^First things first, for a girl who has taken off almost every Friday this summer, Wednesdays are the new Thursdays. So #tbt on a Wednesday is my jam.
I'm baaaack! Kind of. In the last six months, my brain, and body, have been so all over the place that until last week, I forgot what Friday was like in Cincinnati. Gosh, since I last wrote in January, everything has changed, and at the same time, is still very much the same. Today, I'll focus on the learnings I gained from these changes. And from those, the good and the bad of what I've experienced and realized through these crazy, hectic and insanely love-filled months in the Life of Molly.
1. My name! First, and most importantly, I am a married woman! Molly Elizabeth Essell has now turned Molly Essell McKnight, thanks to my rockstar husband K-Dawg. Our wedding was the absolute best day of my entire life and I don't know how I'll ever top it (yes, I know, children, but for now, I'll stick to my hilarious and crazy wedding day memories!) Favorite part of the day: watching Kevin kill it! His confidence in welcoming all of our family and friends, his ability, and want, to say hi to everyone in the room, and above all, the best performance of Walking in Memphis to date. #mcknightofyourlife
2. They aren't kidding: Pure Barre is life changing and incredibly addicting. Yes, I am one of them now. I make myself get up at 5 a.m. to go to an hour class where my limbs shake like I never knew possible, I curse myself for every beer I had the night before and at the end of the hour, leave like I'm Beyonce. Future brides: it is so worth it! I can't remember the last time I felt as confident about my body as I did on my wedding day. The best part, that confidence was so much more than anything physical, but because I genuinely felt healthy, fit and strong. And from something I really worked toward, and can keep improving! #shakingischanging
3. Homeownership is no joke. On top of getting married, we purchased our first home! Kev and I both work in the mortgage lending business in some capacity, but let me tell you, I had no clue what was going on. Kevin 100% took the reigns and I paid attention only when lol'ing that our underwriting paperwork had the logo of a division of the bank I supported two years ago or that I would have to call him to decipher an email he sent our mortgage loan originator that threw me through a loop. Other than that, and the day we signed, it was way over my head. I'll focus on the decorating and "fun" aspects of homeownership, and appreciate Kev's attention to detail and scheduling of the mortgage payment each month. #thankgodforhomegoods
4. When people tell you, "You'll have your time in life when the dominoes fall and all your friends get married/engaged." This is real. Soooooo real. And for some reason, I really didn't realize it until ours was over, and I had to timidly request the millions of Fridays I was taking off work this summer in hopes I didn't become the most hated employee around. Luckily, everyone seems to understand this crazy time of life happens to everyone at some point. Main learnings from this time: this is the tannest summer I've had since high school because of all my beach weekend trips, I've gotten to see some of my best girlfriends more in one summer than in the last year and somehow, someway, my body survives on weekend vodka sodas and weekday lemon waters (again, thank goodness for Pure Barre weekdays and everything in moderation). All in all, I am so, so lucky to have so many great friends I can love on and support all summer, during these exciting times in our lives! #squadgoals
5. Following suit, being this busy is exhausting on not just my body, but my soul: I'm tired. I miss my husband. I miss our new house. I miss my family. I miss my friends that aren't a part of these trips and that I haven't seen as much this summer. This realization is a weird one for me because I'm the one that craves having plans at every available opportunity, and never wants to stay in on a Saturday night. So being tired from being social was a strange reality. But what I'm learning is that it's a good reality to have. To realize on one hand, I'm so loved and love so many great people around me that I'm staying so busy surrounding myself with them. And on the other hand, realizing it's OK to be tired and to take time for myself when I need it. Come fall, I'm going to be missing all this craziness and longing for the next time I see my faraway friends. So for now, I #yolo.
6. My mission of spreading breast cancer awareness and proactive health very much lives on. I can't go a week without someone telling me they saw my UC Health commercial during a Reds game (really though, that thing seems to be never-ending. Cue Kevin's comment on royalties......). In all seriousness, it's been a whirlwind year beginning with surgery, to deciding to do something positive with it and be open about it, to being able to share my story on so many welcoming platforms, and finally, to now moving onto a life of health, positivity and most of all, genuine happiness. And on top of all of that, I'm even more involved with Komen this year and can continue doing what I can to share my mission. I wouldn't be who or where I am without those decisions made last year, and for those who supported me along the way. #themollyeffect
So with that, I admittedly say this was more about self-divulging my feelings than anything else. It's an incredible feeling of relief to get things out, and for me, onto a computer screen. I've realized that sometimes it's too surreal to measure the impact you have on others' lives, but I'm grateful to know I can somehow still make a difference, even if every now and then I just blab on about my personal life. Keep on keepin' on, and stay tuned to my Where's Waldo-style life. I'm determined to continue finding myself along each journey.
Xoxo,
Molly
P.S. Like the blog face-lift? I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back for figuring out how to redirect my wordpress site to my used-to-be wedding website. Cheers to Google!