the payoff of hard work

so this past year has been tumultuous to say the least.  on top of school i have had to balance work, lucky rabbit, marriage, finances, pets, family drama,  a withering social life, the maintenance of a home, as well as keeping my personal emotional maintenance in check.  i have definitely learned a lot about myself and all the people that surround me.  i have come so far as a stylist, and it has helped me grow as an individual in ways that i could have never imagined.  i have gained friends as well as business connections through my newfound skill, and i am feeling really positive about my potential.  i will graduate in early january, and after 14 long months will finally be able to get my license and start learning the true ins and outs of my new craft.  i am truly looking forward to a fresh start full of opportunity.

my hair and makeup model for my photo shoot final

i still miss living in a bigger city with better weather, but have accepted the fact that i might have to tough it out here for as long as it takes for my husband and i to be able to afford to build another life elsewhere.  october seems to always be an extremely difficult month for me because in my mind it should feel and look like fall outside.  there should be a crispness in the air which generally represents the season of autumn, and the leaves should be turning bright colors as they change and fall off the trees.  i should be able to smell the first fires built in fireplaces throughout the city, and there should be an overall sense of transformation.  alas, none of these things are present during "fall" in the desert.  the melty weather of summer still lingers on, and there is no point in wishing it would be otherwise.  eventually, around november, the weather will change, but only into the 6-month spring that will exist until it becomes unbearably hot again in may.  i may have accepted the fact that i am stuck here for an undetermined amount of time, but that doesn't mean i don't still daydream of my next home...