What's funny is, all I have done the past few years is complain about it. I love what I do, I just hate to travel so much. But I figured out my problem. It's not the travel, it's that I push myself too far and never give myself any time to breathe. I work a part time job in Nashville while I'm not traveling and then take days off from the part time job to travel for my "real" job and then I end up having no days off, exhausted, and burned out. So, after realizing that I constantly am working and I'm not taking advantage of these awesome opportunities I receive, I decided no filler jobs! I need free time to myself! I need to devote time to myself doing what I love and what recharges me, like yoga, hikes, hanging out with girlfriends, sweating it out whether it be cardio dance, Pound fitness, or biking, drawing, brainstorming ideas, creating whether it be painting, making something or creating something with Corey, and just hanging out with my family. I fill my schedule so tight I don't even have free time to study up on my beauty brands I work for and then I feel I'm uninspired and I don't feel 100% confident in what I'm doing.
I was not going to do that this year. My #1 goal this year was to stop working so much!! Now I devote all my time to my brands I represent and I help out a couple friends at their shops that they own. It still gives me time for me, and I love working at both these places. It's one day a week and it gives me stability to stay calm about my schedule but it still doesn't overwhelm me. I am so thankful for the grounding of these one day a week jobs, but I also am so grateful for the freedom of my real job. I get to basically choose my schedule and I don't have to work all the time. It can get a little scary and I have my moments of freaking out, but the truth is, it works. This job provides everything I need and I have to stop telling myself I need to do more. I don't have to work 5 days a week and have that stable 9-5 shift to "have a job." I do have a job! It's not what most people do, but it works for me and I'm so grateful for that. It always provides and I'm always staying busy which is good.
Now I actually have time to do what I want. This year was the year for that. I had this feeling last year that 2016 was going to be awesome and so far it's been great. My husband was off for the winter which was so great. For 2015 being so busy, I felt like we really didn't get to see much of each other and we really got to hang out and spend quality time together while he was off. I traveled quite a bit & he came along too!! We had a great time and I really enjoyed having him along for the ride! We got to go to towns we had never even heard of and got to see some awesome sites. We took advantage of the journey and stopped and checked out anything & everything that caught our attention while on the way to our destination.
state park we checked out along our way to Jackson, Mississippi
I think these trips with my husband really reflect how I want to live my life. Take advantage of all the opportunities given. Just like my job. I never really grasped how luck I was to be able to go to all these different cities and get to check out the yummy food, sites, and people. I would just show up & do facials or makeup & go. Having Corey with me really got me to stop & smell the roses. Enjoy all the beautiful sites & sounds of the trip and not just focus on point A to Z. Stop and check out every freakin letter as you go along!
state park stop along the way
I think Corey even enjoyed taking advantage of the opportunity he was given. He loves Civil War history so he went to battlefields while i worked. he checked out historic buildings and homes, all by himself! He said he did numerous tours with just himself and the tour guide. Sometimes it's nice to just be by yourself and have these moments alone. (It's the only child in me, I can't help it!) I studied the sites to go see, asked locals about the best places to eat and man, we had a good time!
I mean how often are we going to go to Little Rock, Arkansas? I mean, honestly? It's not on my top vacation destinations. But now going there, we will definitely go back. We had the best fried catfish there and the best cheese dip! I am not kidding! Dizzy Gypsy has the best cheese dip! I will never be the same. I need that cheese dip on a weekly basis! There is tons of hiking and beautiful sites that Arkansas still has to offer. We got to knock off a lot on our sites list for Arkansas, took back roads and more scenic routes. But now we know, it's an easy trip to get there and we can do an easy weekend hiking trip.
We stopped in Memphis on our way to Little Rock and just checked out some of the sites. We swung by Sun Studios which we wanted to just check out and we ended up taking the tour, and it changed our life! I love Elvis, sure, why not? But the main man that I love is good of Johnny Cash. To know he sang and recorded there just moved me and Corey to our core. It's a major historic site we are so glad we checked out.
the same microphone all the greats used while recording at Sun in the same spot & studio at Sun Records
Arkansas is so flat! It's so beautiful! There's tons of open lands and trees and it's not covered in buildings and house after house. It's kind of nice to go somewhere and realize there is still untouched land that hasn't been taken over by us humans. Corey even received a little inspiration while doing touristy things while I worked. He got the check out the numerous museums they had in Little Rock and he's actually branched out to even more types of woodworking that I will share soon!
the mighty Mississippi on a cloudy drive
Mississippi is gorgeous! I love it! The people are sweet & caring, the sites are so pretty. We rode on the Natchez Trace to get to certain towns and it was just beautiful. It's so nice to just see land every once in a while. All the little towns we stayed in were beautiful & sweet. Even the bigger towns in Mississippi were still delightful and not so crazy like a big city. There was very little to no traffic which is just amazing! It's nice to almost "unplug" from what Nashville is turning in to. I love this city that I was born in but man, it's getting big and it's a little bit of an adjustment. So leaving this city to go to small towns I never would have thought about visiting was so refreshing. That is the best way to describe my last month & a half-refreshing & recharging.
on the Natchez Trace
view from the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
every couple of miles the view of the Natchez Trace was slightly different from the last mile, it was beautiful
While in Jackson, Mississippi we decided to really take advantage of the trip and stay at the most adorable bed & breakfast on our way home to Nashville. Once again, Corey is a huge Civil War history guy so we stayed in Corinth, Mississippi. Like I said, we went places we had never even heard of. This was one of them! But, it was the most beautiful towns! Literally everyone knew each other! You could walk around the entire town and we stayed right in the "downtown" of Corinth. It was so sweet! You just walked around the town and saw the locals walking from their house to go get dinner at the local restaurant down the road. It was just so different and refreshing. I was so inspired being "unplugged" from our normal routine.
sweet church in Corinth while walking around the town
Some of the best memories of my life will be from these trips. Hanging out with Corey in new towns, trying to figure out where we are going. Taking a risk on local restaurants and meeting new people. Checking out sites off the interstate and going through some major back roads! Listening to music in the car and just talking the whole way. Chilling out in our hotel room reading in bed, we never do that! Walking through downtown Little Rock and checking out new restaurants & bars. Leaving your room late at night to go try the "best cheese dip" at the restaurant 2 blocks from your hotel. Yes, we did get dressed and go back out to eat cheese dip at 9:30 at night. It was the best cheese dip and you'll constantly hear about it from now on! These memories are just so warming to me and I'm so thankful.
our view from our hotel in Little Rock. The Arkansas River was decked out for Valentine's Day
I think these trips have set the precedent for the rest of the year. I need to stop and smell the roses. Really need to be mindful of all the opportunities I am given. Take advantage of everything I have, from my job, to my friends, my awesome husband, my body & utilize it to its fullest, this life! I need to enjoy the free times in between work trips. Take this time to do stuff around the house, hang out with friends, take time for me!! Just like leap day, it's an extra day to just take life by the horns and love the hell out of it!!
some random stop in TN along the way to Little Rock
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