It’s amazing how life can seemingly change in an instant, whether it’s a positive or negative shift. Lord knows I’ve been through plenty of both, especially in 2019. I won’t spend this entire post rambling about my year, but I will say that I spent it on a spiritual journey of self-love and discovery.
I can confidently say that as of today I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve closed a lot of doors on toxic and negative relationships, I’ve created boundaries for the sake of my mental health, and I’ve learned to completely love myself. But it wasn’t easy to get here. In fact, that journey has been absolutely treacherous. As I listen to “Good as Hell” by Lizzo, I want to share how our lives have drastically changed in the last 60 days, and what our plans are for the next 60.
Those of you who’ve known Wynston and I for a long time know that I’m always 100% honest with you all. I find solace in the fact that I’m open about my struggles and successes, because we’re all human. Anyone on the internet who claims their life is perfect all the time is full of shit…
In September I was facing incredible obstacles, such as fear of losing my apartment because I had been out of work and couldn’t pay my bills. But somehow I wasn’t in a panic. In the past few years I’ve adopted a thought process of “I can only control so much.” I was doing what I could. I was doing my absolute best. I put my faith in God and the Universe, as I always do. One of my favorite sayings is “Let go, let God.”
A lot of people couldn’t understand how I was staying so positive despite my desperate situation. I remained so incredibly optimistic. I kept praying and telling myself it would all work out how it’s supposed to. And what do you know…it DID work out how it was supposed to.
It all works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.”
Before I move on, I want to say that I couldn’t have made it through the fall season without my best friend, Tamara (aka Mo), and her children. I never went into a downward spiral of depression (like I tend to during extremely difficult times) because my bestie gave me purpose. She gave me a place to belong without judgement, which is exactly what I needed to keep me out of a dark hole. So thank you, Mo, for keeping me going. I literally couldn’t have done it without you.
But I digress.
In October I started dating my boyfriend, Jordan. Jordan and I have actually known each other for almost 8 years. I believe that everything works out in God’s time, and this is the perfect example. Jordan and I have been friends on Facebook for this many years, but we eventually reconnected on a more personal level again.
I fully admit that when Jordan and I met in 2012, I was SUPER immature. I’m honestly glad we didn’t date back then because I was young and pretty stupid. He also had a ton of personal work to do on himself, so the fact that we started dating now couldn’t have worked out any better. We’ve both been on journeys of self-love, so we came together at the absolute best time.
Jordan and I have literally everything in common. We met when I was racing cars, and he was selling cars. We both owned Dodge Challengers at the time. Now, thanks to him, I’m getting back into the car scene and I’m going to begin racing again, which I’m super stoked about. Below is a photo of our Hellcat that we’ll be racing. It’s currently sitting around 700HP.
But most importantly, Jordan absolutely adores Wynston. From day one he’s treated Wyn like his own. On our second night of hanging out together, Jordan brought Wynston a pup patty from In & Out Burger. He basically earned a billion gold stars. And since then he’s done everything he can to earn Wynston’s love and trust. That means more to me than anything in this world.
What I love about Jordan is he challenges me to be the best person I can be. He motivates me, inspires me and supports me 100%. For example:
I’ve was addicted to Coca Cola for 14 years. I started drinking it regularly at 17 years old when my parents were going through a divorce. It quickly became my comfort drink. It was my ONE vice in life. I craved an ice cold can of Coke when I was sad, stressed, anxious, happy, excited – you name the emotion, I wanted a Coke. I tried on numerous occasions to kick the habit, but I just couldn’t do it on my own. It was a true sugar addiction. The taste, the sound of the can popping; I craved it all the time.
Then Jordan and I started dating and I quickly learned that he was a MUCH healthier person that me. Jordan had been on a phenomenal weight loss journey, which lead to a loss of almost 250lbs. Because of this, Jordan only drinks water and he’s super healthy. Without pushing his habits on me, I started wanting to be healthier on my own. However, I told him I could NEVER give up Coke. After all, it was my ONE thing! Just give me that! Right?!
Jordan never told me to try. He never made any sort of negative comment about my Coke intake. Ever. But because he’s so inspiring, I wanted to try and give it up on my own. Thirty (30) days ago, I told him I could absolutely never give up Coke. Now, a month later, I have completely given it up. I went from drinking 3-4 cans a day, to drinking only water, coffee and the occasional tea or sparkling water.
The physical change I feel from giving up Coke is beyond extraordinary. I’ve witnessed the following side effects:
- Lost an entire pant size
- Stopped craving sugar in general
- I don’t feel sluggish throughout the day
- I want to eat healthier in general because my sugar intake has been dramatically decreased
- My insides are much happier with me
- Noticed a significant change in my face due to weight loss
Typing all of that out is astonishing to me. After the 14 year addiction, I truly never believed I could do it. But I did. And I have zero desire to go back to Coke or any sugary drink.
As a lot of you know, I was out of work for a while. As you can imagine, it took a massive toll on me. I won’t dive too much into this part of the changes, but I want you all to know that now I’m doing amazingly! I’ve been able to focus on my business and start coaching aspiring bloggers and entrepreneurs. I also started offering social media management services! If you’re interested in what I’m now offering, visit my Work With Me page!
Our Plans for the Next 60 Days
Now that you know what’s been happening with us, here’s a quick layout of what we’ll be up to in the next couple of months.
On December 15, I will be hitting the race track for the first time in 6 years. If you don’t know about my love for cars, read this post! Jordan and I will be spending the entire day at the track, and we’ll have Wynston with us! But don’t worry – Wynston won’t be racing AT ALL. I’d never put him in danger like that. He just gets to hang out in his little playpen under our canopy area, snuggled in his blankies.
Jordan, Wynston and I are heading to Minnesota for Christmas. It’s funny because Jordan is from MN, and almost all of my family lives there. I’m going to be meeting all of Jordan’s family, and we’ll also see our friends from Land of 10,000 Paws!
Wynston and I are traveling to Colorado in January to attend a friend’s wedding. We’ll be driving to the Denver area. I’m thrilled to take a long road trip with my son again – just he and I.
I know that 2020 is going to be a BLAST. We have another travel-filled year ahead. On the list are Colorado, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Puerto Rico. And that’s just the beginning!
Life is full of ups and downs. That’s simply how it goes. The “downs” of my year taught me a ton of valuable lessons and it’s super cliche, but the experiences definitely made me stronger, wiser and more grateful.
Thanks for continuing to hang out with us during our crazy life journey. My appreciation for you all is insurmountable.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Love,
Amanda & Wynston
Sharon says
You are an amazing and inspiring young lady Amanda, so glad to have found you. Looking forward to your help in growing my brand .
Merry Christmas to you & Wynston and may 2020 bring you many blessings .
Sharon
Kathy Thralls says
Your explanation of “the hole” you felt is exactly what I have experienced. I used to get so depressed that I couldn’t see myself crawling out of “the dark abyss.” Well, I am better now; and life is finally good again. You are so optimistic that you amaze me. You see such “good”, even when things are not. I hope your next year is filled with love and happiness. You and Wynston are loved.
Linda Monforte says
God gives us weak times so we learn that we can’t do it without him. You’ve learned a valuable lesson, and has Jordan-He brought you together to continue the journey. And yes, of course Wynston likes him-our dogs know more than we do sometimes.
I’m glad your life is back on track! Enjoy!