Choosing Peace.

Stepping into your fears and choosing action is hard. It's scary. At least for me. But it's even harder to let go of action, when it's necessary, and trust that life will work itself out. When I don't think logically about why I'm acting a certain way or doing something "productive", I end up feeling out of control and throw myself into mindless tasks to distract myself from the real fears. I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit, but stick with me.

 

Transition has never been easy for me, but I always do it, I always choose action. I made the move to Seattle from Minnesota when I was 18. I took a chance and moved again to the East Coast, where I happened to meet my husband. We decided to move to the same city after falling in love, we got married and moved again to "settle down" in Traverse City, Michigan. We aren't afraid to take chances, make changes and sacrifice comfort in order to live our best life. I do my best to look at long term goals, which is why I'm so passionate about budgeting, having patience with my business and sticking it out through the "junk". When life throws a curveball, I don't handle it too well. When the offer for my dream job was taken back unexpectedly, I was devastated and cried in bed for 3 days (that's a story for another day).

 

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This fall, we were thrown another curveball when we found out we were expecting a baby. It's time for another transition, a big step into parenthood. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. When we found out we were pregnant (like most people I assume) we were shocked, excited, nervous, and a million other things. I didn't even cry (which is unusual). Immediately (as in 20 minutes after I took a pregnancy test) we adjusted- changed our mindset and focus and started loving this baby like crazy. I remember asking Isaiah to just "take a deep breath and stop thinking about the details". Meanwhile, I was mentally re-working our budget, figuring out which room would be the nursery, wondering when I could ever quit my job, worried about never being able to plan weddings full time, questioning if we were too young or too newly married to have a baby, if I was strong enough to be a mom... worry, fear and doubt. I was saying one thing and acting a completely different way.

 

The next morning I went out and bought a bunch of books and started reading about pregnancy. I made an appointment with the doctor. I drank a green smoothie, I went to the gym and I bought pre-natal vitamins. I budgeted and figured out what it cost to have a baby, I called my insurance company, I bought 5 more pregnancy tests. Essentially- I entered complete spaz out mode. I was 5 weeks pregnant. My body still felt like mine. I was scared to death. Scared of what would happen to our new marriage, scared of loosing the baby, worried about money. I can't even tell you how fast my mind was spinning & swirling. This was a territory that was completely foreign. What I didn't do was stop and breathe, and pray for our son. I didn't pray for our marriage, or for peace. I worried.

 

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One thing I can say for sure is that I am so thankful that a baby takes 9 months to grow. I've needed these months to adjust and prepare my heart, house & mind for raising a child. As you know if you've been following my blog for a while, I've been focusing on preparing for a baby. I've been reading the books, buying the stuff, trying to keep my body healthy, going to the doctor, budgeting, being as responsible and over-prepared as I can be so that when he makes his debut I can focus on loving him with all of my energy. Meanwhile I've been so scared of what motherhood will be like. Will I be a good mom? Can I handle a marriage and a baby? What about work? Is there going to be enough money? Will my business take off? Am I ever going to have any friends? What if he gets sick, or I have postpartum depression, or I can't breastfeed, or this, or that, or whatever? I've been hanging onto my fears while doing all of the "actions" that should be calming and comforting, but they aren't. Something isn't working, something has to change.

 

Today I'm making the choice to let go, and choose peace. I'm deciding to trust that everything will work out perfectly, because it already has. There isn't enough room in this blog for me to list all of the blessings and love we've been the recipients of lately, specifically in the time we've been married. We are so lucky, with so much ahead of us, and I am choosing to be peaceful. I'm still going to struggle with worrying, but I'm hoping and praying that peace will be an overwhelming presence in my life so I can love my family better. I had a pretty major freak out the other day and wildly explained  to Isaiah that if I didn't "worry about and plan for all the scary things, then they would happen". Always the voice of reason, he explained that I could plan and prepare all I wanted, but worrying wasn't necesarry. We will be good parents, we love our son. He is healthy, nothing will go wrong. I'm so thankful for a supportive husband and family. Happy weekend, friends! If you read this, thank you. It was good to let it out.

 

 

If you could meet one woman for lunch...

Who would it be and what would you order? Every morning after I get my coffee and settle in for the day I check my usual roster of news, blogs, and sites. Included in those is The Everygirl-- one of my absolute favorites. They usual ask the women they interview in their featured posts, "If you could meeting one woman for lunch, who would it be and what would you order?". Today they turned the question on us and I sort of ran with it.

 

This is a no brainer for me. My grandma Ginger passed when I was in 6th grade, but up until that point and even now she has a profound impact on my life. She battled breast cancer bravely for years, and even through that we had the best time together.
 

I named my business after her (Sincerely, Ginger) because she represents what I love most about bringing people together for love. Strawberry picking, swimming in the lake, dining al fresco and just simply being together. The stories of true love between family, friends, and partnerships usually start with something simple. Meeting at Starbucks for your first date, taking long walks after dinner. These little moments are so special. Ginger loved these little things.
 

I would opt to eat in her kitchen, for breakfast I hope. We'd drink coffee and tea (yes both) and she'd probably insist on making fruit pancakes even though I'd be fine with eating cereal. She likes to make every day special when we're together. We would sit in the breakfast nook, look out over the lake in Northern Minnesota and catch up. I like chatting over breakfast because that means we have the whole day to sit there if we'd like. I'd want to tell her everything about my wedding, marriage, business and little baby growing inside of me. So much to catch up on.

