Life Lessons from my Twenties

A few months back I celebrated my 30th birthday.  And I'll be honest, when I thought about hitting my 30's, it was going to be this big thing with a big party and all the fun and craziness that comes with closing out a decade.  However, I brought in my third decade with tons of joy and laughter surrounded by my closest friends and family.

Now that I've been my 30s for a few months, I thought I would share some of the most valuable things I learned in my 20s.

So here we go...

Your timeline does not need to match everyone else's timeline.

I feel like this is especially relevant for women, but men also feel this pressure too.  There is this unspoken rule that you'll go to college, graduate college at 22, get married by 25 while also starting your career, have babies and buy a house well before you turn thirty.  However, this is just so far from the truth.  Yes, there are people out there that meet this timeline.  And I am, by no means, faulting them for going for it, but that does not mean you are less-than or worthless because you are not on the same trajectory as your peer.  Your life needs to be lived the way you are to live it and not based on what everyone else is doing.

Speak your mind, respectfully.

We all have that one friend that has absolutely no filter, right? The person who just says what they're thinking even if that could hurt someone's feelings in the process.  Well let me tell you all, this was me.  I let myself get to this point where I thought my words were truth and everyone should treat them as such.  You know what I learned? I was wrong A LOT of the time.  And often when I was speaking what I thought was the truth, I was hurting the other person in the process.  Had I taken a step back and put myself in the other persons shoes, I might have seen what what I was saying could have been handled better or did not need to be handled at all.  One of the blessings of growing up is learning how to speak your truth in a manner that respects yourself and others. 

"No" is an acceptable answer.

A lot of my twenties were spent trying to please other people.  My friends want to go out? Okay! Parents want x, y, or z from me? No problem.  Husband needs me to do this? You got it.  And you know what I realized? I just plain could not do it all.  Not only was I overcommitting myself, I was simultaneously failing on 90% of the commitments I had made because I was burned out.  Eventually I came to the point that I had to start saying "no" and guess what? It was the most freeing thing I could have done for myself.  In fact, I took on the mantra: "If the answer isn't Hell Yes!, then the answer needs to be no"{Thank you Rachel Hollis}.  Obviously there are some things I cannot say no to, but in general if my gut reaction isn't to be excited then I'm generally going to just say no thank you.

Also, I'd like to add another tidbit for this: When you say no, you do not owe the other person an explanation.  This one was hard for me to accept (and those in my life to accept).  When I started saying a plain old "no thank you" to some people, their immediate response was to question why and get upset.  It can be a little awkward at first, but I promise over time that people will learn that your first "no" is the final "no" and that you will likely not provide an explanation and they need to respect that.

Friends come and go - and that's part of life.

One of the biggest (and hardest) things I went through in my twenties was having my friendship with my best friend come to an end.  Losing her left a big hole in my life that was incredibly hard to fill.  However, this also taught my some very valuable life lessons:

1. Show gratitude to your friends - make sure they know you love them

2. Speak honestly and openly, but with love

3. Apologies go a long way and should be used when appropriate

So while that experience was horrible and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, I am grateful it happened so I had the opportunity to learn so much about myself and grow in ways I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to do.

So that's it! 

Those are the four main things I learned in my 20's.  There are several other things that I learned (like it's important to have a budget) but these are the things that I learned life lessons from.

Question of the Day: What important life lessons have you learned {and ultimately grown from} that you want to share with others?

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

October: Month @ a Glance

Oh hello there! So my plan to post more frequently didn't go as planned, but here I am picking up one of my favorite post series I used to do on the blog! Can you believe we're already in October? Where in the world has this year gone? October is my second favorite month after December {because, Christmas} and it also really represents the beginning of the holiday season for me!

This year I am participating in the Last 90 Days challenge again because I really felt like the challenge had a positive influence in my life and I think it would be good to finish the year off strongly.  If you haven't heard of the Last 90 Days challenge, check out The Hollis Co. website.

October is always a fun and busy month for us and this year is no different.

So here's what's on our agenda this month! 

