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No… I’m not pregnant.
I know what you all were thinking.
Aside from college graduation, my wedding day, and the births of my children – this past Friday was probably one of most important days of my life.
I quit my job.
It feels SO weird to write that.
I actually resigned about two weeks ago, but out of respect for my employers, my co-workers, and the company, I kept it pretty private until today. And to be honest, I needed some time to sit with this decision before talking about it publicly.
This past Friday was my last day of work — my last day of work at a job I have dedicated nearly a decade of my life to. It was the job I’ve been going to ever since I graduated college – in 2009. I quit my job. It still doesn’t feel real.
I am not going to get into too many details today. The whole thing is still a little too fresh for me. I am feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions about it. Sadness – to say goodbye to the people that had become my home away from home. Happiness – that I will be able to spend so much more time with my family. Regret – because I wish I could have made everything (my career, the blog, family, etc) work all at once. At the end of the day, I am not superwoman, and I was getting tired of trying to be.
Most of all, I feel excitement. For all the amazing things the future holds.
A follow up post will probably be coming later this month with more details – and more about how I feel – I just can’t do it today. Today is more about the general idea of what this means for the blog.
If you’re new around here, I’ll give you some background. I have been a corporate bond trader for the past decade of my life. I started as an intern right out of college, moved my way up, and for the most part I have loved the journey. Of course, as with any job, there were parts I didn’t love, and I guess that is why we are here.
I will say that I have prayed about if I should quit my job for over a year now. Even so, when push came to shove, the decision still weighed heavily on my heart. I loved being a working mom, I loved being a woman in finance, and I loved what I did – immensely. Despite all that, I had three young kids at home who hardly ever got to see me. Between my real job and the blog I was working 80 hour weeks. I was exhausted. I had no patience. At the end of the day I had nothing to give. That was not what I wanted for our family, for myself, or for this community.
Thankfully, over the past four years, Ashley and I have built an incredible business. We have worked tirelessly to build the blog to where it is now. I never thought this little website of ours would have the capacity to become my full time job, but as with all things, God knows best. Faith in Him, support from my husband, thousands of hours of hard work, and YOU – this community – have allowed me to make this change, take the leap of faith… and quit my job.
I am SO excited for this new chapter ahead. I am SO excited for mornings with my kids… for extended family vacations… for day dates with my husband… for unlimited time to write… for shooting during the golden hour… for blogging conferences… for dedicating time to serve others… for making my own schedule… and last but not least… for being the only person who decides how much money I make.
SO what does this mean for the blog?
It means more of everything. More content, more house tours, more recipes, more DIYs, more fashion, more deals, more Amazon hauls, more traveling, more parenting articles, more… more… more. I am SO excited about blogging full time, and I hope you are excited too.
Thank you for following along on this crazy journey of life with us. I promise you this next year is going to be good. SO SO SO GOOD 🙂 As always – thank you for reading along.
All the love and light,
XooX Emily
