Why I Love Texas...and March...and My New Vocation

So I know I mentioned in my last post how much I love, miss, and pine for California {more specifically the Pacific Ocean}.  Lest you think I have no love for the Great State of Texas, I give you one of my favorite things that can only be found here...and only in March...and only for one week {two tops}.

Allow me to introduce you to the Texas Mountain Laurel.  He is fabulous and is in bloom {though he only graces us with his fabulous bloomy fragrance for a couple of weeks in March every year}.

Imagine flowery Grape Kool-aid.  Really a poor imitation of how good he smells...but it's the best I can do.  And right now my two Texas Mountain Laurels have scented my backyard with their wonderful goodness.  There is no other place I'd rather be than Texas in the spring.

Two years after planting, my yellow climbing roses have decided to bloom...and bloom a lot!

Oh the yellow rose of Texas...I'm going there to see... {my chives also wanted to be in the picture :) }

And this little cheerful window box planter makes me smile every time I see it...

Hello pink geranium!

And lest my sleepy pooch feel left out, here he is in all his cuteness....

Which brings me to why I love my new vocation...

Because every morning while my little one enjoys a morning nap...

I get to enjoy the comfort of this...in pajamas...

And the sounds of this...

And this handsome view...

It's such a peaceful way to "begin" each day.  Granted my day has actually started many hours earlier with early morning feeds, first round of coffee, one more try at getting some more sleep, and then another round of feeding...but I choose to call this time my official start to my day.  It's lovely and restorative.

And to celebrate the once a year opportunity to smell the Mountain Laurel, I'm decking my house out in it....and some yellow rose blooms.  So while my paint scheme says "Pacific Coast", my home smells like "Texas".  :)

How do you welcome Spring into your home?  Any special traditions?

Decisions, decisions...

Change.  It's inevitable.

Sometimes it happens suddenly.  In an instant, your life as you know it ceases to exist and is replaced by a new version.  Sometimes it's a good change; sometimes it's a bad change.  But it's change just the same.

Other times, change creeps up on you.  You feel your life start to pull in another direction - pulling you in a way you couldn't imagine when you started out.  At first it's just an inkling…a random thought of "what if".  But over time it grows and grows until it's something you can't ignore.

I have decided to leave my job as a marketing guru for a financial services company to pursue a new career as a full-time mommy.  Sounds pretty classy when you say it like that, eh? 

This choice definitely ranks among the most difficult I've had to make in my lifetime.  A good steady job with good steady benefits in a time when our nation is facing economic challenges…a little hard to let go of.  Not to mention I have been blessed to work with such wonderful people who have become an extended family to me.  Definitely hard to let go of.

I know the relationships I've built will continue - I just won't get to see my dear friends every day {or drink Yolanda's coffee every day}.  But moving on has never been easy for me, and coming to this decision, then actually going through with it, was not an easy feat.

But some wonderful, wonderful changes have come to take its place.

Morning coffee and cuddles with my family are something I didn't get to have before.  My mornings were rushed…especially during my pregnancy I was perpetually running late and rushing to catch up.  My husband and I had opposite work schedules and had very little time together.  It's been such a blessing to get to see him and spend time with him every day, not just in passing.  He is still my best friend.

My life has taken a slower pace.  You can't rush babies…and you absolutely should not rush whatever moments you get to have with your little ones.  I realize that I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with my son.  Not everyone has this opportunity and I will not take a moment of this life for granted.