Show Me the Fashion

Show me the...FASHION!

It's no secret I love fashion!  I am a boutique owner, but I have always loved fashion even as a little girl.  When I played Barbies, all I did was dress them all up for a special event, only to start over, rarely even enacting anything with them.  I also spent hours hand drawing dresses and outfits for my paper doll collection.  I didn't even care much about the pre-manufactured outfits...it was all about designing things myself.

In college, I felt torn between my love for fashion and art and a desire to stay close to my Midwestern family.  I knew if I pursued the fashion industry as a career most of the jobs were in cities like New York or LA.  For me, moving away from my family and my long time boyfriend (now hubby) was not an option.  I was always a family person.  It was my dad who tore out a newspaper article on a boutique in our community and suggested it might be a career that could work for me down the road.   He also made me stop and talk to the boutique owner and ask for a job.  She graciously gave me one, and I quickly fell in love with the job and the boutique environment. 

I tend to do things in extremes too, so only 4 years later, still in my mid 20's I took the plunge to open my own store.  What seemed like an adventure to me, probably looked crazy to my parents and family. I was young, lacked experience, and had a 2 year old to care for at the time.  Plus, only months after I opened my store in July 2008, the economy took a nosedive into the Great Recession.  However, what I lacked in experience and financial backing, I made up for in passion, faith, and determination. And, through serious hard work and perseverance my adventure has become a dream come true; I am blessed to have a growing, successful store.  I am super thankful to the Lord for helping me achieve this success.  I attribute basically everything to Him, as ultimately I believe that my hard work and determination were just ingredients in His plan for me and the blessings he has bestowed.  Flourish is His store not mine in many ways.

Flourish Boutique, home of http://www.flourishboutique.com/

So...now I find myself 4 years later, settled into a career in fashion and therefore a career I was born to do.  I love, and I mean love fashion.  I can't get enough....I work all day at the store, come home and after the rest of my family is asleep start working again: editing photos, creating blog posts, email blasts, and doing online buying.  And I wake up every morning, ready to dive back in.  When I am on vacation I find myself, googling other boutiques, constantly on the hunt for merchandising ideas and new lines to discover for the store!  In fact some of my vacation boutique hunting has resulted in some of my favorite lines at Flourish like Mystree, Papilllon, and Judith March. 

For some reason, I was truly made to love Fashion and I believe called to open a fashion business.  To some, working in fashion might seem like a superficial career choice.  But I believe that there is a reason I love it so much and have been designed to be in retail.  I guess I am figuring that reason out day by day.  I don't have it all figured out yet.  My question for you though is...what is your "fashion"?  And what I mean by that is: what are you born to do and simply love?  I think so many people make career choices based on what they THINK they should do, what someone else thinks they should do, or what makes the most money...but I believe God calls us to pursue what he designed us to love.  I think we are supposed to work hard, but do it with our hearts beating fast for our work.  My dad once gave me this advice: "Do what you love and the money will follow"  What he meant was not to squander our time and resources in order to have fun, but more that if you carefully and purposefully plan your career around your passion, your drive and love for your work will carry you far and help you excel....such that money will follow.  It's almost impossible to work hard and with excellence when you dread work each day.  Almost every industry and career niches to discover to make money in...but the key is lining yourself up with those opportunities by pursuing what you love.  I encourage you to pursue what makes your heart beat fast!  Life is to short to be defined by a career you despise.  Seek your passion...start small if you have to, but start now and figure out a realistic way to do what you love.  Be wise and be responsible, but go after your dream!  Instead of saying "Show me the money...say show me the [fashion]."  (you fill in the blank!). 

The Value of Friends

Tonight I am reflecting on how lucky I am to have such wonderful female friends.

Our family had dinner tonight with a couple who we adore, Aaron and Hailey.  Hailey and I actually went to Saint Mary's College together but really did not know one another well until they bought a house through Stephen.  Hailey and I sat in her family room talking for hours tonight, and I found myself thinking on the way home how wonderful it is to have a new friend to spend time with.

