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To My Dear Friends & Family,
Please forgive me. I have been intending to write this letter to you for quite some time. I find myself wide eyed at 2:30 a.m. with a heart full of love and gratefulness and I just have to share what’s been going on in my life with you. To say God has been too good to me is a gross understatement. I wish there were words to express just how much I love him. Trying to produce those words, even now, brings me to tears. So instead, I will share with you all He has done in my life over the past two months. Get ready, as this post is sure to be a long one ;) I have included headings, in a potentially failed attempt at making this post easy to skim. In so many words: // I Bought A House // I Wrote A Book // I Landed My Dream Job ...and I share one of the craziest stories that you can't help but believe! I BOUGHT A HOUSE!
On April 25th, as a 26-year-old single-female, I closed on my very first home! It’s a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhome. The process of finding it was very smooth, and didn’t take long at all. I believe it is because God’s timing in all things is perfect, and I had an awesome mortgage broker and relator.
Paige Wagner was my relator and is truly a gem of a woman. Her kindness and friendship made the whole process so smooth! She knows her stuff and if you are looking to buy a home in Lakeland, or anywhere near Lakeland, you should definitely get in touch with her and tell her I sent you! (paigewagnerhomes@gmail.com)! If you need a mortgage broker, Correa Insua is the absolute best one in town! No point in shopping around for one, she got me the absolute best interest rate and was so kind throughout the whole process! Send her an email, she is super responsive (correa@compassmortgagellc.com). My favorite stories to tell took place during my closing! Just to preface, the amount of the paperwork I signed during my 45-minute closing was more paperwork than I have ever signed in my entire life. The stack was, no lie, 2 inches thick. Just one of the papers had a little typo on it, and said “…Anastasia R. Jones-Downing – a married woman…” I cannot tell you the joy and pride I felt when watching that woman scribble out that phrase, and replace it with the correct one – A SINGLE WOMAN. God is so good. And a single woman buying a house is ENTIRELY POSSIBLE! All those other single women out there, you don’t have to wait for a husband to do it! Just do it! I WROTE A BOOK!
And so I did.
I am excited to announce that in the next couple of weeks, I will be releasing my very first book in the Amazon Kindle store! It is titled “Blog Like A Boss” and is packed full of advice on starting and maintaining a blog, based on my personal experiences. I get really vulnerable in there, and share the REAL story behind what propelled me to start a blog (you really don't want to miss it!) I can't even count how many people have pulled me aside to ask me questions about starting a blog! Those are some of my favorite conversations! I love blogging, it is such a passion of mind and seeing the desire to start a blog in someone else’s eyes brings me all kinds of happiness and joy! And THAT is why I wrote this e-book. To help people create blogs of their very own! I will keep you all updated! My book will be released toward the end of the month! I LANDED MY DREAM JOB!
You may or may not already know that I have recently accepted a University Development Director position at YLakeland, and have fully transitioned out of my position at Southeastern University. In my new role, I will be working with the amazing team at YLakeland to launch a city-wide internship program for Lakeland! It is LITERALLY my dream job (keep reading, and I will tell you exactly how so!)
You may be asking yourself “Wow, a new job already? Didn’t she JUST start working at SEU?” The answers to those questions are, yes and yes! Exactly one year ago (crazy how time flies), I was working in Baltimore, Maryland for a company specializing in Healthcare IT. This government contractor was a subsidiary of a multi-billion-dollar company. I had always wanted to work in corporate America, and this company allowed me to do that at a young age. I learned a lot, and was very good at what I did; however, as the years passed I felt as if I was only operating at 25% of my natural gifting’s and capacity. There was a lot going on in my personal life at that time. I felt a new season approaching, but didn’t know what that looked like. Shortly thereafter, a contact from Southeastern University reached out me about a position in the Student Development department. I knew that was the change I needed, and I welcomed the new opportunity with open arms! 
Photo Credit: Victoria Bardega
Recently, I officially accepted a position at YLakeland and am honored to be serving this beautiful city as the University Development Director. YLakeland is a program run by the Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC), that both tells and shows college students all the reasons why Lakeland is the best place to live, learn, work and create (totally my bread and butter)!
To give an even broader overview, the LEDC is a privately owned 501c3 tasked with stimulating the economic development of Lakeland, FL. One of the largest programs they run is CATAPULT. Catapult is a think-tank for budding entrepreneurs, and is also located in Lakeland, FL! They provide resources and a super cool, creative space for entrepreneurs to grow their amazing ideas into concrete businesses! I like to say that; Catapult helps make dreams come true ;) Here it is:
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