When I was in high school, I dreamt of becoming a writer. I scratched down poems, rewrote song lyrics, and started stories, imagined plot lines and scripts for screenplays and novels – all with no audience in mind. I wrote in a journal almost daily, exploring the best way to convey thoughts and emotions and the pen became a form of comfort and therapy for me.

However, I never let anyone read any of my work. It was too personal. Too close to my heart. And in hindsight, I suppose I was afraid that someone else might critique it, say it was bad and crush my little dream. Even in my creative writing and English courses, I never let anyone besides my teachers read my writings. I hated having to do peer reviews, or when one of my pieces were selected to read aloud, it was like one of my biggest nightmares was coming true. My thoughts were being exposed to the world.

I started The Day’s Dream Journal five years ago. It’s become my space to share wedding planning ideas, advice topics and sometimes little snippets of what’s on my heart. It’s been an extension of my wedding portfolio and a part of my business that I have very much enjoyed. But I’ve felt as though I had artistic limitations – mostly self-imposed limitations – but limitations just the same. My creative realm and interest extend far beyond just my wedding and floral work and often I want to share more. The Day’s Dream was born of wedding hopes and the dream of what I hoped The Day’s Design might become, but it’s not a space were I felt I could fully express all of our country adventures, share my thoughts on marriage or decorate beyond a wedding venue. I desire to be more than just pretty pictures and empty imagery.

The fear of criticism has been all too real for this space as well. Oddly enough, my very first comment on my blog was a very negative one, completely ripping apart the post. It was spam, auto generated by a mean computer program, but at the time I was crushed and didn’t realize it’s faults, as I was excited to read my first piece of “fan mail”. Today, I’m not longer seeking fans, but rather seeking to be source of inspiration, praise, cheer and support to others.

With that, I am announcing the end of The Day’s Dream and introduce you to TownLine Journal.

This will be a space filled with purpose. There’s a mission that’s been laid on my heart and I introduce this new site with the following aim in mind-
• To be the voice of calm in the chaos
• To encourage others (in marriage, motherhood, business and life)
• To show hospitality to others
• Provide a guide to purposeful wedding planning
• Extend love beyond the wedding day
• Find beauty in the everyday trials of life

Photography: Hetler Photography

I have a friend who has shared with me that her love language is quality time. She repeatedly faces the obstacle of her husband working long hours as seasons of life are spent apart from one another. She believes God gave her this challenge in life to be an encouragement to others. I whole heartedly believe this, as she’s already provided reassurance to me. I have experienced blessing from her struggle and the wisdom it’s provided. She’s become an inspiration to me, and I feel that we all can learn from one other, gather together in fellowship and create strong families and relationships.

Welcome to the TownLine Journal.

PS – a new domain and a few other updates are coming soon!