Happy Wednesday! Boy is the holiday season already flying by. I just took down my Halloween decorations and am planning Thanksgiving dinner! I’ll blink and it’ll be 2020. So far, November has been a very interesting month for me. I’ve had some challenges, answered prayers and really felt God moving.

Hello freelancing!

I suddenly find myself taking on the role of a freelance marketer. Since my son was born in 2018, this lifestyle has been on my mind. During my maternity leave and most of the months following, I tried my hardest to land freelance jobs. I met with some friends that potentially needed help and bided for hundreds of projects. Not one of them hired me on. I felt defeated because I desperately wanted to spend quality time with my son while he was still little.

Fast forward to 2019. As you saw from my IG and my previous post, I landed my first freelance job. I designed a t-shirt for this amazing couple at my church in honor of their daughter. I was completely nervous throughout the entire process but loved the results. It brings a smile to my face every time I see people wearing my design.

That brings us to this month. Starting Monday, I will be completely freelancing. It’s even scarier than I thought it would be but I’m determined to hustle. I’ve already completed my first client assignment and have a long list of others waiting in the wings. I’m meeting with more potential clients and collaborating with my bestie and freelance photographer/graphic designer, Jesse. In the midst of this chaos, I almost missed that God answered a big prayer.

Like I mentioned above, I’ve wanted to freelance for almost two years, but the timing wasn’t right. At the beginning of 2019, I made my spiritual and physical goals for this year and prayed to walk away from a typical job and be freelancing by the end of the year. Although I thought I’d be more prepared for this opportunity, God truly is moving.

Within 24 hours of posting on social media, I had two clients. That may not sounds like a lot, but after busting my butt for months last year, this response is nothing short of a miracle. Now, I don’t know how long this will last or if it’s the exact path God wants me on forever. All I know is that I have to walk through faith. God knows the big picture and I can only see a small piece of it right now.

This experience has reminded me of the story of Joseph in Genesis. His brothers were so jealous of him that they sold him and he was imprisoned for years. Eventually, he found favor and ended up saving thousands of people from starvation. If Joseph wouldn’t have gone through these trials, he never would have been where God needed him to be. This story inspires me to never lose hope or faith. No my siblings did not fake my death and land me in prison. None the less, this period of my life might feel just a difficult as Joseph’s. Ironically, this decision happened just a week before my 5th spiritual birthday (the anniversary of my baptism and official commitment to follow Jesus). Gotta love how God works!

I’m guess the theme for my 5th year is faith. I can already predict that I will need God more than ever. Which isn’t a bad thing right? When I think of all the amazing things average people did in the bible, it was because they trusted God and believed he had great plans for them (Jeremiah 29:11).

Seeing the holidays in a new light

Since I must be very frugal this holiday season, I’m experiencing it in a whole new way. Generally, I’m a big giver. I love to shop for the perfect present for all of my friends and family. This year, that’s just not possible. At first, I was pretty bummed out. I was focusing on all the things I couldn’t do. But then I started remembering what I loved most about the holidays.

When I was a kid, my parents were basically the Griswolds. We drove up to the mountains to cut down our own Christmas tree. We covered the inside and outside of our house with Christmas lights. I can remember spending hours outside with my parents holding the ladder for my dad and testing all of the strings of lights. It wasn’t Christmas without out a nativity scene and Frosty at the front door.

I remember the inside of the house feeling so warm. My mom loves snowman. So, the entire house was covered with them. In front of the TV, she had all the characters from our favorite Christmas movies. Although the presents were great, I honestly don’t remember most of them. I remember spending time with my friends and family. I remember drinking hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies.

So that’s how I want my son to remember the holidays. At nearly two years old, he probably won’t remember any of the gifts he receives. But maybe he’ll remember decorating the Christmas tree. Or making cookies. Or watching Rudolph. That’s what I hope for the most.

That’s it for now. Hope you’re having an amazing week!