On the Agenda this Month:

1. Helping our friends pack and move into their first house
2. Meeting our friends baby/dinner date with friends
3. My brother is getting married!
4. Halloween party at our house
5. Our 8th anniversary

Goals for October

1. Read Four Books: I know this is more than I used to do in the past, but I started a reading challenge with my girlfriend and I want to keep on it as much as I can! I'll be posting about that challenge soon, I promise!

2. Exercise daily: One of the goals for the Last 90 Days challenge is 30 minutes of exercise every day.  My goal is to either use my Peloton bike or go for a walk/run every day.  

3. At least 4 posts this month.  I have had 3 or 4 half written posts on in my queue for the last 2 months so I desperately need to finish writing them and share them with you all!

Question of the Day: What costume are you wearing for Halloween this year?

Share your responses below in the comments! 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

What Losing My Job Taught Me and Other Updates

Hellloooo everyone.  How are you? It's been like.... 9 months.  No I did not disappear to have a baby {snort}, but I did take a break to focus on my mental health and find a better balance to my life.  In fact, I took so much of a break that my Facebook Page needed to be "made private" until I could gather myself enough to start posting regularly again. 

So what's been going on with me you ask? Let's see...

1. Started a new job April 2018

2. Found out my contract was ending in "the new year".

3. Started a new job in January of this year (thank the LORD)

4. Oh and I went to Austin, TX twice in the last year 

When I write it out, it does not seem like a whole lot of activity does it? But to me that was a crazy, crazy, crazy whirlwind of a year.  When I left my job April 2018 I was super excited to go onto bigger and better things and try something different.  I was working from home 99.9% of the time, learning the ins and outs of Compliance and growing professionally.  In my head, this new job afforded me all kinds of opportunities that I never would have had at my last job.  However, the rug was quickly pulled out from under my feet and I found myself scrambling to figure out what I would be doing next.  When I found out that my job was not, in fact, a long-term contract it knocked the wind right out of my sails.  

To be blunt, I felt extremely defeated and started questioning if I made the right decision to leave my old company, questioning if I was "good enough" and questioning what in the WORLD would be happening next in my life.  And of COURSE, I was upset because we were on this epic plan to pay off all of our credit card debt in 18 months and all I could focus on was the fact that we weren't going to be able to do that...  weird right? Thankfully, the universe had a plan for me and provided me with a new opportunity in the same department as before just under a different team.  And I honestly have been much happier than I ever imagined I could be while working a job.  Imagine that.

So why am I telling you this? Well because while this whole experience stunk, I actually learned a few things and I thought I might come to share them with you all.

Things I Learned When I Lost My Job

1. Being stressed is 100% okay and 100% normal.  Throughout this whole process I was extremely stressed out.  I knew that my job would be coming to an end and that I would need to find more work.  And we ALL know that you are more employable when you're already employed so I was scrambling to get any interviews I could on the calendar the week before Christmas... which was a total of 1 interview.  I also was applying for 10+ potential jobs every day just to get as many applications as I could out into the world.  But throughout this whole stressful adventure, I was constantly reminded by family and friends that being stressed was okay and to just do what I could and trust that it will work out.  

2. Saying "no thank you" to an interview is not a bad thing.  Because I had gone from driving 45+ miles into the office daily to hardly ever going into an office, I knew that I would not feel comfortable going back to a long commute again.  When searching for new jobs I only applied for positions that were within a comfortable driving distance.  And when a company contacted me for a position that was not within that radius, I politely declined and asked them to reach out in the future if they have any opportunities that do not require long commute.  To some, rejecting an interview due to long commute might be silly, but I knew my limit and would not pursue a job with a long commute unless absolutely necessary.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for more (within reason).  When my first job offer came through I was so excited.  Not only would it be a simple transition, I would not be unemployed at any point.  This meant I would not have a gap in pay or miss out on any benefits.  The only bad thing about the offer... was slightly less than my current salary.  Of course, I was a bit disappointed that it was less, but then I realized that it is completely acceptable for me to ask for them to make up the difference.  Bargaining is part of the process, is it not? What harm could it do? So of course I talked with HR and told them that I would really like for them to match my previous salary (especially since it was not much more to get there).  She informed me that the salary could not be increased, but they could look at possibly doing a signing bonus and low and behold, the signing bonus made up for majority of the difference and I only ended up losing $500 a year which wasn't a big deal when the benefits package was so exceptional.

