Make Your Work Hours Count!

The years 2011 - 2014 are a bit of a blur. I don't remember everything, but I remember the way I felt after coming home from work each day. I remember crawling in bed night after night thinking to myself, "I just worked my tail off, but did I actually accomplish anything? I worked hard, really hard for 12 hours today, but did I even make any money? Why am I working so hard and have nothing to show for it?" During those years, I could have won an academy award for my act. "How's business?" they would ask ...

Tough Love

I need to speak to those of you who are working from home. Those of you who have little ones running around while you are simultaneously trying to build your own business. Those of you who are preparing lunch for your kids while you answer client calls.

Why I Quit

Every single day I quit the same thing - I quit my work.

Have you ever been home with your family and that little “ding” sound goes off notifying you of a new email? You immediately check it and feel the urgency to respond right away. While you are simply trying to get your thoughts from your head through your fingertips and onto the screen so you can press send, and your child walks over to you and says, “Mommy, look at…” only to be abruptly cut off by you with a response that resembles something like, “Honey, I need you to give mommy just a second - I’m just trying to finish this one thing then I can listen to you.”

I'm Tired. Like, Really Tired

Confession time: I'm tired. Like, really tired.

I normally quit working at 3pm and go pick up my kids from school and don't look at work again until the following day. Today, I had back to back appointments all day and left work at 3pm, picked up my kids, but had to bring work home with me. It is incredibly rare that I work at home with my kids around, but this is one of those rare weeks where there are major deadlines and extra hours are necessary.

Marriage is hard

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary. We dated five years before we married. We've officially been with one another half our lives. Warning: This is not going to be one of those sweet and sappy anniversary posts.

To be honest, this past year has been the hardest year of marriage we've had. In almost every way, our roles switched. Something neither of us asked for or were prepared for. We struggled to navigate our new normal.

Nourish

Last year, I had the incredible privilege of speaking to the attendees at Nourish Retreat, an all-inclusive, luxury retreat for mamapreneurs looking to rest, connect, and create.

I was asked to speak on how I balance my business life with my personal life. It was an incredible joy to sit with fellow mom business owners and share my story, my struggles, and the boundaries I’ve created for myself in order to live the life I want to live. I personally think entrepreneurship can be a lonely thing. Throw being a mom on top of trying to run your own business and you totally feel alone. Speaking honestly about this struggle was a beautiful moment during the retreat because sometimes I think all we need is to know we aren’t alone. Someone else feels this way too!

"How did you know you were ready?"

My Great-Uncle Buck was a successful, self-made businessman. He grew up on a farm in Arkansas and later moved to Seattle with his wife, Lou. He started out dirt poor working in construction. Later, he began investing in storage units, then office rental properties, and eventually became a self-made millionaire. You would never know it. He wore the same pair of Levi’s jeans and denim shirt every single day of his life. He knew what was important in life, and it wasn’t flashy, material things.

The most important thing I do for my kids every day

Brian and I were married eight years before we had kids. During those years I would go through Ina Garten’s cookbooks, page by page, and cook a new recipe each night for dinner. I love to cook. There is something about taking ingredients and making them into a delicious meal that just makes me happy. Brian and I always ate our dinner at the table together. This is where we would really talk about our day or dream about our next vacation. Fast forward to today and life's a little more full! Driving three ...

How I make one on one time for each of my kids

I remember so much about my first year with Stella. I remember the way she looked at me when I fed her, making faces at her while I changed her diaper, laying on the floor beside her cheering her on as she learned to crawl, sitting with her for hours as she played with her favorite toy, and I’ll never forget her first effort in trying to talk when she said, “agoo”. I loved oohing and ahhing over her. I loved to just sit and study her facial expressions. I will forever treasure that time. She was 15 months old when I ...

My #1 Secret to Taking Last Minute Getaways with My Family of Five

After several newsletters about important topics like maximizing your workday, getting a grip on email stress, and making more time for your family, I thought it was time to write about something a little more fun, TRAVEL! A little background about me and travel - it is my favorite thing in the world! It’s why I work. I’m constantly planning the next adventure and no day is more exciting than when my new issue of Travel and Leisure arrives in my mailbox. For me, travel has been far greater an education than ...

How to become someone your daughter trusts

Last year, I was in a meeting with a client; she and her mother had a wonderful relationship with one another. They listened to each other. They respected one another. I could tell they had great admiration for each other as well. I’ve seen lots of different mother daughter dynamics through my years of working in the wedding industry, but this one was different. While the daughter completely respected her mom they also genuinely enjoyed being around each other. They were friends too. In one of our last ...

Inside My Planner

Appointments on your phone are great, and I used to do that; but I found having EVERYTHING in one place helps my everyday productivity tremendously. I decided to buy myself an annual planner. I use Emily Ley’s simplified planner. I bought it keeping in mind it is going to get messy, but it’s a way to organize my life around the things that matter most! I learned a wonderful tip from Emily Ley: there needs to be plenty of white space in your planner.