Three Sixty Five

I'll admit, I was going to save this post for the one year anniversary of my move to Charlotte but I thought the month between graduation and that move deserved some of the credit. Plus, all the hype and Facebook-focus on everyone graduating at JMU this weekend and it just felt timely. May 4th (Saturday) was the one year anniversary of the day I graduated and it has been a whirlwind of a time since then. Three hundred sixty five days later and I'm concerned how the next year is ever going to top this past one.

In the past year, I traveled to Europe and traipsed across Ireland and London for two weeks. I said good-bye to six years of experiences in Harrisonburg and moved to Charlotte. I started a job at a fortune 50 company doing something I have NEVER done before. I've been to concerts, sporting events, weekend-long adventures, and added to my ever-expanding friend network. And three of my best friends and one sister got engaged and a handful of others got married. It's been nothing short of a roller coaster to say the least.

While there's been a lot of ups, there's been a handful of downs. I'm making more money than I ever have before but my lifestyle changed accordingly so I'm not living large like I planned. Some of my most valued relationships have been tested. And after a year of doing a job that I love, I still have no idea where I want to be 5 years from now. Regardless of these little hiccups, I don't pretend to be the same person I was a year ago and have both the good and the bad to thank for it.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons and I have zero regrets about this past year. I'm so looking forward to the next 365 days. There's quite a few weddings, a boat, and some trips I'm looking forward to and oh-so-many things in Charlotte I have yet to try. Past that, I'm not sure what to expect. But then again, I wasn't really quite sure what to expect when I moved down here to begin with.

I know I'm ready for a new adventure and I'm ready to test a few theories. I'm ready to capitalize on the opportunities I've been putting on hold and I'm more than ready to move forward...whatever that may mean or take to happen. So, here's to another successful and challenging 365 days of awesome people, awesome experiences in the awesome city I've come to love.