Hello friends… it’s been awhile. In the past I’ve loved writing and sharing little tidbits in the space but wandered away from that in the past couple years. However it’s a new year and it seems like a time to start fresh and return to some of the things that I love.

I’ve never been one to share much in the way of goals for the new year, mainly because I’m afraid of not accomplishing them and feeling like a failure. Yet there are some things on the horizon that I’m dreaming about and some things that you might want to be on the look out for. Some are personal, some are business related and some are teetering on that line. Owning your own business makes it all feel personal.

1. Update the Studio Collection

In the spring of 2020 we introduced The Studio Collection – an easily shopped collection of event flowers. It’s seriously so easy, as simple as online shopping for a new sweater. Choose your color palette, you arrangement styles, add them to your cart, choose a pickup date and then simply pick them up from our Harbor Springs studio. Options include bouquets, centerpieces, bud vases, large scale designs and more.

We love this a la carte option so much, it’s definitely here to stay. However, we’re working on adding a couple more options and helpful tips to make it even more convenient for you. While I’m not ready to divulge all those details just yet, I do want you to be on the lookout and know that these flowers are here to stay for all your special event needs.

2. Spend more time in Garden

Again in the spring of 2020, we built some raised garden beds and planted some flowers and vegetables. We thought it was going to be a peaceful time with everyone in lockdown and working from home, events being canceled, etc. We imagined building a fence, growing some of our own produce and well, I guess I just romanticized the entire scene. Reality had something else in mind. It actually turned out to be a really busy summer for both my husband’s work (in the food/restaurant industry) and for my businesses with last minute celebrations popping up left and right. In all honesty, it has really slowed for me since – however that’s a conversation for later.

The past 2 summers I’ve planted a few seeds and dahlias however we haven’t had the time to unitize the space as much as we had hoped. Some of that has been due to the lack of a completed fence and the critter invasion, and some of that has been due to time limitations. This year the fence was finally completed and I’m hoping that I’ve built my summer schedule in a way that will allow me to get my hands in the dirt and grow some of my own flowers.

3. Design a more relaxing Bedroom Space

Designing wedding and events for a living means that I’m constantly surrounded by beauty. I have an intensely large passion of being in aesthetically pleasing environments and am even more fulfilled when I’m able to create those spaces myself. If you follow me over on @thedaysjournal or have been reading this blog for any length of time then this should come as no surprise.

Since moving into our Northern Michigan home in 2018, I’ve worked on small projects – swapping out paint colors, adding wallpaper and updating various pieces of our home to feel more like “us”. however, one space that hasn’t been touched is our large master bedroom. I’ve added a couple to touches to make it a little less bland that when we moved in, however it’s still not one of my favorite rooms and I’d really like to change that. I’ve put any extra time and energy I have into spaces that are visible to all the family and guests and I’m feeling like this is the year to make a space for hubby and I to relax and feel peaceful in after a long day.

I don’t know how deep into a refresh I’ll go just yet, however I did share some of my initial thoughts in a mood board on Instagram earlier today.

There are a couple other areas of our house that I’ve been toying with updating this year as well including the hallway leading to our bedroom, the girl’s bedroom, our entryway and a couple areas of our kitchen. We’ll have to see how far our time, energy and creativity can stretch this coming year.

4. Focus on Our Home Life

Being a woman is hard. That really sums up how I feel about a lot of things. We’re expected to be successful business women and “girl bosses” without being too bossy, controlling or pushy. We’re expected to run the household and do all the things our mothers, grandmothers and generations of women before us did, all while working full time, putting away our phones and being present. I see the looks I get when I’m at the beach on my phone for hours in end while my kids play in the sand. But it’s because I have that phone that I’m even able to go to that beach – working on flower orders, answering emails and enjoying the sunshine and my girl’s laughter while I do it.

All that is to say the sometimes it seems like we’re being shamed into letting the world shape a picture of what our life should look like as women. If we aren’t able to do it all, somehow we’re failing. I want to defy that definition. And apologize to the other women out there that I have secretly judged. I’ve seen women leave the wedding industry because they wanted to spend time with their children while they’re young and thought “they just couldn’t cut it”.

Please do not misunderstand this post as a break up with the wedding industry. I love flowers and weddings and am not leaving. However I want to redefine my own definition of success, knowing that I can run a six figure business, however this year I’m aiming to spend less time teetering on the balance beam and let the weights pull me over heavier to the side that says “family”.

I want to create a nurturing environment that my family cannot wait to come home to. I want to cook dinner for family and friends. I want to have bonfires in our back yard and play hostess. I don’t want to feel so exhausted that I can’t have a conversation at the end of the day. And if I find myself that tired, please let it be from filling someone else’s cup rather than my own.

photography: Alexis Ralston Photography

In a nutshell, that’s my vision for the year. I know goals are supposed to be easily measurable and achievable, which is why I haven’t really said that these are my “goals”. Rather, this is what’s in my head and on my heart.

What are you excited about this year?

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