Let Go

I'm super grateful for my friend Rachel, and the other day she pinned this image that I immediately connected with. I'm sure it's no surprise that I've been a little stressed out lately with the house being on the market, but I'm realizing this week that I need to really and truly just let go... and trust that God is guiding Dan and I in the right direction.

We officially have an offer on the house (!!!), and we've begun the potentially super stressful negotiating process. Honestly, it got to me a bit this morning, and I sent Dan an email listing all the things that were driving me crazy and making me anxious. Aaaaand then I realized later how big of a waste of time and energy that was. To his credit, my awesome hubby got online as soon as he saw my message so he could check in with me and see if I needed to talk (I know, he's the best), but really, what I needed was to take a deep breath, say a little prayer, and calm myself. It will all work out. Maybe not exactly how I had it planned in my head. But definitely exactly how it should.

I'm a visual person, so I'll be printing this image to put up at my desk in hopes of it sticking in my head!

Words of Wisdom

Ever since my time with The Everygirl didn't really work out, I've been struggling with thinking that I should have done more to remain a part of it. I have to remind myself that I have written the girls with a few different submission ideas over the last year and not gotten a response, and that overall, it just wasn't meant to be. I love the site and am eager to see what's coming in the future from it, but it just wasn't, and isn't, my dream. It's someone else's - and I'm thrilled that it's working out for them! - but again, it's not mine. I have so many other dreams and ideas and opportunities of my own, and one of them is becoming a bit more real this week thanks to a new online pal, Pinterest, and this little blog of mine. Get this people - I am going to design someone's wedding invitations that is NOT a friend or family member! A total stranger, who saw a pin of Bridget's invitations (now lovingly named "The Alexander Suite) and took the time to send me a note saying she loved them. A few emails later and here we are going over pricing and design so we can get started. She's halfway across the country which is a total bummer because we can't meet and chat in person about her big day, but STILL. This is exciting stuff for me, and I can't wait to get started.

Now don't get me wrong - I have loved every single invitation, program, menu, save the date and thank you card that I've designed for friends and family members, and I have no intentions of not helping others in the future. But to be honest, I haven't put a whole ton of time into trying to actually get any kind of design or wedding "business" off the ground, and this project has given me a whole new sense of motivation to finally start making this dream of wedding planning more of a priority, and hopefully eventually, a reality. 

Here's to beginnings. Happy hump day!

Words of Wisdom

I had what can only be described as a complete and total meltdown last night, and poor Dan was stuck not knowing WHAT to do with me besides trying to calm me down enough that I wouldn't make myself sick from crying. I guess sometimes you just need a good cry, and last night was one of those times for me. I was emotionally and physically exhausted, and my body and my brain had just had enough. This also came after we polished off a big homemade apple dessert without bothering to eat dinner, so I imagine the sugar rush - and then impending crash - didn't do a whole lot to help me out.

I've been overwhelmed in general lately, and I suppose it finally took it's toll on me. I'm in one of those places where I'm realizing just how many big decisions come with being a real full-fledged adult, and it's freaking me out. I realize that about 85% of this stress comes from just THINKING about selling our house, and when I get this overwhelmed, I tend to crash and burn before I pick up the pieces, push forward and find the positive in everything that's going on. I could barely convince myself to do a load of laundry for the past couple of weeks, much less write a blog post, cook something decent for dinner or drag myself to the gym. I realized last night in my fit of tears that I need those things - I am hardwired to create, to write, to organize, to DO. Without those outlets, I am not myself, and I am in turn a big giant mess.

And so begins my latest endeavor - finding a little quote (probably on Pinterest) as inspirational words of wisdom for the week. I'm a visual person, so while having something moving written in a pretty font is simple, it is powerful for me. I've joked before about getting the word "blessed" tattooed on my wrist as a constant reminder to myself, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it a lot again lately.

Happy Monday friends. Here's what I'm working hard to remember this week -