2022, a year in review!

All that comes to mind is Ashley Cooke’s song “It’s Been a Year!”

“I’ve kept my head down grinding
Just looked up and realized it
Damn, it’s been a year?

And I ain’t sayin’ it ain’t been a good one
It’s been a did a lot more than I thought I could one
It’s been three hundred sixty-five of record lows and record highs
Loving and losing, fun and confusing, praying and shifting gears
For the minute you got, it’s probably a lot, more than you wanna hear
So all I’ll say is, it’s been a year”

Each month of 2022 provided more blessings, challenges, heartbreaks, and filled-up cups!

I never knew that 12 months of one year could mean so much change and that kind of change most people don’t endure in a lifetime, yet it was just my 2022.

January – Cold, Busy (still managing the ranch and teaching lessons)

February – Bought new ranch. Remodel underway. Stayed many nights prepping the pasture and getting the house ready by sleeping on air mattresses. A peaceful, yet, worrisome time of flux – how will this work for the next 4 ish years….

March – Lessons, Both ranches, two houses, teenagers, chaos.

April – Ranch management times 2, digital marketing strategy/ social media strategy – lessons – and life between 2 houses/ranches. Horses and cows moved to the ranch after Easter. And just before – TRAGEDY struck – my husband was completely hospitalized for several days with almost no ANSWERS and him being frighteningly incapable of the life we were living a week before.

May – Strategizing – marketing – life – ranching. And rodeo season starts.

June – Kids on summer vacation – at city home a lot less. – Rodeo season in full swing. Peaceful….

July – New job – Digital Strategist. First full week in DFW and driving all over the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex. Ready to put all my life’s work and passions to work – it was shaping up to be the dreamiest position and company ever….

August – And then 3 weeks in – Department dissolved – entire department let go. And a new part-time job helping animals find fur-ever homes (yet, another deep seeded passion)…

September – New full-time job – new industry – Digital Content Supervisor… 2 jobs, 2 houses, 8 horses, 9 cows, teenagers, life… I considered quitting said FT position because traveling with 2 houses and 21 animals and the love of my life – seemed entirely IMPOSSIBLE!

October – Life is crazy but good – working 80 hours a week – driving hundreds of miles a week and helping the kids and two houses.

November – Same as October, but family visits – Sis and Brother in law at the ranch and seeing my sis in laws 4 sons and their families was one of the most amazing highlights of 2022.

December – Vegas work trip planned – shopping for, clothing bought and luggage formalized – tickets and hotel booked in Oct/Nov. iPhones were updated to last during a 7-day conference, and Christmas purchases were completed. Let go of the said job and now what… 10 job offers and the reality that working the 3 businesses we own and marketing/online businesses are more lucrative and less drama. The full realization was knowing that this company wasn’t all it appeared to be; poor management, lack of training and expectations, etc meant a knee-jerk response from a team that took random things out of context after I was never fully introduced or respected after many years experience and age over the mass of the team. Christmas was wonderful, yet COLD! I also made the pro rodeo team and will be competing and traveling again – 3rd team in many years and beyond words excited with the Texas Spirit Riders. 2023 is truly shaping up to be the best year yet!

So this holiday season left me – verklempt and distraught to say the least, but I came out with two amazing and fully furnished warm/safe homes, two healthy children, an amazing husband, and beautiful acreage and plans to continue to improve it daily. I learned that friends and family mean everything – blessings are not always quantitative and my life and our family are the best I could ever dream of. Now, to share my digital marketing education with others and keep the trends going! Stay tuned for a series of upcoming webinars. Welcome, 2023!!!!