In Full Color: New Car, Career Pivots, and Life Keeps Surprising Me

It’s the day after the Fourth of July (I hope you had a nice celebration!), and I’m still in my robe, sitting at the dining room table with my mushroom coffee. The boys are upstairs, and the house feels calm and peaceful.

This week felt a bit lighter and a bit more optimistic.

I started the week with my follow-up OBGYN appointment (thankfully, I’m healing really well), and then picked up my new car—a self-driving Tesla! I never imagined I’d be a Tesla person, but after riding in my friend’s Tesla, I was hooked. I actually really love my new car, and it’s been SO fun using Self-Driving mode. It was bittersweet putting my beloved RAV4 into storage, but for now, I think the Tesla is going to make life a whole lot easier. (And I no longer have to worry about my RAV4 breaking down on the road... ha!)

I also gave myself permission to take things a bit slower this week, doing the bare minimum with work and Imperfectly Planned.

Midweek, things picked up when I went to get a facial. I had the most amazing facial with my esthetician-turned-friend, Brooke, and also learned that she, too, had experienced a miscarriage—and that her mom had her at 43! These are the stories I love to hear, and they comfort me so much. We caught up on life, and I shared my plans to host Zoey’s birthday party. Somehow the conversation turned into getting our single friends together, so now I’m spending this month planning Zoey’s birthday and, somehow, an informal singles gathering. 😂

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Towards the end of the week, I also “met” someone through Base who has a really interesting career, and it got me thinking more deeply about my own portfolio career.

As you know, I’ve been building Imperfectly Planned this past year, and it’s been going really well. But I also know I want to do more than event and wedding planning. I already do a bit of freelance consulting, and it got me thinking that I’d love to expand Imperfectly Planned to include strategic hospitality partnerships. So that’s what I’ll be exploring this month! I already have a few interviews lined up, several coffee dates planned, and (of course) a spreadsheet to keep track of everything.

I am EXCITED!!!

This week also reminded me how much I genuinely enjoy the work I already have. I met with a lovely couple for a wedding tasting, had dinner with a friend, spent an afternoon at the marina helping another friend with their boat, and even started exploring what building a future home with Nick could look like. Whether we end up buying an existing home or working with a builder, it's been really fun dreaming together and realizing there are so many different paths we could take.

Alongside that, I’ve also been applying for contract work that genuinely appeals to me, so we’ll see how that unfolds over the next few weeks. I love that my work continues to evolve as I learn more about my interests and where my energy naturally goes.

The week wrapped up with a beautiful Fourth of July celebration at my friend’s rooftop pool, and today I’m heading to an open house, followed by a much-needed (and much-deserved!) massage.

It’s funny—this Substack started because I wanted to document the messy parts of building something imperfectly. At first, I thought I was documenting the journey of building a business. But the more I experience life (and business), the more I realize I’m really documenting what it looks like to build a life that I love.

At 40, life is still changing.

My career is evolving.

My work is evolving.

My ideas about home are evolving.

The path to motherhood is evolving.

There are still so many chapters left to live, so many paths to explore, and so much possibility waiting around the corner.

Read the Substack post here.