Welcome

1.31.2024

Howdy everyone,

Welcome to my blog, New Horizons, and thank you for indulging my ego by reading my silly little thoughts. My name is Natalee and I was born and raised in the East Texas area.

I have always had a passion for traveling and exploring places outside of my comfort zone, this blog is a testament to that and a reminder to myself that I am accomplishing what I have always sought to experience. 

As my mom has put it since I was a little dreamer, “You are the child who I will only see during the holidays”, and unfortunately that is becoming true, much to her dismay. With that said, hi mom, I am sure you are one of the only people reading this right now and I look forward to your thoughts. 

To discuss the elephant in the room and to answer the question I have been asked most throughout the beginning of this new and shocking chapter in my life, “Why?”. So let me explain, I have lived in East Texas for my 22 years of life thus far. I felt like I was doing everything the way it was supposed to be done, move out at 18, go to college, start working, find a boyfriend, and then turning them into my husband, etc. The way to the American Dream, whatever that means nowadays. And as far as everyone was concerned, I was on the right track. I was going to college for Psychology with hopes of becoming a Forensic Psychologist one day, I had one more year before graduating with my Bachelor’s degree, I dated a man for one and half years and was engaged for one and a half, planned a wedding, had good jobs as management in resorts, had my own place. Everything was going according to plan. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted it to be true about me being on the right track for setting up my life, this life was not what I imagined for myself. There was no adventure other than the occasional, impromptu date night, which I was appreciative of, but this sweet, normal life I had carved out for myself never felt like me. I felt like I was going through the motions of what was expected from me. 

Everything came to a head in July of 2023, wow what a freaking month. At the beginning of July, my fiance and I decided to not get married due to the mental breakdowns I would have whenever we discussed wedding and marriage the closer it came to the date. I became bored with my job, I could feel myself becoming angrier and more numb as the constant day-in, day-out routine went on. As well as my love for school and psychology was on the decline and I could not figure out why. 

On a whim, I decided to start looking at opportunities that would allow me to travel around the country. I found a great website and the impulsivity of me decided to apply to random places just to see if anything would come of it. Let me be clear, I never expected this to work out. I had close to zero hope of this being a legitimate website or a legitimate job posting. However, within the week, I received an email from a historic hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan asking if I could interview. I agreed and the next day I had my first interview, the week after, I had my second. In two weeks after applying on this website, I had my first job. Across the country. With my first day being at the beginning of August. 

Then chaos ensued. I had to tell my family and friends that I was going to a random place in Michigan, alone and would be gone until the end of October. Despite the reservations my parents had after hearing their eldest child had decided to essentially run away to the other side of the country, they were incredibly supportive of this insane decision. And I will be forever grateful for their support. I packed up what I was told I needed, booked a flight to Sault Saint Marie, Michigan, and was on my way to my new, temporary home in Mackinac Island from August 1 to October 25. 

On the plane, I was incredibly nervous. Everything had happened so quickly that I did not even have the time to fully wrap my brain around what was happening, but it was the best decision I have made thus far in my life. The experiences I had and the people I met on this little island in Michigan completely changed my perspective on life and helped me realize how I am fully in control of what I want my life to be. Since July of 2023, I have known this way of life, the traveling, the work, the great unknown, and new horizons, is how I want to live for the next bit of my life. 

As of right now, I am back in East Texas until the middle of March. Then I will be moving to Tennessee, living and working in the Great Smoky Mountains from March to December. I am grateful for the experiences I have had and I am incredibly excited for the adventures that are to be. 

See you out there,

Nat