2nd Star to the Right :: Neverland. I think I want to live there.

Moved.

http://allisoninneverland.wordpress.com

4:05 PM | allison | # |

Tomorrow marks a huge day of change. One year ago, on March 24, I left my job at Administaff in search of new beginnings, new opportunities and new paths to follow.

Looking back now, it's amazing to me the changes that have occurred over the last twelve months. I spent the first few months, for lack of a better word, recovering. I did a lot of yard work for my folks, took a lot of long walks, watched a lot of television and read a lot of books. I also, after three years, reached my goal weight. I've maintained it (plus or minus two pounds) since then.

The yard work culminated in a short stint working at the Garden Center at Meijer in Batavia. I started waiting tables at Walter Payton's Roundhouse a short time after that. I still work there on weekends. Last summer was wonderful. I walked a lot, waited tables and met a lot of new people, learned how to play bean bags, and even got a tan! I finished the summer off with a bang, starting a job as a Marketing & Public Relations Specialist at the local communtiy hospital.

The rest of 2006 treated me well - I started seeing someone (and still am!) I really enjoy spending time with, I produced an incredible show that dad directed and mom stole from her cast-mates, Carl and I became regulars at an Irish pub, and I began feeling more like myself than I had in a really, really long time.

2007 started off well too - we returned to Vegas for another long girls' weekend, Carl and I are getting closer than ever to actually making Last Call a real place, and I was offered a full-time position at the hospital.

The last bit has me a bit anxious and unsure, but I'm working through that the way I do everything: over-thinking, deciding, second-guessing and making a final decision. I'm still in the over-thinking stage at the moment.

But anyway, with tomorrow's anniversary, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone: the past year has been the most incredible roller coaster ride I've had in a long time and I don't think I would have enjoyed it, or survived it, nearly as well if I hadn't had your support and love and guidance.

Thank you.

11:53 AM | allison | # |

I was just thinking how 2006 started off so rough, and got better as soon as I changed my situation. Leaving The Company was hard, especially since I didn’t have another job to go to. But after a couple of rocky months in the early spring, I really, really enjoyed the rest of the year. I got to do a lot of thinking while I gardened for mom, which kept my hands busy and my mind free to wander and heal. I took a lot of walks (which I can’t wait to start again once the weather cooperates), and I even got a tan, which is weird because I’ve always been prone to sunburns in the past. Even the fall was fun – I started getting a little more social, produced my first show on my own, and had a great holiday season.

Changing your perspective is an amazing way to change your life, I think. I’m sure I was told that by everyone around me at the time, but it was something I needed to figure out for myself. I’m still in a little disbelief that I’m still at home (next month will already be a year!!), but I’m working on changing that too. After living alone for so long, I had forgotten how nice it is to have other people in the house. Even if I come home late or get up early and don’t see them, I still know they’re there.

2007 is already looking pretty exciting – my part-time job at the hospital is being budgeted for full-time, which means I’d be able to quit waiting tables. I think I’ll miss that work a little, but not enough to keep doing if the job at the hospital works out. I’m also working on a small free-lancing project with a guy I met at a bar. Weird, right? I also met the non-boyfriend at the same bar, but that’s another story. But the guy is starting up a magazine and is looking for some writers who don’t need or want to keep office hours, and that works for me.

I’m thinking about reducing my time with the theatre group – not only because I’m really interested in pursuing my social life, but also because I’m tired. It often feels like I’m the only one who cares, or does any work, and I’m not willing to take all that responsibility any more. Right now, being happy is my number one priority, and that doesn’t make me happy anymore.

9:28 PM | allison | # |