2/22: Years 1 to 4- Cheers to More!

Hi y’all! Wow – you have no idea how great it feels to be sitting back down to blog. Today, 2/22/25, marks 4 years of blogging! My last post was on my 3-year mark, so I haven’t posted much in the last year, and let me clue you in why!

One of my favorite artists, Ashley Cooke, sums it up best in her song “it’s been a year”:

“I've kept my head down grindin'

Just looked up and realized

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

Lovin' and losin', fun and confusin'

Prayin' and shiftin' 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”

On top of my full-time job, I was hired as an Adjunct College Professor and am teaching an upper-level undergraduate Communication course: Social Media Strategy. Training and getting acclimated to the role was a main focus for me as I wanted to be fully present in this new chapter in my life. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to teach and support students in a subject matter that is such a passion of mine. It has been a wonderful addition to my professional life, but has led to a shift in the down time I once had to put towards blogging.  

I also was nominated and chosen to receive the 2024 Excellence in Student Support award at SNHU, which was an incredible honor, and such a monumental achievement in my career. I accepted the award on stage at SNHU’s Fall 2024 commencement ceremony, and gave a speech to a packed arena, which was a whirlwind of an experience. I must admit, I felt a bit like Taylor Swift – LOL.

Since April 2024, I have been nursing an unexpected ongoing painful knee injury, which has still not fully healed. It took a vast amount of time to uncover what the root issue was too. This has caused me to lose out on many social opportunities including canceling domestic and international trips I had planned. The travel bug and zest for life person that I am has struggled with taking a back seat. I trust my body will heal in due time, but it is nearing the one-year mark of this injury, so in my heart, I want nothing more than to have my full mobility restored this year. The silver lining is having the chance to slow down and be fully present with those around me instead of being on-the-go constantly.

I still got the chance to travel while taking it easy around FL with my family and friends, and visited TN, NH, ME, and NC. I rang in 29 with my parents and FL besties, celebrated friends’ weddings, friends’ engagements, met friends’ babies, attended concerts, met influential people I’ve looked up to for years, attended my 10-year high school reunion, made countless new memories, and most importantly, soaked up quality family time, as Alzheimer’s has unfortunately deeply impacted my family circle.

Each day is a true blessing, and I lean and trust in God’s plan for what’s in store for the year ahead. I’m thrilled to dive back into blogging as it brings me immense joy. Although there may not be weekly posts as there once was, my hope is to continue to connect and share continuous fresh insights and moments with you all.

Thank you all SO much for endlessly supporting me in my writing. I have been asked over the last year from many of you when the next blog post is coming, which made me so grateful that I have an audience who is genuinely interested in hearing from me, and in turn, I’d love to hear from you! What topics interest you the most? What conversations would you like to see here? Your feedback has always been a guiding force, and I want this blog to be as valuable to you as it is to me.

Once again, thank you for being here. Cheers to four years—and many more ahead!

Remember to stay humble and kind, always!

Follow me on my personal social media platforms to stay up-to-date with my every day life:

Instagram: jess_puch

TikTok: jesspuch

xo –Jess