4. Give yourself grace.  Changing jobs once in a year is hard.  Changing jobs twice in 12 months is even more challenging.  They say it takes at least 6 months to get a really good understanding about your new job.  I had finally felt like I had found my groove and was ready to really dig my hands into my work and start expanding then I found out my contract was ending.  When I started my current position, I found myself constantly frustrated that I was lost or making mistakes.  I knew it was part of the process and that it would take time, but I just wanted to feel good at my job again.  That's when my mother, who is very wise I might add, reminded me to give myself grace.  "It takes time to adjust" she said.  And I knew she was right.  Since then, I've been able to give grace in moments which I previously would not.

So that is the four things I learned from losing my job.  I'm sure that more will come to move over time, but these are what I have so far.  

What's Next?

Over the past few months I have been brainstorming topics I'd like to cover with you all on the blog and over the next month or so I am planning/hoping to start posting at least once a week.  That way I am still engaging with you all, but I am NOT overwhelming myself.  The last thing I want to do is give you crummy content while simultaneously stretching myself too thin.

  

Question of the Day:
What advise would you give to someone that lost their job?

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

October: Month @ a Glance

Happy October 1st everyone! I am so excited the October is finally here.  It is so hard to believe that we are hitting the last three months of the year and are quickly approaching the "holiday season".  I love this time of year because it is filled with fun and exciting events and plenty of time with friends and family.  I'm also excited because this year I have a plan to end the year strong versus waiting until the New Year.  If you haven't had a chance to check it out, check out my #Last90Days Update that I posted yesterday!

October is always a fun and exciting month for us because we have our anniversary and my niece's birthday.  Not to mention all of the fun we have with Halloween and passing out candy.  

So here's what's on our agenda this month! 

On the Agenda this Month:

1. Ladies retreat with my mom
2. Dinner date with my friend
3. My niece's 6th birthday
4. Halloween Party at our house
5. Football and Cheer for my niece and nephew
6. Our 7th anniversary

Goals for October

1. Read Two Books:  This goal is perpetually on my list, but I am excited to start tackling it.  Reading is part of my daily goals for the #Last90Days challenge.  Ideally, I'd like to get more than 2 books done, but I also have other things I need to get done every day, so we will see.

2. Exercise daily: Another focus of the #Last90Days challenge is to do 30 minutes of exercise daily.  So the plan is to get 30 minutes of exercise every day either by using the #tiu31 daily moves combined with another workout.  I'm leaning toward doing stretching or yoga because my back has been bothering me lately and I think it would help with the pain.  


Normally I do three goals for the month, but I think I'm going to just focus on two this month.  These seem like good areas for me to focus on this month.  

Question of the Day: What costume are you wearing for Halloween this year?

Share your responses below in the comments! 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

#Last90Days Update

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you have had a wonderful week and are looking forward to some fun this coming weekend.  In my post earlier this week I talked about the #Last90Days challenge that I am participating in with Rachel Hollis. 

Before I get too deep into the #Last90Days goals I have set for myself, I just wanted to mention that if you have not had a chance to read Girl, Wash Your Face, I think you should definitely consider picking it up the next time you're at Target or while you're putting in your next Amazon Prime order.  I have been making a deliberate effort to read at least three chapters a night of the book and it has been difficult for me to put it down just after my three chapters. 

The purpose of today's post is to talk about the goals I am setting for myself over the next 90 days.  I wanted to make sure that I really took the time to sit and reflect on what I was planning for myself and what I would like to see myself get out of this challenge.  So often I start a challenge then give up because there really was not true motivation for me to finish, but this time I have set myself up in a way that will help me be successful.

One part of the challenge is the 5 to Thrive.  The idea is to do these 5 things every day to help you stay on track with your goals.  Ironically, three of these five things are things I really wanted to get better about doing, so it was an easy decision to go with the whole list. 

