Excitement is Building

Good morning, friends! This morning isn't spectacular, but I have a really good feeling in my gut. It could be the giant cinnamon roll I just polished off mingling with two cups of coffee, but I have a feeling it's something more. Time is moving. Good things are coming. The end and the beginning are getting closer. I sort of feel like I used to feel before big dance competitions. We spent months preparing; practicing every step over and over. The few weeks before I would set out my costume, line up my accessories, make sure my caboodle was all packed and mentally rehearse to make sure everything was going to be just perfect. When the weekend finally came to perform, I was ready!

 

I've been feeling a similar excitement brewing lately, but in a bigger way than when I was younger. I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks haven't been a cake walk. I've been tired and felt hopeless much of the time. We've been through the longest Michigan winter ever and I thought spring would never arrive. I've done my best to prepare for the baby and the big career transition that's coming up in spite of it all, but now we're getting down to the wire and even though I have so much left to do I am so excited.

simply perfect.

So I'm going to spend a moment focusing on gratitude. Today I am grateful for anticipation... specifically these ten things.

 

1. Isaiah's extended family is coming into town today, meaning lots of laughs and good food.
2. Meeting new friends. I have so many coffee and dinner dates with some fun ladies in town and I couldn't be more thrilled! One of my big prayers for the year was that motherhood would bring more women into my life who are passionate about similar things. I am grateful!
3. We opted out of our childbirth education class on Saturday (more on this later) to spend time with each other preparing for the birth of our son. Feeling so peaceful about this decision.
4. One more month of work. May 31st is my last day and I am giddy with excitement.
5. All of my doctor's appointments are scheduled until the baby is born, and we have a surprise ultrasound on Monday! Thankful for a healthy baby and that time is moving along. Last night Isaiah asked if he thought it would go fast and I said "the days will be slow and the weeks will be fast" He said, "You sound like a wise person". Haha, maybe I just AM wise. :)
6. My in-laws are visiting next weekend and I love when they come to town. We're going to knock out some good projects and finally have some quality time together. My MIL and I are going to cook a bunch of food to freeze post-partum and the boys are going to paint and build office furniture. Yay!
7. Amy & John's wedding is coming up in May, and we've been having so much fun preparing! I can't wait to see everything come together after almost a year of planning. Those two are the sweetest and deserve the most phenomenal day.
8. Two spa days within the next month. Enough said. 
9. My office is getting really close to being done. Finishing building the shelf and I'll spend the last part of May organizing. My fave! Hoping to paint this weekend. Also, I've had such a steady increase in inquiries for fall 2013 and 2014 weddings. Feeling so happy and blessed that my business is growing authentically and my patience is paying off.
10. I'm going to birth a baby sometime in the next 4-8 weeks. And finally, finally meet my son. The anticipation of this alone is driving me wild. Oh baby, this is going to be fun.

What are you thankful for today?

The Stress of Measuring

This post is inspired by what I read this morning on Leo Babauta's blog, Zen Habits. As you know, this year I've been focusing on living an intentional and fulfilling life. My time is spent designing my "ideal day" and closing in on what really, truly fires me up. Thanks to Making Things Happen (Lara, Emily, and Gina are superstars) I've gotten some much needed clarity on what this means for me and my business.

Leo's post talked about the stress of measuring- why we are constantly tracking everything by a number. How many miles did I run, tweets sent, likes on my facebook, hours slept, etc. His examples were supreme and really hit home for me. Especially ones like, calories consumed, e-mails sent, etc. I started to think about what I measure. It was time for me to "get real" (a phrase that my husband loves). Clients booked, dollars in my bank account, "real life" friends, twitter followes, body weight, items on my to-do list. My friends, these are all very real parts of my life that either make or break my mood. It's not easy to come to terms with my fears. I can feel my heart start to race when I think about my bank account being drained or not booking clients or gaining weight over the holidays. Is that what I value? Lara said that to name your fears is to destroy them.

Since I've finished school and started this journey of building a business, a marriage and a life in a new city, I've been so thoughtful of each step. Planning everything so carefully, to the point of praise by my friends and family. It was only this morning that I took a giant step back and realized that I am not following my intention of authenticity by measuring each and every thing in my life. Planning out the next 10 steps will get me nowhere if I'm not happy and making the right things happen in that moment. I know that's what will make my long term intentions come to fruition.

A few weeks ago I turned down my first client. It was really, really hard for me to do. She was amazing and truly looked like my ideal client. When I went home from our initial meeting, I got this nagging feeling that it just wasn't right. For one, it could have been great financially for Occasions, it was a large event and would have taking a lot of time and creative thought. Serious thought went into it and eventually I let her know that I wasn't going to be able to serve her in the way that she deserved, or give her the level of service that I pride myself on- for a number of reasons. After I sent the e-mail I immediately felt better, relieved. My number of "clients booked" wasn't increasing, but I felt so much better and like I was doing the right thing. I was turning down this client to make room for something bigger and better, but not in the traditional sense. In business school, we called this "opportunity cost". In my heart of hearts I knew my business wasn't ready to handle the wedding this client needed. And by reccomending another vendor in my area that will truly knock it out of the park, it was a win-win situation.

I hope that as Occasions grows into the elegant, fun, flower loving, rose-colored, rustic-but-refined brand that I've been dreaming of and creating that I can continue to make tough decisions on behalf of my intention. In other areas of my life I hope I can slow down and enjoy the little things. Isaiah and I are headed to Mexico for the next week and I cannot wait to hug my mother in law and dig my toes into the sand. Things not on my packing list: laptop, alarm clock, to-do list. Instead I'm going to wake up each morning, practice some gentle yoga and put my swimsuit on. We're going to walk to the cafe down the street and eat fruit, toast and coffee before we head to the beach with our books and towels. I'm going to soak in each moment with the people dearest to me. I can't wait for that quiet time. It'll be the perfect way to spend Thanksgiving.

via

Next week on the blog, some really exciting news. I cannot wait to share with you all!