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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Life Update & Our Last Shoot in Dallas

Photography: Ella B Photo
Dress: Urban Outfitters (comes in a red print too!) / Hat: Target / Shoes: Sam Edelman / Lips: Lipsense - 1x Sassy Z 2x First Love
Right before we moved from Dallas I knew that I wanted to get some pics of Todd and I to commemorate our year in Texas. Since Todd's schedule was so hectic at the hospital we never had time to get family pictures done, which made this shoot extra important. I was beyond thrilled that Ella was able shoot these for us two days before we moved on such short notice. We decided that the Winspear opera house was the perfect place to shoot since you see so much of the city in the background. 

Let's now switch gears, and talk about the Edmunds life update. Todd and I moved to Lewisburg Pennsylvania so that Todd could do a 4 year Oral Surgery Residency at the Geisinger hospital in Danville. We have officially been here a week, and this is how life is so far.

Lewisburg as a City

I've always lived in bigger cities (Salt Lake City, LA, Phoenix, Dallas) so small town living was something I knew was going to be very hard for me. So far there isn't much to do that matches my old lifestyle such as boutique workouts, amazing restaurants, night life, mountain recreation, or good shopping. I keep googling fun things to do in Pennsylvania, but so far I haven't found things that screams Jessica. On the upside there's a recreation center next to our home, and we both got a membership there. 

Back in Dallas there were pockets in the city for all age ranges, which is something I loved. So far all the residents in my area are either retired couples, or older people with families. I feel like I want to wear a sign around my neck saying "wanted: mid twenties friends - references accepted." It's only been a week so I'm still hopeful that I'm not completely SOL in the friend department yet.

Since Lewisburg is such a small city we have done TONS of driving to the neighboring city Harrisburg. The drive is about 1.5 hours, which kills me every time we go there whether it be to look at a new car, shop furniture, or get new licenses. I never realized what a luxury it is to have everything within 30 minutes driving distance.  

On a more positive note, Lewisburg is really pretty. There's so much green all around, and the weather is super mild for this time of year. Todd has made such an effort to make sure that my transition to this city isn't negative, and has been setting up little outings for us. We've been doing a walk every night where we explore a different area in our neighborhood, eat ice cream by the Susquehanna river, and visit our neighborhood park with Renly and Django.

Work

Currently I am not working outside the home, and putting my teaching on hold. The closest Pure Barre studio to our home is an hour and twenty minutes away in Mechanicsburg. I was toying around with the idea of commuting at least once a week, but as of now the commute is too long to do especially when winter comes along. It breaks my heart to not teach anymore after 6 years of loving my job, but as of now my teaching career is going to be put on the back burner. 

I still plan to continue my photography here in Pennsylvania, and see this as an awesome opportunity to really build up that business. Since I started up photography 2 years ago I knew that with moving out of Arizona to Dallas that building a brand didn't make much sense since I was so transitional between states. Since we are planted here for 4 years I'm going to go hard with building my brand, and hopefully launching a site within a few months. 

While I love working from home with blogging and photography I need another part time job to get me out of the house to meet people, and have more income roll in. I've been scouring the ads to see what job opportunities are available for me in my surrounding cities, but nothing matches my background in science, fitness, or photography. 

Todd as a Doctor

This week Todd started orientation, and his program officially start in July. When Todd starts his program in July he will be in his anesthesiology rotation, which means he won't start doing 36 hour shifts until January. This honestly is such a breath of fresh air because Dallas was so miserable for me at first because he jumped right into not being home, and I felt completely alone in a new state.

After his first day at the hospital on Monday he said everyone seemed really nice, and he seems really positive about his program. 

Where I stand Mentally

I made such a life for myself in Dallas that it breaks my heart to leave the city, and all my friends I left behind. The friends I made in Dallas were so special to me that it feels like I'm leaving family. It's rare to find women who will fully embrace you for who you are, and love you full heartedly. 

Every day since we've moved I find myself crying because I miss my old life. I don't want this post to  come off as "woe is me," but this is where I am now. With every move there has been a grieving process for me, and especially now since my life is going to be completely different from what I'm used to. I miss my friends. I miss being surrounded by people I can relate with. I miss the energy of the city. I miss working at Pure Barre. I miss SoulCycle. 

I miss everything. 

Someone left me a comment on one of my Instagram posts that really stopped me in my tracks.. 

"Grow where you are planted."

These words are so simple, but yet made such an impact on me. With every move I've done I learned to adapt, made a life for myself, and found happiness. Even though I feel sad about starting a new life this gives me hope that Pennsylvania will have something beautiful in store for me. 

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