Falling in Love... with the New Year

I have just arrived back in London after having spent the last 15 days at home (in the Pacific Northwest). While it was great, it was a whirlwind.

It made me appreciate the people that I have in my life, but also wish I had more of myself to spread out.

Items I have learned today:

I haven't learned anything as I was back at home and I already know EVERYTHING :)

Well, OK, maybe the following:

Fun-Fresh-Une: The name of the commune that a friend back at home wants to start. She has this grand vision of us all in our own tiny homes. I was amused.

I also learned that 15 days wasn't nearly enough time to try and see everyone, especially with a trip to Las Vegas and Portland thrown in there for fun.

I will wrap up 2017 in London (I'm pictured above on the doorstep of the London flat that I spent the first four years of my life in)

My New Year's Eve plans got cancelled a few days ago, and while I was just invited over to a friends place, I am pretty exhausted. So it's very likely that I will ring in 2018 walking along the Thames with my music as my date. But, you know what? I'm OK with that. There is something quite magical about walking along the River Thames with a good soundtrack.

With 2017 coming to a close, I wanted to take a second to reflect on everything the year has had to offer me

I moved across the world to London, England. I originally came here to start a brand new innovative "Directors" MBA program. It's designed to get its "participants" (student is a banned word that I am not allowed to use) comfortable, confident and ready to move into a leadership capacity. Prior to starting the program, I had no plans of running my own company someday. And now? Well, I'm still not entirely sure what it all looks like, but I know that I am meant to lead, and I'm excited to see it all unfold.

I started a brand new job at a publishing company. I have also written my very first novel.  The novel (currently called Just Maria: Just Me) is a Bridget Jones Diary style work in progress. But instead of Bridget, the main character is me. I write about my life during the month of Nov 2017 as I'm working through all of my hopes/fears from moving across the world, starting a new job/masters program, and well a bit more. It's been great to work in publishing, as someday I hope to become a published author. I'm just not positive yet if "Just Maria" will be my first best-selling novel :)

I've found my Spiritual Community - a place called the Center for Spiritual Living in Seattle. I absolutely adore the Spiritual Director Kathianne Lewis, D.D. I have always believed in God/the Universe, but for a long time it was really hard for me to define it much further than that. It has been so incredible to find a community that believes similarly to how I do, and more importantly "fills me up" on that level. AND I'm able to tune in from across the world. It's not quite the same thing as being there live, but I'll take it.

I've connected to this incredible company called Intention Inspired. Not only did I win a lifetime membership to their newest platform but just in the last few days, one of the co-founders has "planted a seed" for my involvement on a greater level. When I originally found this company, I was deeply moved, but I remember thinking that there was no way that the founders would ever actually know who I was. It's insane to me to think about how much has changed since I discovered them and now. I still don't know how it's all going to pan out, but my first article for the company was published yesterday (you can read it here:) As I conclude in the article, it feels like the start, the beginning of a whole new chapter.

And the best part of the year? I've gotten to spend time with people I love (like most recently getting to whisk my mother away on a holiday adventure to Las Vegas). I've made some pretty profound connections, some absolutely incredible people have entered into my life and I have grown a little bit more into who I am/who I'm meant to be.

In all honesty, it's been a pretty crazy year.

A life changing one. I have been so grateful for everything that has happened, the good, the bad, the ugly, everything.

I am looking forward to what's to come.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to read this and journey with me in 2017.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Cheers to the future, who knows what it holds for us!