Hello friends. It’s my first post this year and my return after a nearly 8-month long break. I’ve been wanting to get back to it for a while but decided to wait until I was truly ready to give it 100%. Today is my fresh start and boy, is there a lot of ground to cover!
So, grab a coffee (or cocktail) and sit back while I fill you in on all the details.
Why such a long Pause?
On January 18, 2023, my Dad lost his short, 8-month battle with cancer. The months leading up to his death were really hard and even though I tried to go on like nothing was wrong, after he was gone, I realized I needed to take care of me.
The loss of my Dad followed by B and I both getting sick with COVID and then the passing of three other family members in just a handful of weeks was emotional and draining. The time away did me good and helped me refocus where I’m giving my time. It allowed me to change my perspective on where I am and what I want for my life, both personally and professionally.
By late last year, some things were becoming clear and I knew that I was ready to return to blogging. The holidays were bittersweet of course. My family came together like never before, yet the large gaping hole left by my Dad was felt every minute but God had a hand in getting us through. That’s a story for another day…
I can honestly say that I was glad to usher in a brand new year and put 2023 in the rearview mirror.
Welcome 2024
As 2024 begins, I have a very strong feeling that I’m entering into a transitional phase of my life. There has been some obvious dissonance between my heart and my work for a while and I feel like I’m ready to make some big changes in my career. Though I don’t have all the answers yet, since starting the draft of this post a month ago, some answers are beginning to take shape.
Nothing will happen overnight so for now, I’m content to “ride the wave” of whatever is coming and see where my heart leads me. One thing I do know is that I’m ready to get back here. I have so many ideas, so many dreams for this space, so I feel like it’s time to start finding my way back. It will likely be slow at first, until I find a rhythm that works for me but I’m excited to see what happens.
Out with the old, In with the New
If you’ve been around for a while, thank you! You may have been wondering why the abrupt name change took place last year with very little follow-up. Well, a lot of things happened at once so I’ll catch you up.
I’d been wanting to rebrand Twig and White and change my name (and domain) to Bethann Renee. I redesigned the loog and made the name change on the surface but the old website remained. Then, abruptly, I switched without warning.
I won’t get into the details (you can read about it here) but this set everything back to starting from scratch. I honestly didn’t have the energy to start over with everything else going on so that’s when I decided to step away until I was ready.
Even though I wanted to get back to blogging a month ago, I’ve spent the past month working behind the scenes, getting myself prepared for my return. I spent time working on my brand strategy and reworked every detail. I loved my illustrated art but the direction I’m headed requires a more professional appearance.
So, let me introduce you to the new Bethann Renee Logo!
I’ll have more to share with you on the business side of things but for now, I’m just so excited to get this new design out there!
What’s happening professionally
I mentioned earlier that I’ve been feeling like this is a year for some major transitions in my career. While it’s sad to let go of something that’s been a part of you for so long, I feel truly at peace with the idea of walking way altogether. This isn’t the plan exactly, at least not yet, but I am in the early stages of branching out onto a new path. Any guesses? while the blog is part of it, it’s not the answer here.
Because nothing of substance has happened yet, I don’t want to share too much about it but I’m actually excited.
What’s been Happening at Home
This past year wasn’t as full of big projects or renovations like previous years. B finally got the side porch reconstructed and now we are ready to begin the finish details when the weather warms up. this will be a work in progress for some time but at least it’s safe.
Last winter I finished the pantry and mudroom areas. We also made some initial changes in our family room including paint and a fireplace facelift.
We didn’t have as many projects to tackle at the beach house last year either. I’d say it’s about 98.5% complete inside now. The notable projects that I have yet to share are the stairs and the second-floor suite and bathroom area. It’s our favorite part of the house!
We also started some big improvements in the back yard including a new back deck and boardwalk, the start of our outdoor shower, landscaping, and a new patio/bar area. We also bought several pieces of outdoor furniture to start filling up the outdoor spaces.
What’s on the list for this year:
I didn’t want to lock myself into any specific goals or projects for this year but there are some things on my radar that I’d like to address.. Here is a list:
- Finish work on the side porch at home
- Finish the floors, furnish and decorate the guest suite at home
- Decorating updates in the beach house living area
- Cosmetic updates in the kitchen at home
- Updates to the dining room
- Updates and improvements in my studio and office
- Work on remaining list of updates for the family room
- Finish the outdoor bar / patio area at the beach house including pergola, lights, furnishings, etc.
- Finish painting the front porch at the beach house including windows
Of course, my mind is always going a mile a minute with ideas and projects to tackle so this list could change (and grow) at any minute. For now, this covers what’s on our radar.
Tomorrow I’ll be back with a follow up post that goes deeper into the vision I have for this space moving forward and what I’ll be doing to move in that direction.
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