There is really nothing like the feeling of waking up on Saturday morning with not a thing on your agenda, no emails pending, no appointments to make and no alarms set. It’s certainly been a crazy month to say the least, so a morning of total relaxation feels like a splurge.

To start, I chose to leave my first job out of college (I’d been there 4 years) to pursue another opportunity in the agricultural industry. It was a bittersweet decision–I knew in my heart it was time to move on but felt saddened by the people I would leave behind; those who helped shape my career and teach me the inner workings of the cattle/beef industry. In the same beat, I felt a renewed sense of adventure and a chance to open up my world to new experiences. Those few weeks were filled with apprehension, excitement, self doubt one minute and total confidence in another–by the end of it I was totally exhausted.

In unfortunate timing, my fiance had an accident that turned our world upside down during the last week of my “old” job. In true “Jakob” form, he tried to cut down a dead tree in our front yard with a chainsaw and a ladder. God bless him, he’s one of those guys that is heavily on the DIY side. Truly, that is one quality that I admire about him, however sometimes his plans don’t go the way they should…

Long story short, the one large branch that he had cut down had swung around and knocked the ladder out from under him, and he fell with the chainsaw roughly 18 feet to the ground. A visit to the ER and a dozen X-rays later, we found out he had broken two vertebrae in his neck.

Although it could have been A LOT worse…the breaks should heal fully in 12 weeks. Mid-October cannot come soon enough!

Which means our wedding pictures will be quite interesting…since he will be in the neck brace when we get married in 48 days! But you know, I honestly don’t care because I am forever thankful and grateful that there was a guardian angel watching over him (Thanks, ZZZ)

Speaking of the wedding…yeah it’s in 48 days!! (OMG) So now it’s go-time, planning the small details, the songs, the “everythings.” I’ve been on the whole “sweating for the wedding” route and eating well and exercising-feeling good and strong. I’ve never been the girl to starve to be skinny or worry about the thigh gap obsession that’s currently taken over the internet. If your thighs touch, you’re one step closer to being a mermaid…can I get an AMEN?! Sorry I got a little off track there…

Back to this Saturday morning feeling I speak of. The past month has been crazy, but it’s taught me a LOT about love, bravery and the meaning of being grateful.

Love: you never know how much you love someone until there is a chance that you may never see them again. The depth of that love comes to surface when you realize that the the big things in life…are the little things!

Bravery:  “Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise something great will come of it.”  That quote is spot-on. All I needed were those few seconds of courage to make up my mind and take a chance on a new opportunity. So many people cautioned me on my decision–the “grass isn’t always greener on the other side” comments but I went with my gut. And you know what…it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Be brave and have some balls to do whatever you want!

Be grateful for everything in your life.

Even the bad stuff. Your past stuff. When I was starting my career and was single and totally lost…I hated that time in my life BUT it all makes sense one day. You’ll find your soulmate, that job you love, that friend that is there for you no matter what…in the end, it all works out if you just have some faith.

And that’s that Saturday morning feeling. When you survived what you thought you couldn’t, and now all you gotta do is sip your coffee and count your blessings

xoxo

Chelsea