"Home is where the heart is"

The movers have come and gone. It took 48 hours and lots of sweat, but our apartment is empty.

Looking around, I am moved by how empty everything seems. My home is empty, but I don't feel homeless. I expected to feel a sense of loss, but I don't. This isn't a move to find belonging, in fact, I have never belonged more. I belong to a family, a husband and friends. However cliche it is true... "Home IS where the heart is!"

This is something I understood intellectually for years. It is hard not to grasp that concept when you move often throughout childhood. As an adult I moved trying to find things that were missing within me. I moved away from failures hoping to reinvent the life that I wanted. Didn't you all wonder why I moved so often? Well, there it is.

Now I understand the concept fully. I am not lacking, I am not moving away from failure. This move isn't about those things. As I relocate I am taking my "home" with me. A home where I belong.

St. Louis Here We Come!!!

Adios, Austin! Hello, St. Louis!

Brian just got his job "official" job offer and I can now say we are definitely moving to St. Louis. We still have no idea when we will have to be up there, but I am hopeful it will be after the wedding. We are so excited and thrilled to begin our marriage with such a wonderful opportunity.

Of course, there is some anxiety. As many of you know that I have been seeing a wonderful psychiatrist, Dr. Alam. Moving means leaving that security. The success and mental health that she has helped me to obtain is something I don't want to leave behind. I am confidant that she will help me find a solution. I trust that God will lead me to a new psychiatrist.

Brian keeps reminding me that we are moving TOWARDS a wonderful support system. One of my best friends, Genevieve, lives in St. Louis. My Mom and brother are only a short 4 hour drive away and I can easily hop on a plane to visit my Dad once a month. This is helping to keep everything in perspective.

Please, pray for us.

My First Embroidery Project

Thought I would show off my first embroidery project. I did this on a Tshirt and it is so cute.

I am having a bird addiction at the moment, anything bird and whimsical I am loving. Hopefully the bird obsession doesn't evolve, because before you know it I will be embroidering Turkeys and there is NOTHING cute about a turkey. Of course, there is somthing YUMMY about a turkey, but I digress (food always does that to me).

If you want to learn how to do embroidery here are some links you will love!
For the beginner check out Stitchtopia and for some more advanced projects I love The Purl Bee's two color embroidery tutorial.

Invitations Arrive!

My invitations have finally arrived. Now I can work on getting these out to everyone. This is just a preview, but I am so excited I just had to share.

To me the invitation sets the tone of the wedding. Guests get a first look at the color and aesthetic. As they say you only get one chance to make a first impression.

I can't wait for them to arrive in your mailbox.

Paper Flowers

Featured above paper flower kits from the Paper Source

With the cost of weddings ever rising, I say Take a Stand, Go Paper!! Paper flowers are so beautiful. As you all know I LOVE PAPER.

I plan to use these paper flowers for my wedding. They are simple to make and quite fast (0-completion in 30 minutes).

But, they don't bring the fragrance of real flowers you say? Simple Solution: Add a small fragrant sachet to the flower center. Hopefully soon I will have step by step photos of the design process for these flowers, look for that soon.

Wedding Design Inspiration

My Wedding Design Inspiration Board

Khula Happy Singers St. Lucia from Jan van der Meer on Vimeo