Where in the world is Lina Forrestal?
Whelp, so- I’ve fallen off the face of the social media and blogging planet in the last few months. After we got married, we went on this amazing honeymoon and then I blinked – and it’s October. When we came back from our honeymoon, we treated it as our fresh start. Fresh start in new habits, hobbies, our love for each other, and with friends. I love social media and blogging and I’ve missed it – but I think I needed a little break to focus on some other things.
Here’s what I’ve been up to (and the reasons why I’ve disappeared!):
Putting my phone down
Social media is a huge part of personal and professional life, but I don’t feel guilty about taking a little break from it. I’ve had so many fun times with friends this Summer where I put my phone down and didn’t touch it again until I got home. I’ve been fully experiencing and enjoying the moment. Loving, laughing, and practicing being truly present. Actually staring at the human beings I’m with instead of staring down at my screen. It’s a great feeling! You should try it sometime.
Doing social media freelance consulting
Man, do I LOVE a side hustle. I took on a few clients this summer, did some side projects, and then quickly realized with my other responsibilities and hobbies – I needed to scale back. I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew, but the experience was awesome. I love sharing my expertise with people, I love helping small businesses, and once things calm down for me, I will take on new clients again!
Taking a 10-week Digital Marketing Course at General Assembly
I actually just gave my final presentation this past Tuesday! I’m so specialized in social media, and have been working in the industry for so long, that I felt like my overall digital marketing skills could use some refining. So, I took a 10-week Digital Marketing course at General Assembly in Boston. I don’t have enough great things to say about this class! The most valuable thing I got from this class was putting together a start-to-finish Digital Marketing plan for a real company. It was directly in line with my freelancing work! I loved doing deep dives on things I don’t currently touch in my day job- like SEO, SEM, Adwords, UX, and Google Analytics. I’m actually sad that the class is over. I’ll miss my ferry ride commute into the city and my awesome classmates.
We’re moving to Thailand for a year!
Some of our friends know, some of them don’t – we’ve been kind of quiet about it. But! Cat’s out of the bag, we’re moving in Feb ’18! John is finishing his PhD in Ethnomusicology at Boston University. He’s in his 3rd year, which requires him to do field research. He’s specifically studying the music that accompanies Thai kickboxing – also known as Muay Thai. There is a lot to prepare for that. We need to rent our house, get our shots, make sure Daisy has all her shots, and find an apartment in Bangkok that accommodates pets. John’s actually heading to Thailand for two weeks in November to find us a place to live! I’m so excited to live in another country! I can’t wait to fully immerse myself in the food, culture, make friends, and take the opportunity to travel in Asia.
Making our house a home
This summer we were knee deep in house projects! We ripped things apart, we rebuilt things, repainted, bought new furniture- every weekend I was covered in paint and bruises from our house projects. It was a lot of work, and sometimes we hated it, but there’s no greater feeling than making your house a home – and loving the little sanctuary that you create for yourself.
Reading
Part of putting my social media and blogging away was inline with my goal to read more! I read Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. These were awesome and inspiring books. It’s funny because as a child I loved to read fiction- mostly science-fiction and fantasy. My favorite series was the Thrawn trilogy – Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. I swallowed those books whole as a kid. They take place a few years after Return of the Jedi – so while I’m happy for the new Star Wars movies, a part of my heart aches. Where’s Mara Jade? Where are the twins? Sigh. Anyone else read that book series? Please send me a message so we can reminisce! But today, all I do is essentially read self-help books. Le sigh. I’ve become boring.
I’ve been nurturing my old self
Meaning – I spent the summer playing video games. We beat Breath of the Wild (and then were left with terrible withdrawals), I’m on the last boss battle on FFXV (and I’m super depressed that I’m almost done with it). I used to love old school RPGs as a kid. I’m still a sucker for them. Yeah, so, let’s talk FFVII remake- how awesome is that going to be?! I was devastated when I heard the battle system was going to be action-based rather than turn-based. How am I supposed to finish a bowl of ramen while fighting?! But- after playing FFXV, I got really into it. Yes, there is no slurping ramen when it’s your turn- but the battles are heart pumping and exciting. I’ve also been reading that there is going to be a lot more exploration in the game, which was essentially the most addicting part of Breath of the Wild. So with that, I feel like the FFVII is going to be incredible. I literally cannot wait for it to come out.
I got promoted! And as a result, I’ve been working – a lot
Yay! I’ve been promoted to Senior Digital Marketing Manager! The late summer/fall months are usually super busy for me as we’re ramping up for our big annual conference – CA World. I’m responsible for the social media strategy and execution for that event (among other things). The 10-12 hours days are long, and I’m pretty stressed out, but it’s an amazing feeling getting to the show and seeing all the pieces come together.
I’ve been working out
Not much to say about this, other than I’ve been working out at CrossFit Tradewinds and I absolutely love it there. The community is great, the classes are great, Andy and Mary (the owners) really care about their gym and the goals of their athletes. The gym isn’t cliquey and everyone is genuinely caring and supportive. I’ll really miss everyone when we leave for Thailand.
I’ve been thinking about re-branding this blog
Back to Baesics made sense while John was blogging with me – but he’s since been busy working on all 3 of his motorcycles, running his recording studio (Drop Sea Studios), and his PhD – he doesn’t have time to blog with me. Wah wah. So, I feel like I’m going to go solo – which is fine. That being said, I’m at a loss of what to call myself. I have too many interests. I’m passionate about cooking, eating, working out, traveling, wearing cute outfits, marketing – but, I’m not only a healthy eater, I don’t only work out. I love donuts. I love running to donuts. But then I’ll follow it with a kale salad. F*ck yeah, I love kale salad. Wearing a cute outfit is great, but you know what else is great? Yoga pants and sneakers. You see what I mean? I’m a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. I like to dabble. I like to try new things. Help me! If you have a cute idea for a blog name for me, let me know. I’ll happy give you credit for it!