So long, farewell. Auf Wiedersehen, adieu.

Hello Friends,

As many of you know the last 2 years have been a difficult journey for me.  My husband’s PTSD from 8 years at war finally reared its ugly head and changed our lives forever.   We went from living a safe, secure life in Germany to being civilians trying to navigate the transition while still putting food on the table.   It’s been a rough odyssey for all of us.

Being back in the USA and being able to take part in the Dog Tag, Inc Fellowship Program has opened my mind to the possibilities of my life.  I don’t know if I would have discovered so many things about myself if I did not have the safe place of Dog Tag to do so.

Here’s what I’ve discovered.

• Mourning the loss of being an active duty Army Wife is harder than I ever imagined.  Being a proud Army Wife was a label I was so proud to wear and did everything I could to fill the role with duty and honor.  It became not only what I did, but who I was and I truly loved every minute.
• Since 2009, blogging has been a big part of my life.  It filled my spare time, it gave me a community of wonderful other bloggers to connect with, and it helped me travel around the world.  Most importantly, it gave me 7 years of experience building my own brand and social media & online marketing expertise which I am now cultivating as an option for the next step of my life.
• Today, I have the label of Caregiver and although I take the role just as seriously, this role isn’t as fulfilling as I thought it could be.  I find myself wanting to do more and be more.  Caring for my husband is an important job, but it can’t be everything I am.
• I want more.  I need more.   I no longer want the labels of my past to be who I am today or in my future.  The passions I had as an Army Spouse and Food Blogger are no longer as strong and I’m feeling called to do bigger and better things.  What those things are… I’m figuring out now.

What does all this mean?  It means that I’m turning the page on one chapter of my life and opening it to the next exciting adventure.

The Dog Tag, Inc Fellowship Program has allowed me to explore who I am in a deep way.  I have began to realize my true potential and hone in on my strengths.  And to be honest, I’ve been shown my weaknesses and have been allowed to go through the process of figuring out how to change those behaviors.  I’ve done more growing and learning over the last 2 months than I have in the last 10 years.  I have never felt more alive!

I am Motivated.

I am Strong.

I am Capable.

I am Determined.

I am Passionate.

I am Worthy.

That last one is the biggest motivator for me.  I am worthy of success.  I am worthy of greatness.  I am worthy of chasing after my dreams.  I am worthy of being amazing!

Going forward,  I will no longer actively be adding new content to The JavaCupcake Blog.  It’s been an amazing 7 1/2 years creating and sharing on TJCB.  I’ve created so many things, met so many incredible people, and I can honestly say I’ve been so fulfilled by the entire process.  However, it’s time for me to move on.  I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but when they did I felt a sense of relief and I knew it was the right decision.   I have 4-5 recipes and DIYs I’ve already created that I’ll be adding to the blog this week, but after that I’ll be done.

I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to TJCB, but I know if I do… all my wonderful readers will be right there waiting for me.  You guys have been so loving, supportive, and loyal and I can’t thank you enough for all your love and support of me over these years.

Being able to be a part of your lives, your families lives and the special moments you have has been heart warming and I loved every photo and comment you shared about how my recipe made your party or event special.  I will never forget that and how your love made me feel.

My future is still unknown at this time, but I am working fiercely on turning my passions into a paycheck!

Here’s what I’m working on now…

• On September 1st, joined the team at the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a non-profit veteran service organization, to be their Family Caregiver Program Coordinator.  I’ll be planning and hosting events for caregivers & families of wounded service members & veterans in the Fort Belvoir, VA area!  Community organizing has always been a part of my life and a passion and I’m so excited to be working in the military community doing this!
• I will be completing the Dog Tag, Inc Fellowship Program and in turn receiving a Certificate of Business Administration from Georgetown University in November.  Two great additions to not only my resume, but my life as a whole!
• I began consulting with two local non-profit veteran service organizations to help them strengthen their social media & online presence.  With the encouragement of the staff at Dog Tag, I realized that I could turn this passion into a paycheck!  There is a need within this NPS VSO community for my services and I’m going to do everything I can to fulfill that need!
• Which means… I started my own consulting firm!  Be Creative Consulting, LLC was born in July but wasn’t officially named or licensed until September.  I am in the process of setting up my online presence for this new venture and am excited to grow my client list in hopes to either get a full-time position doing this for a NPO or to consult full-time for many organizations.

Now all of this doesn’t mean I’ll be gone away completely.  I’ll still be sharing my life on Instagram and Facebook so you can keep up with my adventures there!

I have never been more excited for my future and I feel so incredibly thankful for the opportunities in front of me!  Love to you all!

So long, farewell. Auf Wiedersehen, adieu.

Betsy