home for the holidays
hey beaut,
It is absolutely crazy to think that this is my very first blog post ever. I am so excited to see where this new hobby takes me and I cannot wait to experience it with you all. To be honest, I really struggled with what kinds of things to include in my very first post as there is A LOT of pressure. However, I decided it would be best for me to just sit down at my computer, do what I love, and let the words take over :)
I flew into Minneapolis from Columbia, Missouri about a couple weeks ago and being home for the holidays has been a breath of fresh air. There’s something about the feeling of home that allows your heart and mind to truly settle down and appreciate what is right in front of you (this is why I believe the concept of “home” is so fascinating to me, whether it is a person, place, atmosphere, etc). Luckily, I was able to get together right away with one of my best friends, Kara, and have a little photoshoot moment. Lots of the pictures you are seeing on this site, including the preview photo of this post, were taken by the camera queen herself, (the outfit featured is one of my favorite go-to business casual pieces that I will talk about in future posts :)). Anyway, being able to spend time with my beautiful family and friends has been so incredibly refreshing and I have finally been able to accomplish some goals that I’ve had for awhile… including the start of my blog!
As we all know, the holidays can be incredibly amazing for some people and a nightmare for others. For me, I love the feeling of being able to reflect on an atmosphere that completely shaped me into the individual I am today; the good and the bad moments. I am incredibly blessed to be able to visit and spend time with my best friends, hang out with my family, and enjoy the presence of being still for once. This is something that is super difficult for me to achieve, but is also super important around this time of year.
However, my sister and I were talking the other day about how being home for the holidays is a completely different experience as an adult. Things are no longer as simple. As a kid, the holidays were nothing but excitement and there wasn’t a worry in the world about what the season might bring. As adults, family dynamics change, relationships change, opinions are evident and home can bring up a lot of difficult challenges. Like I mentioned earlier, being in an atmosphere that shaped me into the individual I am today brings a lot of reminders of specific challenges that made me the confident version of myself that I am in this moment. There’s beauty in the struggle, let me tell you! As much as these moments were difficult, challenging and painful, they were also the moments that have cultivated me into the person that I am so proud of. If I looked at myself sophomore or junior year of high school and told her that I would be completely transparent with everybody online and start a lifestyle blog, I definitely would have laughed in her face or ran away! But, the beauty of it all is the development within myself because of the challenges I faced that have allowed me to take on something that deep down, I’ve always wanted. There’s versions of ourselves that we are, and there’s versions of ourselves that we dream to be. Be the one you dream to be… I promise its more fun!!
Ultimately, as I’ve gotten older I have learned to appreciate every step of life I’ve had to face up until this point. I truly would not be the person I am today without each and every hill and valley. I wanted to use this first entry as a reminder for everyone to appreciate the current moment you are in in your own life. Allow every moment in the future to feel like you are home for the holidays. Soak up each and every second, consider your atmosphere and its impact on your development, love on those around you, but most of all enjoy the journey and prepare to watch how it unfolds. Most of the time, these entries are going to be reminders for myself and I hope that they will find a way to impact you. I can’t wait for the start of this journey and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
xoxo,
CG
