Worth It

Every day I deal with a lot of emotional people...and these emotions are not always positive.  Honestly, my family is prone to tears and outbursts.  My clients are primarily brides who, even at their best, are still going through very emotional times in their lives.  While I feel my job as wife, mom and wedding planner is to weather others' storms, I still look for those special moments when it all feels "worth it".  Here are a few of my favorite "worth it" moments caught on film.

white pear tea at Sensibilities while waiting for a massage

bagpipes (and goose bumps) for a Scottish ceremony at Castle Ladyhawke, photo by Nette Lotz

a bride enjoying her wedding day to the fullest, photo by Visio Photography

my lead designer and I deciding whether or not it was safe to continue with a client's wedding during a hurricane (amazed by God's picture on a canvas of ocean)

my girls

Brady Boy

Yesterday I was feeling a bit at sea over some BIG decisions that have to be made (you now, the kind you have to use a calculator for because you'll be spending the BIG bucks) and I was also fairly convinced I was coming down with three or four diseases.

So what did I buy to make myself feel better?

No, not chocolate from French Broad...

YUM!

Not a nonfat vanilla latte from Starbucks...

This is one of my top three favorite coffee mugs!

Not even a bottle of Melange a Trois...


When it's this serious and decisions have to be made, I follow in my mother's footsteps and buy...

Yes, that is an $.88 price tag on the notebook.  An impulse buy need not break the bank.  :)

There is nothing like a new pen and a new notebook to help things become more clear.  I learned this from my mother.  Isn't she wise and beautiful?

Oh, and I may have been overreacting a bit about the diseases.  Turns out, a person should not ignore a sinus infection for 7-9 weeks.  Weird.

What's your favorite impulse buy?  Did you learn it from your mother?  Leave me a note!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Emily

Wednesday Lists

Good Morning!

7AM found me wishing for an extra hour of sleep.  Another day of work responsibilities seemed insurmountable.  My inner inspiration's quiet voice seemed to be taking a vacation.

This happens often for me, not because I have depression problems or a bad job.  It happens because I am tired.  Each day requires so much physical and mental energy as I try to take care of my family and hold my Company together that I often feel completely exhausted by Wednesday.  Does this ever happen to you, friend?

My dreadfully un-romantic strategy to "keepin' on keepin' on" is list writing.  Something about having a list keeps me moving from one simple step to the next without feeling as overwhelmed.  It also helps keep me focused when I am sorely tempted to use the Pinterest as work excuse, rather than doing real work, or even washing the dishes.  (Of course, Pinterest really is work sometimes, just saying :).

One of my favorite places to keep lists is on my iphone.  This is handy because I don't lose my phone as much as a notebook, and I can delete things as I accomplish them.  I can also keep several lists in one place on that app.  My current lists that I can go to today for the next step are:

Task List (a running list of things I must do for work)
Book
Client Experience
Several client names (actions to take from meetings, site visits, etc)
Blog ideas

Mine look like kind of like this, but in English.  Click on the image for instructions from Dr Drang on how to make your iphone notes "pretty"

I also LOVE the notes app on my iphone for grocery shopping.  It allows me to type out weekly menus and groceries on the same list, then I can easily delete each item I buy at the store so that only the menus are left on the list.  The menu list is very handy because I can find it on my iphone all week!

Evernote is an app that I have downloaded and used to write one note, "Love my husband".  It is supposed to be an amazing tool, allowing me to share my notes with all of my devices and other people.  This would be a great way to handle lists for the Company that any one of the Team could get done.  I could even use it for specific assignments, allowing me to keep everyone in the loop.  Hmmmm.  May have to try that today.

Finally, I love old fashioned pen and paper for lists.  Sure, I often lose the lists before I finish them, but writing things on a piece of paper in my best handwriting feels like I have done something already.   Crumpling them up and throwing them away is also a perfect sensation on the rare times I do actually finish the list.

Sometimes, it is important to add special things to your list for a Wednesday, such as wake up and/or an extra trip to Starbucks for a grande nonfat vanilla latte.  We need a couple of accomplish-able and happy items!

What's your favorite list tool?  Please share it with me in the comments below.

