Life Update: Apparently the Plot Is Still Developing

It has been a while since I've done a proper life update, and somehow I have reached that point where several things I've been working toward for months are all colliding at once.

Some of them are exciting. Some are frustrating. Some are still very much TBD.

So, naturally, let's talk about all of it.

But before I do, I wanted to pay tribute to the iconic Dolly Parton. I drew this portrait of her a few years ago as a commission for a friend who absolutely loves her. Which reminds me, I need to check up on him.

The Career Update Is… Complicated

For most of the past year, my job has been changing.

Not necessarily my title. That's part of the problem.

My responsibilities have continued to grow, particularly after leadership changes within the organization. I've taken on more strategic planning, communications leadership, brand management, media relations, digital strategy, internal communications, and organizational projects. We've even gone through the process of developing an updated Director-level job description that more accurately reflects the work I'm doing.

For a while, it seemed like the logical next step was finally going to happen: a promotion.

And then I found out it wasn't approved.

That one hurt.

Not necessarily because I need a fancy title attached to my name, but because there is something deeply frustrating about being told, in various ways, that you're operating at a higher level and then discovering that the organization isn't prepared to formally recognize it.

I'm still processing what that means.

There are conversations that still need to happen, and I'm trying not to make a major decision purely out of disappointment. But it has forced me to think more seriously about my career, what I want next, and how long I'm willing to operate in the space between the job I technically have and the job I'm actually doing.

Maybe that's the bigger career development here.

Meanwhile, I Decided I Might Buy a House

Because apparently one major life question wasn't enough.

I've also spent much of this year seriously exploring becoming a first-time homeowner.

And when I say "exploring," I don't mean scrolling through Zillow and imagining where my anime figures would go.

I've talked with lenders. I've gone through financing scenarios. I've learned more about FHA versus conventional loans than I ever particularly wanted to know. I've looked at what my income, debt, credit, savings, and monthly expenses actually mean when a lender puts all of them into a formula.

It's been educational.

And humbling.

One thing I've learned is that "I can afford this payment" and "a lender will approve me for this house" are not necessarily the same statement.

I've also discovered the particular challenge of shopping at a lower price point. FHA can make financing more accessible, but some of the houses within my budget may have conditions that make FHA approval difficult. Conventional financing can open up more properties, but qualifying can be tighter.

So buying a house has become less of a simple goal and more of a puzzle.

But I'm glad I'm doing the work.

Even if I don't buy tomorrow, I'm paying much closer attention to my finances. I'm thinking about debt differently. I'm thinking about retirement differently. I'm thinking about how much cash I want available, what I actually want my monthly life to cost, and what "financial security" means to me.

Which brings me to the weird part.

The Astrology Has Been Kind of Rude

I've been paying more attention to astrology this year, particularly the major transits happening in the second half of 2026.

Earlier this summer, I looked ahead at what August and the rest of the year might bring.

A lot of the themes were about identity, career visibility, money, shared resources, compensation, and major decisions about what comes next.

At the time, it was very easy to interpret that optimistically.

Promotion! Raise! House! New era!

And maybe some of that will still happen.

But I'm beginning to appreciate that astrology (assuming you believe there is anything to it) doesn't necessarily work like a cosmic Amazon delivery service.

A period of transformation doesn't guarantee that you get the thing you wanted.

Sometimes the transformation is finding out that you're not getting it.

And then having to decide what you're going to do about that.

That feels much closer to where I am right now.

So… What Now?

I don't actually know.

And strangely, I'm becoming more comfortable saying that.

I still want to advance professionally. I still think the work I've been doing deserves appropriate recognition and compensation.

I still want to own a home.

I still want to keep improving my finances and building a life that gives me more freedom and security.

None of those goals have disappeared.

But I'm realizing that I may have been treating certain outcomes as inevitable simply because I had done everything I was "supposed" to do.

Work hard enough and you'll get promoted.

Save enough and you'll buy the house.

Make responsible decisions and eventually life rewards you with the next level.

Real life is considerably less organized.

So maybe this chapter isn't about finally arriving somewhere.

Maybe it's about realizing that I have more choices than I thought I did.

And, annoyingly enough, that might actually be the bigger life update.