by Joey | Feb 24, 2017 | beauty, Loves, Real Life
Current Mani: Revlon Naughty
I once read somewhere that entrepreneur means living a few years like most people won’t so you can live the rest of your life like most people can’t. That’s a pretty accurate description. The sacrifice is real, my friends. And if anyone tries to tell you it’s not, they’re lying to you. Building a business from the ground up is amazing and rewarding and wonderfully terrifying.
We are finally entering into our sweet spot. One year ago today, I purchased the www.blisscs.com domain completely unsure and unaware of what the year would hold. Remember, I’d done this before and it was a mistake.
I’ll only buy it for a year, I told Myra who wasn’t my business partner yet at the time. That way if it crashes and burns, I’m only out $1.77.
So, here we are one year later, I’m so happy and proud that we have to renew our domain. We’re running a full-blown functional business. Praise be to God!
It seems silly to me now as I sit here to write this that I let anxiety win this week. I worried instead of praising God for seeing us through this the last year. The perseverance and stamina required to bring us to this point was a gift. So for that, I will be forever grateful.
In case you’re just here for the nails, here you go.
by Joey | Feb 23, 2017 | Devotional Series
Okay, so you probably know that we moved recently. And if you want the general story behind it, you can watch this vlog. But what you might not know is that pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
From crazy unexpected fees to finding squatters living in our house, the whole thing was just one big mess. Now, you may know that I’ve been slowly reintroducing faith into my life. I think when you’re doing anything risky, having faith is pretty much the only way to find sanity.
Without hope and faith, I am nothing.
That being said, I’ve never actually read the Bible. It intimidated me, and quite frankly I was embarrassed of my lack of Bible knowledge. Those things stopped me time and time again. But it’d been on my heart for some time to actually start reading it. I’d been faithfully listening to Rick Warren’s Daily Hope podcast for months. And while that was something, I knew without getting into the Word, it wasn’t enough.
Then, crazily enough,I listened to Emily Maynard’s I Said Yes. And she said something that stuck with me.
I started reading the Bible regularly that day. Not books about the Bible, not devotions quoting Bible passages, not blogs about the Bible — but the actual Word of God.
So there it sat, this desire to dive into the Word. But I was embarrassed to ask for help, to admit that I’d never done it before, and that I didn’t know anything about it. I had no idea where to start. So I just let the desire hang in the air. I knew eventually it would become clear.
As things started to fall to pieces around me with the move, I went into action mode. For every disaster, there was a point of contact. And each time, I noticed that the representative who stepped in to solve the issue was named Matthew. Not Matt. Matthew. This didn’t happen once or twice. It literally happened for every single disaster that needed solving.
Later, on a call with my mom, I shared my troubles and joked about all the Matthews. Then it hit me. Huh, I said to her. I wonder if that’s God’s way of telling me that I should start reading the Bible with the book of Matthew.
I left it alone. In the days that followed, I started to have downloading issues with the Daily Hope podcast. Frustrated, I just skipped that part of my day. It didn’t take long for me to notice a significant difference in how my day went though without putting God first. So the next morning, I opened my Bible to Matthew, and I started to read.
Now, those of you who are familiar with the Word of God, you know that Matthew is the start of the new testament, the birth of Jesus Christ.
Sadly, I did not know this. I was completely unaware of what I would find in the pages of Matthew. But unsurprisingly, I found the exact answers I was looking for.
As I dive into this journey, I’d like to share with you how I’m seeing God show up in my life. We all have our struggles, and God shows up differently for each of us. But sometimes we could all use the reminder that He is there, He hears us, and He only wants good for us.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.
Matthew 7: 7-8
by Joey | Feb 17, 2017 | beauty, Real Life
Current Manicure: Revlon Sublime Strawberry.
This is one of those annoying scented polishes. But the color is so dreamy that I can’t give it up. I came across this polish a few years ago when I was on a mad hunt for OPI’s Chapel of Love. Surprisingly, that polish is pretty hard to get your hands on. This is a pretty dang close dupe. I kind of miss the days of a good old polish hunt. I haven’t done that in a while.
