Dear Jenn, It's Been a Decade

Dear Jenn,

I have so much to tell you!

The last time I wrote here was 2018. I boldly declared it my "Year to Radiate," full of optimism and plans for the future.

...and then life happened.

Not in a bad way. Just in the way life tends to happen when you're busy... living.

Back then, Abby was still a kid and Noah was just a little guy. Today, Abby is almost 17, drives herself places, has a job, and is already talking about what comes after high school. Noah is almost 12 and somehow knows more about video games, technology, and random facts than most adults I know. Every day he teaches me something new whether I ask for the lesson or not. I'm here for it!

Tony is still my favorite person and has now been with Sprouts for nearly five years. Somehow we've managed to navigate careers, parenthood, buying our first home (and mortgage payments), family adventures, and all of the beautifully messy moments in between.

As for me?

Well... I did something I never thought I'd do.

After 12 years at Blast, I took a leap and left the company that had become home. I joined a large SaaS company, working fullly remote for the first time, and discovered an entirely new chapter of my career. I leaned into employee relations, performance management, continuing to support employees through change, and lead with empathy during uncertain moments.

And uncertainty has certainly had its turn.

Just a few months ago, our company was acquired, and we're actively working through what comes next. Some days it's exciting. Most days it's unsettling. The experience has reminded me that growth rarely arrives wrapped in comfort.

The funny thing is that when I look back at the woman who wrote here in 2018, I thought I knew what reinvention looked like. I didn't.

Ooohhh, I really didn't.

The last decade brought adventures I couldn't have imagined. Trips to places I had only dreamed of visiting. Concerts. Road trips. Hiking trails. New friendships. Hard conversations. Therapy (and tears). Big decisions. Growing out my natural hair color. Countless memories.

Jenn - a decade later

It also brought lessons.

I've learned that confidence isn't something you magically achieve one day. It's something you rebuild over and over again. And it's HARD. I've gained 30 pounds over the last decade and am learning to embrace a changing body, shifting priorities, and hormones that seem determined to keep me humble. Ugh.

I've learned that middle age isn't the beginning of the end. It's the beginning of caring a little less about what everyone else thinks. Blessings. Seriously.

I've learned that joy isn't found in perfect circumstances. It's found in ordinary Tuesday afternoons, family dinners, weekend getaways, belly laughs, and quiet moments when you realize your life isn't perfect... but it's yours.

I've learned that you can be deeply grateful for your life while still wanting more for yourself. And perhaps most importantly, I've learned that it's never too late to begin again.

And again.

And again.

Which brings me back here.

Back to this little corner of the internet that quietly waited while I spent the last decade becoming someone new. I'm not returning with a perfectly curated plan.... I'm simply returning because I miss writing.

I miss reflecting. I miss documenting the moments that would otherwise be forgotten.

So moving forward, you'll find a little bit of everything here: stories about family, career, travel, wellness, midlife adventures, personal growth, and whatever lessons life happens to be teaching me in the moment.

Some posts will be polished. Some won't. But they'll all be real.

To the readers who've been here before, thank you for sticking around. To anyone new, welcome.

And to the version of me who wrote "Year to Radiate" back in 2018... 

You did.

Just not in the way you expected.

Love,

Jenn