To start the challenge, I believe that these 5 things are great areas to focus on.  They are all not too time consuming and should be relatively easy for me to incorporate into my daily routine.  So let's talk through each one,

1. Wake up 1 hour early.  I am going to be honest, this one might be difficult for me to do.  Y'all I am NOT a morning person.  Getting out of bed in the morning is probably my least favorite thing to do.  But I know that if I get up earlier and take that time for myself, I will be thankful I got up earlier.  On an average day I am getting up between 7:30 and 7:45 and starting work at my home office around 8:00 a.m. so that means I need to consider getting out of bed around 6:30 a.m.  The biggest thing for me is knowing what I am waking up for.  The plan right now is to use some of my early time to get a workout in (if I don't already have one planned for the evening) and use the other time to do my morning routine + anything else I want to get done.  If I find something that I am excited to do every day, I will be more likely to get out of bed.

2. Workout at least 30 minutes.  I am excited to share that I found a workout that I can do for the month of October that provides me with at least 30 minutes of exercise.  I know I've talked previously about the Tone It Up program - well they're doing a 31 day challenge in the month of October! The plan is to do their daily workouts plus whatever other little exercise they have on the agenda.  Once October comes to an end, I will continue doing the workouts they provide.

3. Drink 1/2 weight in water.  I love drinking water, but I honestly forget to drink water every day.  I think on average I get between 20-30 ounces of water a day? I know how badly my body needs water and I know it will improve my overall health but let me tell you, drinking 100+ ounces of water a day is going to be a chore for me.  

4. Give up one food category.  I put a lot of thought into this one and decided that for the last 90 days of the year I would give up pop (or soda if you're not from the mid-west).  Lately I have been finding that I have been going for a Pepsi versus water and it is not helping my dehydration at all.  Another area I might give up is caffeine, but I haven't decided if I'm quite there yet.  I have been really digging tea lately and that might be a healthier option over my pop.  If I do decide to give up caffeine altogether, I will be sure to let everyone know.

5. Gratitude journal.  Every year I try to keep a gratitude journal at least for the month of November, and every year I get a week or so in and stop.  But not this year.  I bought this notebook to use for tracking my goals, taking notes and writing down my 10 things I am grateful for every day.  I was a bit wary ordering a notebook I haven't seen in person, but this one is so cute.  The gold on the spirals is just so fun.  

Bonus #6. Read a book daily.  One of my favorite past times is reading and I have not (until this week) spent any time reading books.  In fact, I had a goal to ready 40 books and at this point I have read 4.  I am at 10% of my goal and the year is 75% done.  My goal for the last 90 days is to read a book a week by dedicating time every evening to reading before bed.  

I am excited for next Monday to come and to get started on this challenge! Along with these 6 tasks, I am also going to be spending the next 90 days really sitting down and focusing on my goals for myself.  In Girl, Wash Your Face, Rachel talks about how it's not just about setting the goal for yourself, but also visualizing in thorough detail what your end result would like like, then writing that goal down.  The last year I have felt very confused about where I should be in my life and now is the time for me to get it all figured out. 

I plan to provide three updates throughout this journey - once every 30 days.  I was thinking about doing a check in weekly, but it almost felt like overkill.  I will, however, be posting updates on my Fitness Instagram if you'd like to follow along on my journey.  

Would you participate in a challenge like this?   

Share your responses below in the comments! 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

#Last90Days with Rachel Hollis

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and you are ready to tackle your week.  Just popping in for a quick post to talk about the #Last90Days challenge I am joining in with the awesome Rachel Hollis.  

If you are an avid reader (or shop regularly at Target), then you have likely heard of Rachel Hollis because she is the author of Girl, Wash Your Face.  I have not read the book, but it should be arriving in the mail today and I am super excited to read it because several of my friends and family members have said how great the book is.  

I came across the #Last90Days challenge when I was reading up on her book and decided that it would be a good idea to sign up.  So often we hit the holiday season (between Halloween and Christmas) and we resign ourselves to the fact that next year can just start over.  The problem for me is I never actually start over when the New Year gets going.  So instead of ending their year in a state of chaos, I'm going to end 2018 strong.  

