The Real Test In Life is Not Keeping Out Of the Rough, But in Getting Out Once You're In

It's amazing what money (or lack thereof) can do to people. And despite how hard I try, I can't make that phone ring with a job.

**Backstory**
I'm originally from Muskoka.

Google it.  It's gorgeous.

It's also nothing more than a tourist town that gives you roughly two months to make all the money that you can before everything shuts down again.  Yet I managed to not only get but hold a job there.  Now, I'm not saying by any means that I made the right choice quitting the job I had to move in with a boy.  But I was so in love and couldn't stand to be away from him anymore.  Not to mention that I was still living with my ex and hating every second of my life.

I screwed up.  Badly. And a lot.  But truth be told I've never cared for anybody but myself before and it screwed me up, I didn't know how to deal. Which sounds like a sad excuse for a 26 year old but trust me, if you knew me before, I could have cared less about anyone but myself - but I'm sure you'll learn more about my backstory as this blog continues.  And it seems no matter how hard I try, things just keep getting worse.

I've probably sent out well over 500 resumes in the last eight months.  Someone's gotta call soon, right?

Either way, this blog is supposed to be about my personal life as well as my journey to being a freelancer, or figuring out a way to make the interwebz work for me, or whatever.  I just want the boy I love to love me as much as he did, as much as I love him.

I just want this back.

Ah well, enough blubbering.  The point is I have to make this work, I'm gonna make this work. And hopefully, despite how incredibly unlucky I am, I'll be able to scrounge up enough luck to get him back. Like I had him.  Because seeing him like this kills me and makes me feel worse about myself than I ever have.  Because I know it's my fault.  

Okay okay, before I go on another sob story, I'm gonna sign off.  Hope you're all enjoying the wonderful sunshine out there!

And remember, if you're looking for a freelance writer, think Shanda de Vries :)

“Just know, when you truly want success, you’ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.” - Unknown

Back With a Vengence... And a New Blog

For those of you that don't know me, let me introduce myself.  My name is Shanda de Vries and I'm a 26 year old Freelance Writer from Ontario, Canada. My life revolves around my incredible boyfriend, John and our puppy, Hannibal (he's a chihuahua/miniature dachshund mix). 

John and I met last year (at a bar, of all places).  I knew from the second we started talking that he was the man I wanted to marry.  So I walked away from everything and everybody I've ever known, and moved out to farm country.  It's absolutely beautiful and although I wouldn't trade it for the world, I wish there was more work out here.

After being unable to find a job, I decided to take up freelance writing.  Since I've always loved to write, I assumed it would be a piece of cake.  It wasn't.  I wrote 13 hrs a day for $10.  Then, I finally had some luck with getting a job and put the writing dream on the backburner while I went to go work in an office for a little while.

I'm not going to bother explaining the whole story, but the long and short of it is I'm a very unlucky person and had way too much going on in my head at the time, and I ended up losing my job.  Getting another one has proven to be rather difficult (seriously, the job market sucks around here) , so back to the drawing board we go!

So hi, I'm Shanda. And if you have a freelance writing gig, I'm your girl. I'm willing to take on any sort of proposal you may have.  This blog will be dedicated to my journey, and I hope to hear from you soon. Also, feel free to check out my Twitter and Facebook pages.

Thanks a lot for reading, tell your friends!

 “The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra