Catch up & Wanderlust

Catch up first, please...

To say the last few months have passed me by is an understatement. I have been working harder than I have ever worked! I have booked a record breaking amount of sessions/weddings. I have had my best months in the salon and I've learned A LOT thru Kuene (my new color line at the salon)! I feel like I've become a better entrepreneur over the past 5 months and it feels awesome! I'm proud of myself and that in itself is huge! 
SO, over the past 5 months I have shot 60 sessions, visited Europe with the hubbs, celebrated my middles 4th birthday, celebrated my 29th birthday, my dad turned 60 and my brother had a baby!! And.... I found potential commercial property, I MADE AN OFFER.... My offer was ACCEPTED!! However, there is a little gray to this excitement. I'm under contract with contingency on two possible deal breakers. Variance on the property-  (I do this on May 16th at 6:00 come support me!!)! If you aren't sure what variance is let me break it down in layman's term. Commercial property is set up into different categories based off of where the property is located. Areas are broken down into letters and numbers I.E.-R2b, R2C ect.- something like that. In order to have an office  you need to be zoned R2B, in order to have a salon you need to be zoned R2C. If you find that you are in a commercial zoning that is already R2B, but you need it to be R2C - you apply for variance, show up on a certain day and go before a group of people who will tell you YAY or NAY on your proposal. So.... yea. That's happening on the 16th at 6:00. Next, the loan I've applied for can take 2-3 months before it's approved and ready. Yeah, but - well, I'll tell you more about that once it's approved. :-P
SO, now you know what's'a'goin'on... soooooo I'm gonna need you to send me all the prayers, juju and holy water you got! I'm feeling pretty confident, but these last two steps are crucial in the dream coming true. I would say more, but really y'all, I'm too scared I'll jinx myself! 

Did I mention we went to EUROPE?! Y'all... Google those flights. If you are dying to go somewhere GOOGLE those flights. One day our friends Randy and Janna messaged a group of us showing off their new pad in the middle of Germany. After watching the video I asked what airport we would fly into, "Frankfurt", I went to the computer - googled the flight and found ROUND TRIP TICKETS for $450 using Delta. Out of Huntsville (The most expensive airport in America.....).  5 hours later the tickets, round trip, were back up to $1,200. After that, Dave called up Nana and asked if we were to have the opportunity again if she would be willing to come watch the girls. Since being the best Nana in the world she pro-claimed "Of course!!" and our search began. Daily we googled flights until it happened again $500 round trip tickets out of Huntsville - on my birthday - to Amsterdam! Duh, let's do this! We can worry about our stay and all that jazz later- LEZZDOITTT! So, we did! And then we decided we would land in Amsterdam - train to Brussels, stay at the cutest AIRBNB in the city - train the next day to Germany where we stayed with our friends Randy and Janna- see a glimpse of France and the Rhine River before catching an hour flight back to Amsterdam for the weekend. It was quick, it was beautiful, it was fun, it was perfect. 
I'll start you off with Brussels here and then add another post for Germany, France and Amsterdam! 
Enjoy!
<3
 

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Manneken Pis (little boy to the left and little girl to the right)&nbsp;

Manneken Pis (little boy to the left and little girl to the right) 

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Our view from out window before calling it a night. &lt;3&nbsp;

Our view from out window before calling it a night. <3 

Where you are

In our house Moana has been on non-stop play time. I'm not mad about it, not one bit. As I continue onward towards my goal of owning commercial property for my businesses, I've started to learn a lot about myself. Since seeing Moana twice in the theater and now one billion two hundred million five hundred thousand and two times at home - I can really say I think it's one of my all time favorite movies. Sometimes I get caught up in this world and I lose sight of where I am and where I want to be.

A lot of days I'm extremely motivated and when I think about the future I can smell the air. Other days, I am extremely hard on myself and I doubt a lot. Then some days, I don't really even know what I'm thinking and I want to throw in the towel. But in the grand scheme of everything - I'm genuinely over whelmed, excited, scared and vulnerable. And that's ok, it's all part of growth and becoming who I want to be. I'm aware of my weaknesses and just as much, my strengths. Keeping my head above water and staying calm have been my biggest "learn to's" thus far. 

A large portion of my self criticism comes from the time invested in my dream that essentially takes away time spent with the those I love most. But this little voice inside of me never stops pushing me onward because if I plan strategically and save accordingly- my time spent investing will pay off in all the right places. I'm lining up my stars and setting sail, praying for small waves and clear skies.

When I think about the mom I want to be - I think of brave, strong, fun and firm. I think of not necessarily being a winner, but never a quitter. I want my girls to be proud of me. I want them to work hard for their dreams because they believe in themselves. I want to be able to help their dreams come true one day. I want to teach them to be humble and happy. I want them to love themselves and to be successful at the things they enjoy, that they also happen to be good at. I want them to listen to their little voice inside. 

Sometimes this voice inside of me gets crazy and I forget who I am, but that crazy side helps me learn a little more about myself. The best part of all of this is when you finally know who you are, when you finally decide to accept that awesomeness , when you finally choose to love yourself... Well, that's when you realize where you are, by where you've been and you take your first step towards where you want to be. 

<3 SAS

PS All lyrics are from the movie Moana - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

In case you were curious on where thus far in 2017

  • 8 out of 10 weddings have been booked
  • I've created my first MOM'SNAP workshop
  • January and February were my best months in the salon and with photography! 
  • I've shot 21 amazing sessions with 10 more pre-booked
  • I've not had a heart attack