Once I signed up for the challenge, I got an email with a few videos that I could watch from the 2017 #Last90Days challenge, as well as the "5 to Thrive" list of 5 things to do every day to help you succeed on whatever goal you would like to focus on for the remainder of 2018.  Yesterday I spent some time watching a few of Rachel's videos, listening to her podcast she recommended, joined a Facebook Group for the challenge, and spending time jotting down a few ideas I had for the challenge.

Even adding the 5 to Thrive to my daily life should help me as I close out 2018 and leap into 2019.

Over the next 7 days, I am going to be sitting down and determining the goals that I want to focus on for the remainder of the year.  I already have a few that keep floating to the front of my mind, so my brain is clearly telling me what I should focus on to better round out my life.  

I also bought this notebook to use for tracking my goals, taking notes and writing down my 10 things I am grateful for every day.  I also plan to check in every week with you all (after I have watched my weekly videos from Rachel) to help keep myself accountable as I go throughout this challenge.  My ultimate goal is to not enter 2019 exhausted, but thriving.

Well, I think that is everything I have for now! I am looking forward to October 1st and working toward ending the year strong.

Would you participate in a challenge like this?   

Share your responses below in the comments! 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

September: Month @ a Glance

How in the world are we already in September? I feel like we were just starting summer and the warm weather.  This summer has been full of fun and relaxation which is always awesome, but I'll be honest Fall is my favorite season in Michigan.  I love the cooler weather and watching the leaves change.  Plus, Fall is filled with donuts, cider and pumpkin everything.

This month is actually not going to be super busy for us (thankfully!) so we will be using our time to catch up on things around the house and spend some much needed quality time together.  

So here's what's on our agenda this month! 

On the Agenda this Month:

1. Up North for Labor Day (we already went and came back)
2. Family reunion with Justin's family
3. Beginning Tap classes with my sister-in-law!
4. Art in the Village with Caitlin
5. Davisburg Heritage Festival
6. Girls Night with my girlfriends while Justin is out of town
7. Pedicures with Caroline and Kate
8. Apple Picking!
9. Go to at least one of my nephew's football games and see my niece cheer

Goals for September

1. Read Two Books:  Like always, I have a goal to read two books a month.  The last few months have not gone well for me.  That being said, I have already read half of a book and it's only September 5th so I am feeling great that I will finish at least one book this month.  Maybe I will even finish two!

2. Clean out Garden Beds: While Justin is out of town latest this month, my plan is to dig out all of the mulch and other stuff from the beds in front of our house.  When it comes to landscaping, we really do not have a ton of plants so I'd like to get a few plants started in our bed by the porch and transplant a few other plants from my mom's house.  The goal is to have the beds cleaned and ready to go come Spring so we can do some planting.   

3.  Pick Paint for Downstairs: Justin and I have been brainstorming ways we can continue making progress on our house while also paying off debt and one of those ways is by painting parts of our house.  Right now the majority of our house is one color (thank you builder grade paint) and it's been driving me nutso lately.  If I could at least start picking colors out, then I can plan for the rest of the house.  I also need to make a few phone calls for painters to come in and paint our first floor and the stairway walls.  The walls in the entry are too tall for us to handle ourselves. 

Question of the Day: How was back to school for you? Were you ready?  

Share your responses below in the comments! 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Tickets for Disney’s Aladdin On Sale Sunday, September 9

Performances Begin on December 12 and Play for Five Weeks

Through January 13 at The Detroit Opera House

                                                      

Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway In Detroit announced today that tickets for the long-awaited engagement of Disney’s Aladdin will go on sale to the public on Sunday, September 9.  The hit Broadway musical will begin performances at the Detroit Opera House on December 12, 2018 for a limited engagement of five weeks through January 13, 2019. 

Tickets for Disney’s Aladdin start at $25 and will be available for purchase online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-982-2787. Starting Monday, September 10, tickets will also be available for purchase at the Fisher Theatre and Detroit Opera House box offices.

Aladdin opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre to critical acclaim on March 20, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years, breaking 13 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and welcoming over seven million people worldwide. Its global footprint has expanded to include productions in Tokyo, Hamburg, London and Australia, in addition to the two U.S. productions.