Current favorite thing: the string of Christmas lights hanging on the dresser in our bedroom. There’s nothing quite like climbing into bed to relax in the evening in the glow of fairy lights.
Current obsession: crockpot meals. Since moving to the suburbs, I’ve found my meal prepping groove again. I guess there really is something to the whole taking ourselves out of takeout and delivery heaven. I’ll find a way too cook pretty much anything in a crockpot. Tonight’s meal? Crockpot Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Want the recipe on the blog?
Current lesson: letting your faith be bigger than your fear when you’re building a business is a lot harder than it seems online. I found a quote the other day about entrepreneurship that was pretty spot on: “Entrepreneurship: Living a few years of your life like most people won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” It’s fun, exciting and wonderful–but absolutely terrifying 90% of the time.
Current favorite? It’s Friday, and I have big plans to sit on my couch and catch up on Superstore with the husband tonight.
Happy Friday, y’all!
by Joey | Feb 16, 2017 | Real Life
So I’ve been keeping a bit of a secret. I’m a closet hobbyist photographer. I take photos for Charlotte area bloggers and everyday couples in love. The inspiration? Well, Jonathan and I have been married for seven years. And in those seven years, we’ve had very few photos taken together.
Wedding and special event photography has set a new standard for photographers everywhere. This digital art form has turned into an investment many people can’t justify without a special occasion. And truthfully, that was the case for us, too. We just couldn’t justify dropping hundreds of dollars to document our everyday love to maybe hang one of those pictures on our wall.
So I wanted to simplify things a little bit. Instead of heavily editing images of naturally beautiful moments, couples, and bloggers, I’d put my keen eye to good use, snap a few photos, and hand over the digital rights. That way you still get the photos you’re after without forking over your life’s savings.
If you’re in the Charlotte area, book a session!
A Dose of Life Photography
Featured:
Simple As Blog
The Vintage Modern
BettyRuth Baby
Enhanced Beauty by Cindy
by Joey | Feb 13, 2017 | Advice
When my husband came home unexpectedly only shortly after leaving for work, I knew why before I even opened the door to find his eyes rimmed red. He’d lost his job. The job we relied on 100%. That job provided our house, our insurance, and our only source of income.
So, now what?
That was the loss. And if you read last week’s post, you know that change follows loss. But what I didn’t mention was that it doesn’t always come right away.
Sometimes, what’s harder than the change itself is the anticipation of the change.
The void was instant, the change was imminent. Uncertainty knocks the wind out of you. You’re a hamster on a wheel, desperate to find solutions, grasping at straws. You’re rushing for resolution. This is about the time when people tell you to be patient. Everything will work out. You’ll be fine. God has a plan.
I heard it all in those months of waiting out the unknown. The stress and panic and anxiety constantly gripping my throat.
I’ve uttered those same phrases to my Mom the last few months. You see, we lost my dad last year, and we just put her house (my childhood home) on the market. A change that followed loss that we anticipated all year.
It’s in the anticipation of change where you learn to let go and let God. Because anything else fuels the panic. You’ve done all you can do, and all that’s left is the waiting. The unfolding of a grander plan. It’s crippling. Paralyzing. Frustrating and terrifying.
But if you let it, it can also be a beautiful rejuvenation of the soul.
Let change breathe life back into you. A chapter closed means a new one can begin. Endings are hard, that I know for certain. Loss is excruciating. And change can feel like the enemy. But I believe in the beauty of chance. I believe in God’s timing and plan for your life, for my life. And while it’s hard to understand why in the moments of loss and pain and fear, I do believe loss and change to a be rescue mission. A saving grace stepping in to move you on, to pick you up after your fall and guide you onto your new path. A path you may have otherwise ignored or missed altogether.
Because the truth is, we don’t often welcome change into our lives. But change can really be the most beautiful gift of all.
All it takes a little of hope, a lot trust, a few deep breaths.
