I can’t believe it’s been over three months since I took the plunge and moved to Ohio. I really don’t know what the people of this state did to gain a nationwide reputation for being oHiO (if you know what I mean), but it has far exceeded any expectations I initially had. The people here are so friendly, there’s always something to do, and Columbus is absolutely adorable. Even though moving here for work has been one of the biggest plot twists of my life thus far, I’ve come to love this chapter of life (besides the occasional spells of homesickness, but that was expected).

Dropping my parents off at the airport for them to catch a one-way back to Atlanta after they helped me move in was one of the saddest things I’ve ever had to do. It was at that moment that I knew there was no going back on the choice I had made.

Many hours were spent coming to terms with the fact that I had just moved across the country alone. But once I came to, I was full Handy Mandy mode assembling my own furniture and getting my new humble abode in order.

This is an entirely new frontier I’ve reached in my life where I’m living by myself, and for myself. Up until this point I’ve based the majority of my decisions on trying to gratify others. Even though that’s still a part of who I am, I don’t feel as dependent on having to please others in some form to feel at peace. The security blanket of being surrounded by and connected to people I’ve known for years has been ripped up from underneath me. No matter how scary it’s been to go out and do things alone, I am so happy that life is like this right now because the possibilities are endless. I answer to myself now.

I’ve gotten to make so many awesome friends through work who are the epitome of the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality. We’ve had a good time bar hopping along N High St thus far.

Going into the office three days a week and having plans on the weekends with my fashion-forward girl group has pushed me to experiment with my style in ways that I hadn’t before due to yoga pants and a tee shirt being all too convenient to show up to college classes in.

As someone who used to never really wear hats, I’ve started to accessorize with them, especially when it meant repping the Braves on gameday.

Speaking of the Braves…I traveled to Chicago for the first time to visit one of my favorite people on this planet, Jansyn, and watch the Braves play at Wrigley Field. It was a 11/10 weekend, but that’s always the case when you’re with Jansyn.

I’ve gone back home twice so far, once for Labor Day and the other for Georgia Tech Homecoming this past weekend. Being apart from my family and friends has made me cherish them all the much more! I’ve also loved being with my dog Georgia but she doesn’t seem to miss me as much as I miss her.

Today marks me only having one more week left in training before I’m expected to know the majority of the ins and outs of my role. It still blows my mind that I’ve been at Abercrombie for almost four months now, and have been in-department for three. I couldn’t be happier with what I do because of all of the driven, intentional, and fun-loving people I work with.

In my free time when I’m not calling someone or making a TikTok, I’m baking a sourdough loaf or tending to my starter. With the hopes of keeping our family in contact and giving us the opportunity to explore a new hobby, my mom started a sourdough club for our family. It’s called the ‘Happy Not Sour’ club, and we meet every now and then over FaceTime to bake bread together. The HNS club has by far been one of my favorite parts of post-grad life so far.

I’m in supper club with some girlies from work too! We rotate apartments amongst the six of us and each has a specific theme. So far, I’ve hosted ‘Girl Dinner’ and a Thanksgiving potluck everything but the kitchen sink style. Standing events with friends is really the way to go post-grad to still see one another and have fun in spite of everyone’s busy schedule.

I’ve had two waves of visitors, the first being my best friends from college Shea and Chloe. It was their first time in the good old OH-IO, and we had a TIME.

The second wave was my sister Emma coming up. We went places and did things that I haven’t had the chance to try out yet, like riding on a peddle pub with 12 strangers. We also got the book ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses‘ and haven’t been able to put it down since.

I’ve seen some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets of my life while driving to work, and have been soaking up all of the seasons while up in the north.

Also HAPPY 2 YEARS OF LPOL!!!!!! To anyone who has ever expressed kind words towards this endeavor, thank you for your encouragement – I wouldn’t be in this state of mind and life without you.

💘 Hanna