I am sitting in a room at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. It's a familiar scene - wasting away hours just waiting to pack my things, go to the airport, and fly home. Since the moment I landed, I've been waiting to leave.
Whenever I tell someone what I do for my job and the travel that goes along with it, they reply in an envious wonder. They think it is so exciting! But it isn't. What's exciting is coming home and being home.
This is my last trip. This is my last week at this job. Because when I'm not traveling, I'm sitting at a desk perusing flower blogs and instagrams, and figuring out what flower seeds or bulbs I will order for next season's planting.
And my weekends are spent at a flower farm, harvesting flowers and helping with wedding design and installations. This is when I'm happy - working on the farm, freelancing for other floral designers, and getting to come home to my fiance and two dachshunds every. single. night.
I have finally decided to leave my steady, boring, desk/travel job and have accepted a full time job at Eddy Farm, with part-time work at a local flower shop for the winter. This was not an easy decision to make, since I will make considerably less money and have a wedding to pay for in the next 10 months. Needless to say I am terrified, but I've received a lot of support from my family and my fiance, who without his encouragement, I'm not sure I would have done it.
This will be a written account of a woman who decided to leave a full-time salaried gig with bonuses, for a passionate career in flower farming and floral design. I hope it encourages people to buy local, fresh flowers, and to never settle for something that doesn't serve you. I'm sure this path I chose will be full of ups and downs, but it feels like I am making this path on my own, instead of it being chosen for me. And I'm on board with whatever that entails.