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 I'd ask for her advice on everything. On love first. I'd ask about the letters she mailed to my grandpa before their wedding, what didn't I know? As a truly young person I admired their love for one another. They created a beautiful life together- one my grandpa still lives out each day with Karen, his new wife (who is equally as lovely, might I add). Ginger was a brilliant designer, fabulous mother, the best in the kitchen, exerciser extraordinaire and fiercely dedicated to her family. What more could you ask for?

 

Don't think I'm naive. I see her in her best light because I was a child. She was brave and didn't show how hard things were most of the time. Our time together wasn't jaded by having to work or deal with stress. We spent our time creating with our hands, swimming in the lake, baking, and snuggling on the couch.

 

I remember once when she was going through chemotherapy, my sister and I were in elementary school. The three of us were going grocery shopping for dinner that night. We got out of the car and Ginger put on a baseball cap because had lost her hair due to treatment. I was only in fifth grade, but I understood why she put the hat on. My sister Bridget is two years younger than myself and asked "Grandma, why are you wearing your hat?". I was so embarrassed. Who would want to be seen bald in a grocery store? People would stare! I bet I shot her a look. In reply she simply said, "You're right, I have no idea why I'm wearing it". So she took it off and we went in the grocery store bearing her scalp, walking bravely in truth. She couldn't have cared less if people stared. I wasn't embarrassed because I was protected by her honesty. I want to be a woman like that.

 

More than anything I want to tell her about my life I want to hear more about hers. There's so much about her story that I don't know. If we had a chance to meet for lunch (or breakfast) I'd ask her to tell me more about her struggles. She was incredibly wise and there's so much I want to learn from her still. It's such a joy to remember my grandmother. All the little bits and pieces. What this question from The Everygirl really did for me this morning was open up a door to ask more questions. I'm positive my grandfather would be thrilled if I asked him to tell me more. Life is short. Cherish your loved ones and learn from them.

 

With Gratitude,

Rachel

 

p.s. Thinking about the importance of grandmothers today and praying for the loss of a dear friend's own grandma. Sending love & peace your way, K & J.

Wow... Thank You!

Can I just say how good it feels to really put yourself out there? Posting my huge news, being authentic, and working from my core really does what they say it will do. It attracts the right people. It felt amazing to hear your support of Sincerely, Ginger.

 

I can't wait to learn more about her throughout this process. Currently I'm working on having a new logo designed and getting some housekeeping work done. Changing e-mail, URL and all that is a lot of work! I would love to design my own logo but am having trouble figuring out how to digitize my calligraphy. (If you have insight in this area, please enlighten me!)

 

Keeping on pace with my 2013 Business Goals, I am planning a brand inspiration shoot for early spring. The goal is to collaborate with other vendors and create something to showcase my work for my website. This will provide a good framework for the other weddings I have to showcase. So excited about this!

 

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Like I said in my previous post, I want to share some memories of Ginger and talk about how they inspire my work. She and my grandpa had always lived on lakes in Northern Minnesota. My sister and I (even before my other brother and sister were born) looked forward to going up north to grandma and grandpa's to swim in the lake and sleep in big beds with fluffy down comfortors. Every summer we looked forward to a real vacation, an escape from our day to day. Ginger always encouraged our creativity. There were mornings spent jumping in the lake and searching for shells, afternoons picking strawberries from their garden and evenings painting and helping her cook dinner. Whatever we did was lovely, because we were together. We also spent a lot of time outside.

 

The landscape of Nothern Minnesota is a lot like it is here in Traverse City. Beautiful lakes, lots of trees and amazing sunsets. At Ginger's we were encouraged to pick wildflowers and create arrangements for the dinner table. We didn't fight. We focused on loving eachother and creating things together. Summers with grandma and grandpa were my absolute favorite. Of course this is just a peek into some the experiences that shaped who I am and eventually what I envisioned our wedding day to represent. Our tradition is closeness, love, and relaxation. We value fresh flowers and local food. It's the way we lived and what better way to celebrate a lifetime ahead of us than doing those things with our closest family and friends.

 

Weddings are about stories. They are about tradition and love, and bringing memories to life in a whole new beautiful way. When I meet a couple for the first time, my first question is always tell me your love story. That's the only place I know where to start. I'm so excited about this new future. Thank you for being a part of it!

 

Sincerely,

Rachel

Happy Friday!

Well I know I'm not the first one to say TGIF. It's been a long week- my first full week since the holidays and I'm definitely tired out. I'm working on writing a post about my big news, but until that's ready I wanted to leave you with something inspiring for this weekend.



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Isn't this outfit amazing? Totally my style- I love the colors and the coziness of the black sweater. The hat is a little much for me personally but those flowers and shoes and slit on the skirt? Oh my! I just love it. Unfortunately I won't be dressing like this until around April when the snow starts to thaw...

Happy Friday!

Rachel

Inspired: Breakfast in Bed

This inspiration shoot by Love by Linzy  literally took my breath away. You should have heard me squeeling with delight when I stopped by Style Me Pretty on Sunday. The poppy red and vibrant pink truly emphasize the excitement of a breakfast in bed proposal. How much fun would it be to wake up to a stack of pancakes and a bunch of flowers, let along to the man of your dreams ready to pop the question?! Would you ever consider a pink and red color scheme for your wedding? Head over to Style Me Pretty for even more gorgeousness, including some amazing shots of the couple jumping on the bed!



Love by Linzy via Style Me Pretty



In Love and Kindness,

Rachel Elizabeth