About Aladdin

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, the show features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar^® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).  

Aladdin, adapted from the Academy Award®-winning animated Disney film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights,” is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical.  Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance.  This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.

The animated film Aladdin was released by Disney in 1992 and was a critical and box office smash, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. 

The film won the Oscar for Best Original Score and introduced the hit song “A Whole New World,” which won the second of the film’s two Academy Awards as Best Original Song.  The Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle recording of the tune soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Aladdin is designed by seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, six-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnesand sound designer Ken Travis.

The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira.  The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arranger Glen Kelly. 

For more information, visit AladdinTheMusical.com/tour, Facebook.com/Aladdin and Twitter.com/Aladdin.

Performance times for Aladdin appearing December 12, 2018 – January 13, 2019 at the Detroit Opera House, located at 1526 Broadway, in Detroit are:

·         Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.

·         Sunday evening performances at 6:30 p.m.

·         Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

·         Sunday matinees at 1:00 p.m.

·         Thursday matinees on Dec.13, Dec. 27 and Jan.10 at 1:00 p.m.

·         Special open captioned performance on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

·         There will not be a performance on Tuesday, December 25, in observation of Christmas.

Tickets for Aladdin start at $25 (includes facility fee) and go on sale Sunday, September 9.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-982-2787. Starting Monday, September 10, tickets will also be available for purchase at the Fisher Theatre and Detroit Opera House box offices.

For group sales (12 or more) please email groups@broadwayindetroit.com or call 313-871-1132. Tickets for the open captioned performance may be purchased in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office or by phone at 313-872-1000, ext. 0.  Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice.

Broadway In Detroit uses Ticketmaster as its sole, authorized ticketing agent. Individual tickets purchased from a ticket broker or “third party” ticket reseller involves risk and may not be authentic, sold at box office prices, or with correct performance and venue information. Broadway In Detroit box offices cannot reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets sold through a third party or ticket reseller. Broadway In Detroit is also unable to contact third party purchasers with pertinent updates or changes regarding performances.

For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInDetroit.com.

Follow Broadway In Detroit on Facebook (BroadwayInDetroit), Twitter @BroadwayDetroit and Instagram @Broadwayindetroit.

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Adjusting to Working at Home

Hello Everyone! Boy have I been absent lately... I don't really have an excuse other than blogging was put on the back burner.  I don't think I've really mentioned much about getting a new job, other than in my May: Month @ a Glance Post, but I have to admit I've been struggling to find a new rhythm.  Now that I am working from home 90%+ of the time, I'm finding I tend to waste more time than I did before I worked from home.

For years I dreamt of having the ability to sleep in later, not have a long commute and just generally having more hours in my day.  I just knew that if I didn't have to spend 2+ hours in the car every day that my life would find some balance.  And to some extent, I have.  I have been able to keep my house cleaner than it has EVER been in the two years we have lived here.  I don't find myself secretly crying when I look at the dirty clothes and see that we easily have 5 loads that need to be done.  But I also am finding that my life is not quite how I thought it would be.

"When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment"

This statement has never been more true for me than it is right now.  It's easy to learn to not expect something of others because they are "only human", but at what point do we remind ourselves that we are human too? When I took this new job, I had a ton of expectations:

• My house would always be clean
• I would workout every day and finally lose the weight
• Meals would be cooked at home and eating out would occur less
• We would save SO much money on gas (and Starbucks) with me at home

And the list goes on and on and on....

But the reality is none too close to the expectation.  Remember: when you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  And I did exactly that: set unrealistic expectations.  

Yes my house is significantly cleaner and more organized - I even have had time to organize boxes and things that have bothered me for over a year, but is it always clean? Nope.  For the first few weeks, I managed to workout almost every day, but my motivation fizzled out once the job started to get a little too busy and I felt I had to sacrifice something to make sure I got sleep.  We've had more groceries in the house since I took this job, but I honestly think I can count on one hand the amount of times I cooked a meal at home {I think I need to face the reality that I just don't like to cook}.   And we have saved some money on gas and coffee, but we've also been eating out more than ever because there is no meals at home for which to take leftovers and lunches are just not getting packed.

