My Community. My Tribe.

Community. It's kind of a big deal, especially in the blog world. It brings like-minded people together and is an amazing source of constant inspiration and support. Communities can band together to help those in need, they can introduce you to your new best friend, they can be local or online. These days communities can form just about anywhere.

I love my blogging community, my #Tribe. They have become more than just words on a computer screen. And just because I have never met these wonderful women in person, it doesn't mean we aren't close friends. Honestly, they know more about me than many people in my "real life" do. They understand me better than some of those "real life" people do as well.

Today I want to take a moment to recognize my #Tribe and thank them for being their amazing selves.


Melissa - The Rambling Llama
Yes, she counts. She's been my best friend for about nine years now. I am so proud of her and even more so that she's grown so much because of her blog. She's so talented and funny, you just can't help but love her. Thank you, Llama, for being you. For being there for me, for inspiring me to do things I never thought I would be able to do, and for being on my level of crazy.

Kendra - Kenji is Here
This lady is such an inspiration to me. After finding out that I have another chronic illness (I have Major Depression and PCOS), I fell back on her for support. She's always got an amazingly positive attitude and totally understands my frustrations and concerns. Thank you, Kenj, for being you. For letting me "cry" on your shoulder, for being a light in my life, and for all the awesome snapchat conversations.

Anne - Love the Here and Now
Oh, Anne. I think we first bonded over our mutual love of fonts. And it grew into something more. Anne is one of the sweetest people I have ever come to know and she's so thoughtful. Not to mention an amazing interior designer (have you seen her daughters' new rooms?!). Thank you, Anne, for being you. For validating my obsession with downloading all the fonts, for being honest and open and genuine, for inspiring me to keep going with my design work (especially fonts!).

Cassie - Sage
Somehow, Cassie always knows exactly what I need to hear, or put my thoughts perfectly into words. She's the person I go to for faith based inspiration. She's the person I go when I need to talk about my crazy thoughts on my schooling. She started my new favorite community #MoreThanAFrame on Instagram (see the prompts here, more are coming in July!). Thank you, Cassie, for being you. For freaking me out preparing me for my future school endeavors, for unknowingly helping me muddle through some of my faith based issues, and for inspiring a wonderful and supportive community with #MoreThanAFrame.

Emily - Ember Grey.
Another amazing lady to go to for faith based inspiration and a dose of daily gratefulness. She's truly beautiful inside AND out (did you know she was a model?). I always look forward to reading her posts because her writing makes my heart smile. Emily also is a creator of an amazing community with #GratefulHeartMonday. Thank you, Emily, for being you. For helping find my positivity and staying focused on my gratefulness, for always making me laugh, and for inspiring my own monthly link-up #Conversations.

Christine - So-Called Homemaker
Whether it's movie suggestions, blogging tips, or offering up the secrets of Real Estate, she always has something to contribute and I love it. She's a go to when I need another opinion on a post idea or when I have something funny to share. Group texts with her and Llama are ALWAYS entertaining. Thank you, Christine, for being you. For always making me smile with random texts, for teaching me that you can understand real estate, and for being our designated Wine Ninja.

Chelsea - The New Wifestyle
Legit, this girl is incredibly talented and smart. I can't believe what she (and her equally as talented husband) have accomplished. Not only does she blog, but she travels with her hubs all over the world to speak and inspire dreams and goal in others. Thank you, Chelsea, for being you. For finding the perfect shade of grey nail polish, for being honest about your fault and committing to improving on them, for reminding me that I, too, and capable of so many things.

Rebecca - The Adventures of Bug and Boo
SuperMom of two beautiful tiny humans, gorgeous fashionista (preggo and not), amazing wife, and genuine blogger. This wonderful lady went out of her way during her first few weeks home with the new baby to reach out to me when I was going through a particularly difficult time and let me know that she understood what I was going through and that she was always there for me. I definitely cried when I opened that sweet note. Thank you, Rebecca, for being you. For being a true friend, for lifting my spirits, and for making me want to try some statement necklaces.


Who is apart of your #Tribe?

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Ducks in a Row

We've all heard, or even said, "I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row." It's a nice way of saying "I don't have my shit together yet, and I'm not sure how to get it together, but I know I'm supposed to." 

My thirteen year old self just knew that I was going to be married to the perfect man, living in the perfect house, with the perfect yard, in the perfect neighborhood, not too far from my parents, financially comfortable, and pregnant by age twenty three (HAHA). In reality I was jilted, broke, and moving back in with my parents. I didn't fulfill that dream I had for myself, and I thought of myself as a huge failure. I fell into a huge rut of self depreciation that led to the deep and dark hole of depression, despite my outward appearance. I felt like it was all my fault my proverbial ducks weren't in their tidy little row. 

