Tag Archive | dreams

New Floridians

My family and I just took a huge leap of faith! Well I guess it was more like a stroll of faith if you consider how long it actually took for it to come to fruition!

In April of 2024 my husband was recommended to apply for a new position by a friend who had just accepted a similar position with the same company. The main requirement was that we needed to relocate to the Orlando Florida area. We discussed the pros and cons for our family of 4, but ultimately made the decision that he would at least apply and we would see what happens. Within 3 weeks of him hearing about the job; he applied, passed the assessment, interviewed, and was offered the position! It was kind of like a whirlwind romance.

He accepted the position and we started the process of preparing to move from Southern NJ, just outside of Philly, where I was born and raised, to Florida. Living in Florida has always been my dream! The beautiful, paradise like climate, the beautiful views and all the things to see and do. No to mention my dream retirement is to work in a shop for Disney or Universal! I was 42 at the time, he was 40, and I truly felt that the universe and God put this opportunity in front of us for a reason. We wanted to have better opportunities for our children and their dreams and interests! My 10yr daughter is interested in the space program and my 6yo son wants to be a farmer.

I am incredibly excited for this new chapter and all of the things we will be able to accomplish and experience!

I say that it was a stroll of faith because we decided to build a home in a new community which took time, and we also chose to allow our children to finish the school year in NJ. So my husband moved down to start his new job in November and I stayed behind with our kids to sell the house, finish the school year and complete the move!

We have been here just about a week now and while we are still unpacking and getting settled, I have high hopes for the days and years to come! If tou want to achieve your dreams you have to fight for them! Take the leap, or stroll, of faith and make it happen!

I just had to do it…

OK world….I had to do it! I just had to! There are many reasons that I could give you. I can get high and mighty or even self deprecating. But the real reason is because I wanted to. That’s it…the only reason…I simply wanted to. For me, myself and I…no one else.

What exactly did I do you ask…

I became a Thirty-One Independent Consultant!! Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “Oh wow big deal! She joined a direct selling company just like so many other moms out there! Whoopee!” Well, I will say you are partly correct. I did join a direct selling company. But not for the reasons that you are thinking. Yes, I will be able to bring in extra money for the luxuries that I desire. Yes, I will get a discount on products that I genuinely love and use on a daily basis. But these are not the reasons why I signed up.

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I signed up to be me again. I now technically have 3 jobs. I have my day job working in HR for the Department of Navy, I have my all-the-time-job of Mother to my darling daughter and now I have the fun part-time job as Daria Lee, Thirty-One Independent Consultant. And I love it! Being Mother will always be my favorite job. HR for DON is good job, it pays well, I have great benefits and I like the people. But Thirty-One Independent Consultant has given me back who I am. The outgoing, fun-loving, people person I always was. After I had Fiona I started to just be Mommy or Wife. I lost a little bit of Daria.

Always working to make sure that house was clean, dinner prepared and lunches made I stopped worrying about who I was and what my passions were. Thirty-One has given that back to me. Not only do I get to meet new people constantly but I am running my own business. I am able to show my daughter what it is like to be a leader, and thrive. I have always wanted to run my own business but I have always been too afraid to make the leap. Thirty-One has given me the opportunity to be my own boss, to grow as an individual and lead by example. At first, I joined Thirty-One to make some extra cash when my basement flooded immediately after we finished it, but it has given me so much more than I have ever expected!

So yes, I am a working mother with 2 more jobs but I know that my daughter is learning so much by watching her mother be the person that she was always meant to be…a woman making her dreams a reality!

That Moment!

I had that moment last night! You know that moment that every parent has! That every parent says you will have when you get pregnant! That moment! Nothing special was happening, nothing out of our normal every night bedtime routine. My husband and I had changed our daughter’s diaper, put her in her pajamas and was getting her ready for bed. I was holding her, rocking her in my arms and she as was drinking her bottle all by herself, as she has now learned to do. Her lullabys were playing and the lights were dim. It was just another night at bedtime. But it was the night that it hit me! Hit me big time! I looked down at her innocent face and Wham!!! Like a slap in the face! She was my little girl! I had created this amazing little person! I was responsible for her; for her happiness, her love, her nourishment, her everything! I knew then and there that I would do absolutely anything to make sure that she had everything she could possible need or want! My heart swelled and tears began to form as I realized a love that I never thought possible! Is it possible to love someone this much? Is it possible that the human heart is big enough for this feeling?

Today she is napping her pack and play while my cousin is installing a ceiling fan in her room. As I watch her sleep I think about all the things I want to teach her, things I want to show her and places I want to take her. I want her to have every opportunity to do and experience things in her life. I want her to see the world as a place full of light and possibilities. I want her to know that she can accomplish anything she desires. I want her to know that she is capable of anything she puts her mind to. I want her to know that this world is hers for the taking! I want to teach her that no matter what she is loved and cherished by those around her. I want to teach her that the world is nothing to be afraid of. I want to teach her to soar and dream! I want to show her all the ends of the earth! I want to show her how beautiful the world can be, how peaceful the sea after a storm. I want to give her the world!