Hello, Dear Readers, and welcome back to Awefully Big Adventures.
I have to start by saying thank you to all of you for your response to my last installment. I truly did not expect such a turnout and I am honored that you took the time out of your day to read my writing. I hope I can continue to provide satisfying content as this journey continues. Again, I welcome any and all feedback!
Now we get to the meat of today's post. Who am I? The simple answer is as follows: I'm a 23 (almost 24) year old woman living in the Pacific Northwest with my family and my Grandmother, and I love Jesus and my friends. I have a 1 1/2-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Reginald (Reggie for short), who gets along swimmingly with my family's German Shepherd, Tala. You shall see pictures of them in future readings, I promise!
This is the long version: When quarantine and COVID-19 are not blocking me from it, I work as a Housekeeping Coordinator at The Westin Seattle, and I love my job! Until I return, however, I am helping with my Grandmother full-time. She has Alzheimer's and Dementia and my parents and I take care of her all day, every day. It is exhausting, but I am thankful that I have family to share the task with and friends to destress with over text and facetime.
I have two younger sisters and I adore both of them (once I get their permission I shall share their names with you all, but until then they remain mysteries). I love to write (thus this blog) and am finally pushing myself to explore the side of me that desperately wants it to be my full-time career (again, a large part of the reason for this blog). I am a huge nerd, and eventually want to have either a Peter Pan or Lord of the Rings themed wedding. This will have to wait until I have actually found someone to marry - for the time being, I shall plan dreamily on Pinterest. I have a lot of dreams and aspirations - sometimes I let my longing for them get in the way of actually being productive, but I am working on that. I have a phenomenal support group of friends, without whom I would likely not have the courage to be presenting you with my thoughts in written form.
Lovely readers, you will swiftly find (if you have not already) that I can write through my entire stream of consciousness without taking a breath. This is endearing to some and obnoxious to others. I will continue to do my best to reign my thoughts in, but if I fail in this I do apologize, and I sincerely thank you for bearing with me in the midst of my ramblings.
I am hopelessly in love with all things travel, organization, and leadership. I dream to one day be a leader in the Event Management and Travel / Guest Experience worlds, and I will definitely be documenting my experiences with these industries here on this blog. I always love input from others more experienced in the industry than me - learning from my peers is one of my greatest pleasures.
My life has been full of rollercoaster rides. My family has traveled all over, living in multiple states (I most certainly get my travel bug from my parents). Other than learning how to be an observer and absorber of many beautiful cultures and people, I have also spent some time in dance studios and swimming pools. I adore dancing, though I am not the best at it, and I also love to sing (in the shower, not in public - this is still a community I must build the courage to participate in). I am a Theatre major, and of COURSE, I am obsessed with all things creative and musical. I am always looking for new things to learn; and lately, I have found myself diving more deeply into the realm of art - sketching, painting, lettering, and the like. I tend to see my own discovery and understanding in my art, and it is a wondrous way to process my thoughts and things happening in my life.
When considering things that have happened in my life, one of the big things to mention would most definitely be my health journey. In short, I have dealt with over 10 years of medical conundrums, not the least of these being diagnoses of the following: Fibromyalgia, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Hypothyroidism, Sleep Apnea, and Cushing's Disease (Cushing's Disease is in remission, but the story of how this diagnosis came to be will be shared in other posts). This is a HUGE piece of the puzzle that is yours truly. My health has been such a large part of my life that it is very often the reason I have a hard time remembering the good parts of my adolescence. It is also my motivation for advocating for those who might not know much in the midst of their own journeys. I have gone through so much with my health (and still am going through it) that I want to be able to help others understand what is happening to them. Again, I shall dive into my health story in other posts; but please know, dear readers, that I am not joking when I say physical and mental health are two of my most dominant lenses for understanding life.
I have also spent a lot of my life wrestling with my weight and body image. For the longest time, I believed that if I were thin enough I would be pretty and have the qualifications to be successful. My inner dialogue consisted of many statements resembling the following:
"If only I were under 180, I could finally write and create and be understood."
"If I lose the weight that I have put on without explanation I can finally be happy."
"If I starve myself or stick to this diet than Jesus will love me more and people will want me more and be my friends."
"If I didn't have this double chin and back fat, I could fly and travel more."
"If I were thin and pretty like my classmates, I might feel more confident in my performance in class, and I might even get better grades."
The lens through which I see my value has been weight for longer than I can remember. I am finally getting to wipe that lense clean and see myself as someone to be proud of. My weight is a part of me, but it is not something to be ashamed of. There will be a lot of this journey that consists of learning how to see through a new lens of body positivity, and I hope that I can inspire you to start to look at yourself more kindly as well.
The last (but most certainly not the least) piece of information that I feel you need to know about me as we step into this journey is that I am a Christian. My faith is who I am, and I am unmoving on that fact. My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship to me of all, and I will not apologize for it. If you are not a Christian, THAT IS OKAY. It is not a requirement to read my blog, it is not a requirement to be my friend, and it is not a requirement to be in my life. If you are curious about anything, don't hesitate to ask! I am a Pastor's Daughter / Granddaughter, and I have a minor in Biblical Studies, so I know a bit, but I would never claim to know all!
I share this with you to let you know that my views on life and on the world are impacted by my faith, and I use my faith to always try to see the good in people. I am not one to dictate how others should see politics or religion because of my faith, and I always strive to show those around me love and affection as I believe Jesus would. Don't worry - I can still take a joke, and I often will be the one telling them! I don't want you to shy away from experiencing life with me just because we don't share the same belief system. Whether you are Athiest, Scientologist, or anything in between; you are welcome on this blog and in my community. The same goes for the LGBTQ+ community and all who may or may not share my ideas about the world. Are we not, after all, made to be creatures of community and edification? I will strive to be welcoming and loving to all, and if I do or say something that is hurtful, please contact me privately, as I do not want to stir up strife on this platform. I want to share the love that I know with others, to show them that they are as worthy of appreciation and belonging as I am!
Dearest readers, please know that my faith does not deny or negate my battles with mental health. Please do not shy away from my content! I have my share of fear, stress, anxiety, anger, and joy. I present my blog to you with the sincerest hope that no matter what path of life you walk, you will find comfort in knowing that there are others like you, faith or no faith.
I promised you authenticity, and authenticity you shall get.
Well, that's about it for today's installment. If you made it this far, I sincerely thank you, dear readers. I will of course be expanding on the topics covered above; but for now, I hope you enjoyed the tidbits presented. As always, if you have any questions or input about anything explored above, please reach out via comment or email! I very truthfully desire to build a community of encouragement and belonging, and I cannot do that without your help! I wholeheartedly look forward to writing for you again; and thank you a thousand times over for continuing to support this endeavor.
DISCLAIMER
Please, dear readers, don't get me wrong. I am NOT perfect. I am NOT a seasoned mental health professional, nor am I a licensed counselor (if I were, there would be letters after my name). If you are dealing with ANYTHING that I talk about and you need more than just the assurance that there are people out here like you, I urge you to seek out professional help. I am putting together a page listing many different resources for the help you may need. If there are more resources that you have found, please share them with me and I will add them to this resource list.