Author: Kelly Johnson

It’s pretty hard to believe that my sabbatical is over. It went by so incredibly fast, which I kind of assumed would happen. I think one of my favorite parts of being on sabbatical was getting to explain to people what I was doing and how amazing my company is for allowing me to experience this. Everyone is just amazed (and jealous, of course) of the opportunities that FD has given me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Now that I’m back in the office, I’m really surprised at how easy it was to get back into the groove of things! I was a little anxious the last few days of my sabbatical just worrying that I would have forgotten all sorts of things while I was gone. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and I can assure that all of our agents will still get paid their well-earned commissions. 😉

I’ve also realized how much I missed so many people in the office! I have been so blessed to create some really wonderful and close relationships with coworkers. So many people have stopped by my desk to welcome me back and ask questions about my sabbatical, and that has just made me feel very special and loved.

My sabbatical was just an overall fantastic experience, and I look forward to doing it again in 7 years.

I spent the last few days of my sabbatical enjoying beautiful Colorado. Joe and I had an absolute blast doing all the touristy things in Denver. We went to a Colorado Rockies baseball game, the Denver Art Museum, hiked at Red Rocks Park, ate lots of delicious food, and caught up with my college roommate! It was the perfect way to end my sabbatical. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity, and I will cherish it for a lifetime!

I spent this past weekend in Houston with my mom and sister. It’s no fun being so far away from family members, especially when you’re as close-knit as we are. We spent all day Friday doing your typical girly things. We woke up early and went a class at a cycling studio. They definitely know how to make you sweat! After we got ready for the day, we went to the cutest little brunch restaurant. It was straight out of a dream! Despite the humidity (yuck), we sat outside and just enjoyed chatting and catching up. After brunch we went to visit the Menil Collection, which is fairly new art museum, got manicures and pedicures, and enjoyed a nice trip to the local Cat Café. I know you’re wondering, “What on earth is a Cat Café?!” And “Did I read that correctly?!” Yes, you did! Basically, cats are adopted from the Houston Humane Society and brought to the Cat Café. You pay a small entry fee and go into a cute little café that just happens to also have 12 cats in it. Now I know this sounds absolutely terrible to some people, but it is pretty wonderful to a cat/animal lover! The whole point is to get all of the cats adopted and taken to their forever homes. They’re really popular in foreign counties, especially Japan. I could honestly go on and on about the Cat Café (weird, I know), but I don’t want to sound too cat-ladyish. You can ask me about it next week if you’re interested. 🙂 Anyway, we did LOTS of girly things, and I loved every second of it.

My trip home was extended about 15 hours thanks to American Airlines. FYI, if your plane lands on time, but doesn’t de-board for another 30 minutes due to technical difficulties and you miss your connecting flight because of it, it’s your own fault and not American Airlines. So there I was, stuck in DFW at 10:00pm alone. Luckily, I have some really wonderful friends that live near the airport that let me stay with them, and it was super great to catch up with them. I caught the earliest flight out the next morning and am back in good ol’ Potosi. I have lots to catch up on this week before I fly out to Denver on Friday. Joe and I are going to enjoy a nice, long weekend in the mountains before the end of my sabbatical. I can’t wait to update you guys on how it goes!

Hello, friends!

I cannot believe I have already been on sabbatical for over two weeks! I also can’t believe that I’m just now blogging! And that just means I have lots to talk about. 🙂

I spent my first few days just completely relaxing and taking it all in. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and I spent time each day on my porch swing with The Purpose Driven Life in hand. I am enjoying reading this book so much. It is really helping put some things into perspective for me.

On Friday, May 5^th I helped deliver for Meals on Wheels with Emily. It barely took us an hour to pick up and deliver the meals, yet the people who received the meals were so incredibly grateful. If you are ever on the fence about volunteering with Meals on Wheels, DO IT! It takes such a small piece of your time, and makes a pretty significant difference to others.

Last week I spent most of my afternoons and evenings at Camp Able. I had the pleasure of sitting down one afternoon with Renee, their founder. I could listen to her talk for HOURS. Seriously, y’all. This woman is amazing and easily one of the most passionate people I have ever met. She has, without a doubt, found her purpose in life and has changed so many lives in doing so. We had quite a few children come out to ride last week, and I was privileged with leading some of them on rides. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous leading horses around while small children were riding them, but I quickly overcame my anxiety! You can instantly see the children perk up and positively change their attitudes when they ride these horses. Equine therapy is a pretty magical and fascinating to experience. It was honestly even therapeutic for me! I even got to make some new [furry] friends. 🙂

This past weekend was all about celebrating my husband, Joe. He graduated with his MBA (hooray!) and also turned 30! We hosted some out-of-town friends and had a fantastic time attending Western Heritage, sharing memories, and just being thankful for Joe. We were also able to spend some great time with Joe’s mom for Mother’s Day. I didn’t get to see my mom, unfortunately, but I will get to see her this weekend! I’ll be flying down to Houston to spend some much-needed, quality time with my mom and sister. I cannot wait!

I have had such an amazing last couple of weeks. So much has been going on, and I am so thankful to say that I am still feeling rested!