But what I am forgetting is to give myself grace and to remember that I, too, am human.  I need to take a step back and look at all that I have been able to accomplish since starting the job back in April and not gripe about the things I have not.  I think the hardest part about the new job has been my inability to stay out of the negative.  I am an extremely social person, so spending my days alone (with the exception of our three cats) has been challenging for me.  Often I go to others to talk through something I am dealing with and now that I can't easily do that like I was before, I'm feeling isolated and frustrated.  And those feelings almost always lead to a negative head space.  

So here I am, four months later, still adjusting to being a person that works from home majority of the time.  I am adjusting to being with me, myself and I more often than before and I am working tirelessly to find ways to keep myself out of the negative head space and live my life in the positive.  

The first, and biggest thing is for me to just be grateful for this opportunity.  

Over the next few months, I will be sure to share some tips and tricks I've learned to help keep myself on track when working from home.  I know a lot of the articles I read before working from home full-time were very helpful so I will be sure to share those as well.

Question of the Day: What things do you do to keep yourself out of a negative head space?

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

SOMETHING ROTTEN! IS COMING TO DETROIT’S FISHER THEATRE SEPTEMBER 25 – OCTOBER 7

DETROIT, MI, July 13, 2018 – The completely original new musical Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O’Farrell, will play Detroit’s Fisher Theatre, September 25 – October 7, 2018.

Tickets for Something Rotten! start at $35 and go on sale Sunday, July 15. Purchase tickets online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-982-2787. Starting Monday, July 16, tickets may be purchased at the Fisher Theatre box office.

Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Something Rotten! is “a deliriously entertaining new musical comedy that brings down the house!” (New York Post).

The award-winning design team of Broadway veterans includes Scott Pask (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Josh Marquette (hair design), Phil Reno (music direction / conductor), Glen Kelly (arrangements), Larry Hochman (orchestrations), Steve Bebout (associate director), and casting by Telsey + Company/Bethany Knox, CSA. 

From the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights, this hilarious new musical comedy tells the story of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two playwrights stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rockstar Will Shakespeare. When a soothsayer foretells the next big thing in theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, the Bottom brothers set out to write the world's very first MUSICAL! With the most singing, the most dancing and the most gut-busting laughs on Broadway, it's something wonderful... something for everyone... It's Something Rotten!, "the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years" (Time Out New York)!

With its heart on its ruffled sleeve and sequins in its soul, Something Rotten! is an uproarious dose of pure Broadway fun and an irresistible ode to musicals — those dazzling creations that entertain us, inspire us, and remind us that everything’s better with an exclamation point!

For more information…

www.RottenBroadway.com

Follow Something Rotten! on Twitter: @RottenBroadway, Facebook, and Instagram.

Performance times for Something Rotten!, appearing September 25 – October 7, 2018 at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 West Grand Blvd., in Detroit are:

•           Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8:00 p.m.

•           Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.

•           Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

•           Special open captioned performance on Sunday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for Something Rotten! start at $35 (includes facility and parking fees) and go on sale Sunday, July 15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.broadwayindetroit.com orwww.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-982-2787  Starting Monday, July 16, tickets can also  be purchased at the Fisher Theatre box office. A limited number of premium seats will be available through Ticketmaster and at the Fisher Theatre box office. For group sales (12 or more) please call 313-871-1132 or email groups@broadwayindetroit.com. Tickets for the open captioned performance may be purchased in person at The Fisher Theatre box office or by phone at 313-872-1000, ext. 0. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice.

Broadway In Detroit uses Ticketmaster as its sole, authorized ticketing agent. Individual tickets purchased from a ticket broker or “third party” ticket reseller involves risk and may not be authentic, sold at box office prices, or with correct performance and venue information. Broadway In Detroit box offices cannot reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets sold through a third party or ticket reseller. Broadway In Detroit is also unable to contact third party purchasers with pertinent updates or changes regarding performances.

Follow Broadway In Detroit on Facebook (BroadwayInDetroit), Twitter @BroadwayDetroit and Instagram @Broadwayindetroit.

I'd love to hear from you!

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.