Love, Emily

As you may know, I own a business which I began in 2008.  I have been so fortunate to see this business multiply every year and to be joined by some amazing individuals who help me achieve the mission.  Other women often ask my opinion on how they should go about starting their own business.  So, here's my most basic advice:

Do something!!!  It all starts with one little step.  Decide what you want to be, then be that person.  Want to be a gardener?  Plant one type of flowers and sell them in big, lush bunches at the local farmers' market this summer.  Want to be a writer?  Start a blog and write minimum one paragraph, then press the publish button minimum three times weekly. It is free after all and what do you have to lose?

My mantra is "Do what is possible, not what is perfect".  Some of the most talented people I know never do anything because they are waiting until they achieve perfection in their field.  Sadly, this means many talented people never get started.  This leaves the field wide open for people like you and me who are willing to take a few risks and look a little bit silly.

I love Jennifer Lopez's get "On the Floor" (and do something :), when I need to inspire myself to take the next step.  The ladies who work for me say J. Lo is not actually singing about starting a business or anything of the sort, but it gets me moving!

 

My second bit of advice is to remember that no matter how big your dreams are (and big dreams is my middle name), there is always something bigger.  Remembering this brings peace to my heart and puts the world in perspective.  I may do something big, but at the end of the day, it is not my responsibility to save the world.  Takes a little pressure off which gives me the courage I need to take baby steps.

"My Glorious"

What inspires you?  Pick a song (or two) and play them each day to get you out on the floor, knowing whatever you do is part of a bigger picture.

Oh, and please leave a comment when you discover what your songs are!

Love,
Emily

Monday CAN Be a Happy Day

Three reasons why this Monday is a good day for me...

1.  It is the only day of the week that I do not feel waaaay behind!  Monday morning is a fresh start for all to-do lists.  Plus, I feel very fortunate to not only have a grown-up job, but my own business, especially after seeing Sunday's headline. 

2.  I have leftovers from last night's Super Bowl party.  My friend Megan made brie crostini.  Yummmmm.

Here is how to make Megan's brie crostini.  If you make this, feel free to share the creamy, sugary, most fabulous slices with me!

• Slice french bread very, very thinly.  Butter then toast in the oven.
• Slice brie and apples thinly, place on top of each slice of toast.
• Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and a bit of brown sugar, then toast to perfection.

3. Actually, I can only think of two right now, but that is enough for me.  I am glad to be alive.

Enjoy today!
Emily

Family Heirlooms

My family is growing heirlooms right before my eyes.  And no, I am not even talking about tomatoes.  My extended family is so amazingly artistic!  In fact, when we returned once from a visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Kathy, my husband suggested I personally create art for our house since it runs in my blood.  If only it were that easy...

Today, I want to share a few pieces Aunt Ann painted.  They are snapshots I quickly took in the hallways when no one was looking (yes, I felt like a spy and they are probably a little blurry), but she has since granted me permission to share publicly by facebook message.  I was way too chicken to ask in person!

This is a painting from Aunt Ann's college days which is now the wallpaper on my iphone...  Aunt Ann says there is a sadness in both girl's eyes.  I see a wistfulness, a knowledge and hope that something better is to come, no matter the current circumstances.

This one is the view off the back deck of Aunt Ann and Uncle Todd's house.  Love the mixture of angry clouds and serene landscape.

I'm not a horse fan (they are unpredictable at weddings which does not work in my favor on the job), but this painting is fabulous.  Look at all the muscle detail!

 

And finally, here is a VERY blurry camera phone photo of my Cute Katelyn with her Great Aunt Ann.  Loving family is the most beautiful thing of all.

Enjoy today!

Emily

Beautiful Boy

Christmas is making it easy for me to remember to appreciate that God gave me three beautiful children.  I wish I could remember this better every day AND that I would find ways of more actively enjoying the time we have together.  Someday they will be grown with their own families and I will be extra sad when the Christmas festivities are over because they will go home and leave me in the dust.  But for now, they are really loud and they never leave me anywhere and I have almost no personal space...just saying...

Like finding hidden treasure, I rediscovered these precious newborn photos of Brady when I was going through photos for my other job.  Angela Stott, photographer, is a true artist.  She spent four or five hours at our house waiting for the perfect shot of this sweet baby boy who had no intentions of cooperating, sleeping, cooing, or anything else newborns are supposed to do during newborn photo sessions.  It was an experience that we will never forget.

This post is dedicated to My Mom, Gigi and Aunt Ann... Some of the best moms I know...and probably the only people who are reading this post.  :)