This is Hailey, after she got a $500 shopping spree to Flourish (which is a program we offer to customers of Flourish who use my hubby Stephen as their realtor to purchase or sell a home)....big smile:D.  Mostly, the best part about this real estate deal though was the blessing of the friendship that followed!  Aaron and Stephen are great friends now too! 

I also got a text tonight from Ann, who works at Flourish.  Today Ann's hubby had phoned her at work and had been hurt on his job site.  I could see Ann was really shaken and knew she needed to go be with him.  I insisted she leave work to go make sure he was ok and just be by his side.  And, Nicole and Amanda, who were working today as well, insisted we would figure out covering her shift and to not worry and just head on out.  Anyway, Ann's husband is going to be just fine thankfully and her text was to thank us for encouraging her to leave work and for covering her shift.  She said she was "thankful for the wonderful women she worked with, XOXO"  Ann could not be more right...the women that I am blessed to work with at Flourish are some of the kindest, most genuine women I know.  And, I feel blessed to call them friends.  So, everyday I get to go to a job I love and spend time with a circle of women I cherish. Nicole, Kandyce, Laurie, Ann, Kerri, Amanda, Brianne, Maggie,  Shelby and myself make up our current team and I am so thankful for their comradery and the great workplace we share!

The Flourish Girls!

From Left to Right: Maggie, Kandyce, Sarah, Laurie, Brianne, Vanessa, Ann, Kerri, Nicole (Shelby and Amanda not pictured here and Sarah is currently on maternity leave, but we miss her very much:))

And, a post about friendships would not be complete without reflecting on my longtime girlfriends.  Amanda Aldridge, Shaina, Brittany, McGee, Nicole, Jessica, and Marielle are friends and cousins who I love very much and share so many wonderful memories with.  Love you guys!

My Longtime friends; Back row: Brittany, McGee, Amanda

Middle Row: My cousins Marielle and Nicole

Front Row: Me:)

*Not pictured Shaina and my cousin Jessica

It's funny how in life, you realize that people are what really matter.  Relationship, and essentially LOVE is what sticks.  At the end of someones life, their possessions and even their achievements are not what they take with them...only love is eternal.  No one asks for their business to be by their side in the end....it's the people you love and have shared life with who you call to.  This is an area of my life where I am particularly blessed and thankful for, and yet my drive for my career often keeps me from being the best friend that I can be.  I am going to try and be a better friend, as I aim to achieve more balance in my life.  If someone matters to you, you should tell them all the time!  So, I encourage you today: who is a blessing in your life?  Have you told them recently how much you love them?  Have you nurtured a friendship that may be neglected? It's never too late to tell someone how much they matter to you.

Like many women, and especially as a small business owner: I juggle so many roles.  I run from business meetings to pick up my son from school, and right onto the soccer field many days!  Sometimes I find the back and forth roles challenging, but more and more I am gaining confidence in wearing many hats. 

Obviously one role I love is being Mom to my 6 year old son Christian.  I have to admit, I am not a perfect "shiny" mom, if you know what I mean.  My car is often a total disaster, my snacks for his class and parties are often store bought, and currently my idea of ironing is an extra cycle in the dryer.  But, I love my son and I love being his mom:)  This year was the first year I really felt like a "MOM" on Mother's Day, which was this past weekend.

I woke up to a treasure map Christian made for me, which led me on a hunt ending in a beautiful pink corsage as the treasure!  I got to stand up at Church with all the other moms, and so on and so forth:) It was exciting to really feel like a mom and my family made me feel really special.

I also celebrated by taking a full weekend off from work, which is really rare for me.  Saturday we went to my son's soccer game and had some great family time. Sunday, we went to a wonderful brunch at the South Bend Country Club and in the evening headed up to the beach at Lake Michigan.  We watched the sunset and played around a little bit, although it was still pretty chilly.  We also caught Kilwins (best ice cream parlor ever) right before they were closing, and enjoyed some delicious ice cream (my fave is cappuccino chocolate chip).

Here are some beautiful pictures I captured on the beach:)  I hope your Mother's Day was just as rewarding and peaceful as mine was!

my handsome hubby:)

Stephen and I with the sunset behind us.  Scarf from www.FlourishBoutique.com

Stephen and Christian playing on the beach