and eventually face-to-face meet and greets.

It didn’t take long at all for Row to become one of the pack. She’s brought a new (and at times chaotic) energy into the house and has even helped Beau on his vet-encouraged weight loss journey. While they haven’t taken to grooming each other or cuddling quite yet, they’re definitely a bonded pair, and we couldn’t be happier that we have ‘sister’ now.

Now that we’re caught up…

Stick around! There’s so much more to share about these five things and so many other fun plans for the blog (and maybe podcast?) Follow the journey by subscribing using the short form at the bottom of this page, or follow @AvecDavid on Instagram for a real-world look at life with our little family. Of course, you can always follow @BeauAndRow, too, if cat content is what you’re really here for.

Until next time, check out some of the other new posts!