Over the next five years, three boyfriends, three jobs, and six moves I finally found my center. I got to know myself better and what I really wanted for my life, rather than what society expected of me. It was only then that I was able to accept the love that I really deserved, and even then I almost slipped right back into my old habits. Philip defied all my negative expectations, proving every day that he truly cared for me even though my ducks were still wandering around all willy nilly. 

I foolishly thought that once we were married I would feel more settled, like my ducks would slowly fall into line. Combining our ducks was a bit of a challenge at first, but I think we've got them corralled. I'm going to be 29 this summer. Shouldn't my ducks mind me better and line up when I tell them to? And why do they have to be ducks? What about blue birds, chickadees, or cardinals? In fact, why does it have to be a bird at all? Let's not discriminate! Can we have llamas, elephants, or bunnies instead? 

I digress. When will I feel like I have my shit together? Does anyone even feel that way ever? Of course I went to Llama with these questions, and she posed a question to me: "why don't you feel like you do?" I really had to think a moment before responding. I had to be honest with myself and dig down deep before I had my answer: "I think it's so many failures and not finding my passion until later in life. I feel like I'm so behind and I'm scrambling to catch up with my biological clock." (And by biological clock I mean society's view of how our lives should progress and my teenage dreams.) And she responded "Yeah, that makes sense. I think you are doing great though. And at least you FOUND your passion. That's more than a lot of people much older can say." Wise words of truth, Llama. Wise words. 

I felt even more at ease with where I am after talking to my mom. She said she didn't feel truly at peace with her life until she retired. What's funny about that is that I totally think that my mom has had her shit together for, like, my whole life. She always seemed like she did anyways, but that only proves that the face we put on for the world isn't always in line with how we really feel. For the record, she said I wasn't a weirdo for having undisciplined ducks. 

And then Kendra weighed in: "I don't think anyone feels like everything is in line and even if they do, it's not for long. I think it's more of just accepting the life that is in front of you and enjoying every moment regardless." I have smart friends. Acceptance of the life I have is something I need to work harder on. Don't get me wrong! I love my life with Philip and our furkids. I have a rewarding job and a truly enjoy school. But I've had a hard time letting go of those childhood expectations of what my life would be like and forgiving myself for not meeting that timeline. I'm working on it, one day at a time. 

Do you feel like your ducks are in a row? If so, at what point did this feeling occur?

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7 Things I Do That My Husband Thinks Are Weird

Ah Husbands (or boyfriends, fiancees, dads... really just men in general). The heroes of our worlds. They can do so many great things: bring home the bacon, carry ALL the grocery bags inside in one trip, mow the lawn, and do math in their heads at lightening speeds. But there are some things they really don't get, amiright? I don't know about you but my husband things some of the things I've done for nearly all my life are just down right weird, and I'm going to list them out for you today.

1. The Accent Nail
You know, the pretty pattern or glitter right finger nail. Hubs always turns his nose up when I do them and calls me a weirdo. He just doesn't understand why I can't do all my nails the same way all the time.

2. Why I Need Four Different Shades of Purple Nail Polish
Purple is purple right? WRONG! Hubs just doesn't get that darker purples are for fall and winter and lighter/brighter ones are for spring and summer.

3. Wearing a Hair Tie on Your Wrist ALL The Time
Seriously? I thought he was joking when he asked me about it one day. Nope, he doesn't get why I have to have one on me every second of the day. Men just do not understand the spontaneous need to pull your hair back in the middle of the day.

4. Eating Cereal Out of a Cup
Ok. This may just be me, but I have been doing this since I was in middle school. My mom had just bought new dishes and the bowls that came with the set were so tiny that I always had to get a second bowl of cereal in the morning. One day I just grabbed a big plastic cup and having been eating my cereal that way every since.

5. Starbucks
Nope, my hubs doesn't get why I love the coffee chain so much. Honestly, it's really a treat for me during school, because caffeine is so needed to stay focused in class. Plus, it's just really really good.

6. Use Body Wash Over Bar Soap
In his brain, bar soap is cheaper and it lasts loner. He has a point, but in my brain I don't get the exfoliation and moisture I need from a bar soap that I do from my body wash and loofa. I take pride on my skin and want to keep it looking young as long as I can.

7. Snapchat
I know he's not the only one in this boat. I didn't really get it at first either, but once I just buckled down and learned how it works I was hooked. Then I started adding bloggy friends and it got even better! If you want to give it another try, Melissa did a great tutorial!


What are some things the man/men in your life just don't get about you?