GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Gratitudes

I kicked off my fall wedding season with a beautiful pink, blush and rose gold wedding at the Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket, Virginia. Tiffany + Josh said their vows at a beautifully updated church and hopped over to the club to enjoy time with their friends and family. Lee Highway Nursery killed it with their reception flowers, I’m talking about beautiful pastel florals on every table and the bouquets were full with pops of pink. These two had a dessert table that was filled with pink and gold sugary treats and the DJ had the dance floor packed the whole night with a mix of country and top 40 hits. This couple knew how to party, so much so they brought out a letter “C” shaped ice luge for their guests to enjoy! This was the biggest, loudest, and most fun wedding celebration I’ve ever been too! I can’t wait to share more images with you!

Friday night I met with my family to celebrate Kellyn’s 29th birthday over burgers. I know I’ve mentioned it before but it takes a lot of coordination to lock down 6 people with various schedules. But being able to share a meal together with my family and my sister’s husband was worth the headache in planning. Happy Birthday Kellyn!

I was also able to support two dear friends this week. I headed up to Falls Church to meet a brand new baby girl named Quinn. She was the perfect mix of her parents and was so sleepy and snuggly. I’d also like to mention that this is the first time a brand new baby hasn’t cried with me, I’m making progress. I was also a guest at a friends Change of Command ceremony, which if you get the chance to experience you should. I’ve also been curious of the militaries interworking and being privi to the ceremony and it’s traditions left me speechless. I am so proud of my friends accomplishments and that I was there to support her during this transition. As of Sunday on the 15 year anniversary of 9/11 she deployed again. I will be thinking about her and sending her the biggest hugs and most positive vibes all of the way over to the middle east.

Instagram Stories is making the list this week too. Seems sort of silly to be grateful for it but I am. I like having a curated instagram account that matches my business style and mission. With that structure though I end up losing a lot of my personality in my posts, something I’ve been working on diligently this year. With the release of Instagram Stories I can now share the behind the scenes, day-to-day and current stuff that I do. I’m hoping if you follow me you’ll get a better sense of who I am as a person – so be on the lookout for pictures of Ava, more nail polish, wineries, polo nights, views of the Virginia countryside and so much more!

Keys To My Karma is the polish of the week to celebrate my first week of yoga teacher training! This beautiful red was part of OPI’s India Spring 2008 collection. This true red is the perfect shade for all skin colors, it’s a cream based polish that goes on smooth with two coats. I’m hoping it gives me the additional motivation and strength to get through these vinyasa flows.

Breakthroughs

This week’s breakthrough came while scheduling catch-up sessions last week with a few of my best gal pals. I left to go to Italy with such high hopes and expectations for my trip, you know things that I would be doing, seeing, learning, experiencing and exploring. It never crossed my mind that while I was gone life here would continue to move along like it always does. Friends would get new jobs, have a brand new baby girl, my sister would get engaged, etc. I was focused on myself, on my story. I wasn’t prepared for my friends and family being focused on themselves, on their life and their story. I was gone for a month and I felt like in that short period of time I was forgotten, very few messages checking in or seeing where I was off too. I felt hurt and distanced. I’m finally home and I was making plans with a few friends to catch up, and what I realized was that I didn’t reach out either or stay in touch. I was equally as distant while I was traveling and I’m realizing now they could be hurt for that distance. The biggest take-away from this breakthrough is understanding that when I leave life continues on at home. I need to remember to be supportive while I’m gone and to be prepared to catch up when I return. In only a short month I feel like I’ve missed so many big life events for my little tribe. On the flip side the same goes for when I return, this last trip changed me. I grew and my outlook on life was reshaped, and it seems that my friends and family weren’t really prepared for that either.

As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.