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A New Beginning

I have not blogged for almost a year. My life and my mind have been in a state of general disarray for the last year and a half, now that I think about it. It has been a time of change and upheaval, but now the downtime of winter has brought me some time for reflection on the craziness.

In August of 2014 my husband and I moved our family away from my beloved Wisconsin. We are now what I like to call 'homesteading' (because I feel it makes my crazy-chicken-lady status acceptable) near Hastings, Minnesota on my husband's family farm where he grew up, and his father before him grew up, and his father before him, and maybe one more father before him too; yep, if I remember correctly what I have been told, the family farm has been here that long. And now here we are, raising our kids in the same place. Sentimentality is in my nature, so I can dig it, even with the stress of moving. Creaky/beautiful old farmhouse and all.




In January 2015, I officially started my landscape business, Wild Violet's Landscape Design, and tentatively made my way through my first year in business as my own entity rather than working for others. It has been both terrific and terrifying to develop a new identity as a business owner along with my regular responsibilities as a wife and mother. This balance (or lack thereof) could fill 100 blogs, but I'll try to keep it focused on the big picture of where I'm going in 2016 for this one. 

I want to make a new commitment to my business to regularly connect with my friends and customers with updates on this blog, or possibly a monthly newsletter, Facebook, or what have you. But, here's my dilemma. My mind is not easily focused. I have many hamsters running on many wheels up there, not to mention that since I began this blog in 2011 I have changed a lot as a person. I started blogging in lieu of keeping a garden journal. Then motherhood came along and threw me some major curve balls personally and professionally, so I wrote about parenting and introducing my girls to the great outdoors. Cooking and craft projects crept into my writing too, because unfortunately, you know, WINTER. Also other personal things showed up: pets, home projects, other hobbies. Because I am not just one thing - a landscape designer, or a wife, or a Mom. I am a whole person, with a multi-faceted life. I cannot compartmentalize it.

That being said, I do realize some of my past posts may not be totally 'professional' to now have connected to my business website. I have struggled with this and in the meantime avoided new blogging, wondering if I should delete my old content or hide it or start a different blog. I tend to overthink things. The hamsters, you know. I've decided to be my authentic self and let it all hang out there rather than lose those records that certainly meant something to me at the time, and perhaps would mean something to someone else now. So there you go. My future writings may be more consistent and professional, or I may slip occasionally...I'm still me, after all. Also, while we're being honest, sometimes I like to drink beer and/or say swear words, but only when really, really necessary. Whew. Got that off my chest.

Onward!


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