Dear Diary

Those of you who follow me closely know that I’ve been going through a lot of big changes lately, and even though I’ve been trying really hard to keep my head above the water, things have obviously been slipping a bit around here. Today I wanted to share some details about what’s been going on.

Things surrounding my breakup have gone from great to good, to bad to worse, and I’m having a super tough time adjusting to not being close with someone who has meant, and still means so much to me. I’ve been trying to sell my car and a ton of my furniture, attempting to find a new apartment, and more, all the while getting used to doing everything I used to do with a partner alone. But this post isn’t about that, not really anyway… it’s about a big amazing positive new change, and I hope you will all be as excited as I am about it. I have a new job!

Blogging full time for the past year and a half has been the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding adventure I’ve ever embarked on, but right now the instability just doesn’t fit with everything else I’m going through.  Financial survival is almost impossible at times on a blogger budget, even with ads on your site, and working from home alone all day every day can leave a girl feeling so lonely that she starts to question her sanity. With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to continue blogging (don’t worry, RAOP isn’t going anywhere), but also take on a new full time job at my favourite tea company, Sloane Tea!

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I’ve been a huge fan of Sloane ever since I first came across their incredibly beautiful teas at Kitten and The Bear. I reached out to them about a month ago asking if they’d be interested in taking me on as their social media manager, and after a series of heartwarming meetings and inspiring brainstorming sessions, they decided to offer me a full time position. Of course I immediately (very enthusiastically) accepted!

As I’m sure you already know, I always follow my heart, and I couldn’t be more excited for this new chapter. Sloane is an incredible local company with beautiful philosophies and so much passion for tea, and I truly think together we make a perfect team. We both believe in everyday beauty, affordable luxuries, and the magical ritual of drinking tea, and spending time in their warehouse this week has left me steeped in inspiration and excitement for what’s to come. I hope you’ll follow my tea adventures on their various accounts, or at least pop in on Instagram to say hello once and awhile.

Again, don’t worry! I plan on pouring more of myself in RAOP than ever, though posting may become slightly less regular/often. I have a ton of great projects in the works, including a a super fun apartment makeover (start checking the hashtag #pastelpalaceproject soon!) and some exciting collaborations I’ll be announcing soon.

Your love and support continues to help keep me and my sparkle magic going every single day, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have such a wonderful band of unicorns behind me, especially heading into this new chapter.

Dear Diary

I’ve been alluding to this post on social media for a week now, and I think it’s about time I let you guys know what’s going on with me and my life right now. After three years of ups and downs, my little fairytale has come to an end. Emmett and I have decided to split up.

I’ve really struggled with how to share this news publicly, but since my blog is so personal, I thought it only made sense to explain why I’ve been a little off lately, and may continue to be for the next little while. I still love Em so much, and saying goodbye to this relationship has been unbelievably hard on both of us, but we both have a lot of things to figure out and it recently became clear that we’re just not going to be able to work them out without spending some time apart. I’m somewhere between the point of denial and the point when I can’t even think about it without crying, but I’m confident that in one way or another we’re going to stay close and connected. There’s still a lot of love between us and our little fur family, and I can’t imagine a future without Em- he’s my best friend.

I hope that all of you will stick around through this rough patch, even if my posts start to feature a lot more buckets of ice cream and Sex and the City. As cheesy as it sounds, your little comments and reposts help me get out of bed on days when everything hurts too much and all of the big changes happening around me leave me feeling paralyzed. Thank you for being glittery and awesome and tagging me in cute photos on Instagram: as I sift through and separate our belongings and start my search for a new place to call home, your kind words keep me feeling strong and remind me that my life is still magical and full of love.

Image credit: Love From Ginger