“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”

Roger Crawford

I’m baaaccck. What an intro, huh?

I want to start on a great note. I’ve missed you all. I’ve missed this. So happy to have some free time to write and connect with my readers again. Because if I am being fully transparent, I don’t seem to have much time these days.

A lot has transpired since I last wrote, both good and bad (mostly good). As always, I am eager to share but first, let’s address the elephant in the room…it’s been almost 4 months since I wrote a blog post. And then to make things even spicier, my last blog post consisted of a depressing update about my health as if I needed an infamous mic drop moment.

It was a dark time in my life, and I knew that I desperately needed to reconnect to myself and my purpose. I wanted to reacclimate my intent in remaining present and grounded. To shift my focus to acceptance, faith, and gratitude, rather than focusing on pity or anxiety. And so, I decided to honor my needs and take a much-needed break.

Although my consistency in blogging may waiver, there’s one thing I am consistent with- I always come back. Oh look, my resilience is showing.

I will always come back because I love writing that much. I love connecting with my readers that much. I love impacting others just by sharing my life experiences. I love when others feel heard and seen because that is what unity is all about.

So, let’s pretend we’re chatting over coffee, shall we? Just two friends catching up with one another.

My Health

I shared with you all that I was in the precancer stage of cervical cancer and needed to get the abnormal cells cut out. For those of you who are not familiar with my story, feel free to check it out here.

The technical name of the operation I had performed is called a Cold Knife Conization. During this procedure, a cone shaped piece of abnormal tissue is removed from the cervix using a scalpel or laser knife. It is considered an outpatient surgery and typically completed within 30 minutes. The procedure was successful. However, I never anticipated the complications that would follow shortly after.

There is no full explanation for the complications I experienced but doctors believe I did not heal properly. The recovery time was supposed to be minimal, lasting no more than a week or two, with bleeding diminishing within the first week. All seemed to be going well until one night, after a week elapsed, I passed a blood clot the size of a golf ball. I began to bleed heavily for the next few days but thought nothing of it. I assumed this was a normal part of the healing process. I was very wrong.

A few days after I passed the golf ball sized clot, I began to hemorrhage. I went to the emergency room at a nearby hospital but was sent home after blood work confirmed that my blood levels were normal. Also, the doctors at this hospital were unable to reach the doctor who performed my surgery, as I had this procedure done at a different hospital nearly 40 minutes away from my home. Unfortunately, my status only got worse.

The next day I was rushed to the hospital where my procedure was performed. Because I lost so much blood in a short period of time, I became severely anemic. I had lost all color from my face and lips and my hands were becoming numb. By the time I arrived at the hospital, I passed out and once I gained consciousness, I began vomiting violently as my body began to go into shock. Thankfully, I was stabilized but the hospital admitted me overnight and advised that I would need a blood transfusion. Side Note: My life is so dramatic, and I just need to write a book already because like what???

The blood transfusion was successful, and I was placed on bedrest for 3 weeks. I am happy to say that I am doing much better these days and even received my first dose of the Gardasil vaccination to fight against the HPV.

Sahara Eva

My beautiful baby girl who turned 10 months today! I could write a book on her alone. The purest love I have ever felt. She really is my bestie for the restie. I am in awe of how much she is thriving, hitting milestones left and right. She is learning to drink from a sippy cup, standing every chance she gets, touching ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, and saying ma-ma, da-da, and heeeyy (my favorite). I cannot believe that in 2 months, I will officially have a one-year-old. I’m not ready!!

Sahara started daycare around 7 months old. It was a rough transition for both of us but between the demands of my job along with my physical limitations as I was placed on bedrest for several weeks, this was the best decision. Other than Sahara getting sick every other week, she has adjusted very well to daycare and has learned so much.

HR Career

I got a promotion! I was promoted from Sr. HR & Client Service Specialist to HR & Client Service Manager. I was honestly shocked that the company I work for felt I was deserving of a promotion. I feel like ever since I became a mother, I am a complete wreck. A mother who struggles with being on time, has regular meltdowns, and who looks a hot mess about 80% of the time. With all that I encountered this year, I worried that my colleagues would assume I wasn’t capable of handling increased responsibility. Boy, was I wrong?

Speaking of increased responsibility, this is where the lack of time to write comes in. I am overseeing so many projects, training a new colleague, and pushing myself to do big picture thinking to increase my business acumen, and all of this requires extra time, attention, and focus. I recognize that I am in the uncomfortable stage of my growth process, and I welcome it with open arms knowing that it is serving my greater good.

I will be leaving to Portugal in a couple of weeks for a company retreat and I am so excited to see my colleagues in person after so long! By the way, what are we thinking? Should I do a blog post about my trip to Portugal?

Ang Meets Soul

Although I have not released new blog posts, I have remained very active on social media, sharing my journey of the highs and lows I’ve been experiencing the last 3.5 months. My following has grown a bit since, which has opened several opportunities to for my blog and brand.

I received my first two magazine features through VoyageTampa and CanvasRebel, which allowed me to share my story and how Ang Meets Soul was birthed. So thankful that these two magazines considered me and took the time to reach out! Feel free to check out the links to read the full interviews.

On another great note, my site surpassed its first 10k views earlier this month! Considering how inactive I’ve been, I am pleasantly surprised to learn that my site is generating so much organic traffic. A WIN.

Lastly, and the most exciting news of all, I have placed as a finalist in the Best Blogger category for Tampa Bay’s Best of the Bay Awards! My blogging has always been a passion project of mine and I never anticipated this level of recognition. I do not take it for granted at all! Polls are open until August 31^st and the winner will be announced by mid-September. Please wish me luck 🙂

If you support my blog, please submit a vote for me (Angie Soul) here. The site may prompt you to create an account, but it takes less than 2 minutes, and you will not be spammed. The site requires this to ensure there is no ballet stuffing for nominees. Thank you so much for your support!

Before this post becomes an e-book, I’m going to conclude here lol. Happy to be back and excited to see what the future holds for Ang Meets Soul. My journey continues to remind me of the deep-rooted resilience that remains in me. My tenacity to overcome all obstacles. My uncanny and maybe inappropriate ability to make light of serious life situations. The many waves of triumph and defeat that continue to remind me that life is not constant. But if you think about it, without the spikes of highs and lows, you’re just left with flat line. And with a flat line, there is no life. I just hope when you read this post, you believe in the power to overcome all odds. Sending you all so much love ❤

It has been so long, and I am itching to know what you all have been up to!  Any news to share? Exciting or not, this is a safe space. I would love to hear from you all.