Today’s morning bikram yoga class gave me a little more confidence in myself physically and mentally, which created just enough motivation and energy to write this deeper than usual post about what has been brewing in my head over the past few weeks!

I am not sure if anyone has noticed, but the past month I have been using my new big girl camera, a Nikon D3200, for most of my pictures on my posts. My iPhone takes great photos, but I am ready to capture and intensify my experience with food, places, and people by taking higher quality photos when possible!

The first day of every month, I will present a photo of the month from the previous month! This will help keep me focused on capturing memorable moments…maybe even help me add memories to my Jar of True Happiness

January Captured Moment ’13

This picture was one of the first pictures I took after receiving my camera for my birthday. I went home for the holidays to visit my family and friends, take time to relax and distress, and figure out the next step in my career. For those of you who don’t know, I have lived in Saint Louis for 3.5 years and home is in Chadds Ford, Pa. I am a Registered Dietitian finishing my Masters in nutrition and physical performance at Saint Louis University. This past December, I finished my last master class with only my thesis left to complete to receive my diploma! I hope to finish my thesis entirely in May…so far things are progressing at a good pace to finish my research in a timely manner! Fortunately, my research can be done anywhere, which is convenient since I am currently looking for a new location and job that fits me.

Over the holidays, it felt so refreshing to be home! I could see family and friends when I wanted, and it was only a car drive or train ride away. I started networking, meeting new people, and making new memories at home, which made me realize I would be very happy moving closer to home to start my next chapter.

I am ready to live in a place where I can say, “I could see myself living here a long time, if not forever” not, “I have no clue where I will be in a year or two, I can see myself living here for a few years to get work experience.” After a lot of thought, staying in the midwest or moving more west is not the answer for me right now. I might move down the road to somewhere not close to home for my significant other or an incredible job opportunity, but right now I am 100% content moving back east.

The big reveal…..today officially marks my last month in Saint Louis. It has been so hard for me to say that out loud, but boy does it feel good to get it off my chest and not be in denial that my heart is pushing me back east! I am firm in my decision! I am moving home at the end of the month and then moving to or within 3 hours of Philadelphia to pursue my dietetics career and begin my next chapter. I am sad to leave my Saint Louis community, which I love love love so much and has made me grow up and learn to follow my dreams, but I am so excited for that next step. I get gitty thinking about it!

Which brings me back to this month’s photo……………………

Within seconds after taking this photo, I realized Saint Louis (symbolized by the cardinal) will always follow me where ever I go. The people I met, the places I went, and the memories I made in Saint Louis will always be a part of me and I can always visit to form more memories in Saint Louis!

Have you ever flown into STL Lambert Airport’s Terminal 2 (all other airlines, but southwest) and passed the sign on the wall, as you walk to baggage claim, that says, “Where will STL take you?” ?  I always always think about my answer all the way to baggage claim. The walk goes by so fast because the answer hasn’t been so easy, but I always smile and get excited to know where I will go next!

Now I can say, “STL is taking me back to the east coast!” Maybe to Philadelphia, maybe to NYC, or maybe to Stamford, CT! We shall see, but I get that nervous excited feeling in my stomach whenever I think about it, which is a very good sign that I am doing the right thing!

So I have 27 days to enjoy Saint Louis and take advantage of my favorite running spots, exercise classes, restaurants, friends, and peers, which are at my finger tips or within only 30 miles, and even go to new places that I still haven’t checked off my long STL To Do List. I will be sure to capture these moments and make an effort to bring my camera with me!

I wonder what my February Captured Moment ’13 will be………hmmmm

Until then, I am living my life in Saint Louis and capturing every moment!

Happy Friday!