August 20, 2019

A Fresh Start & A Fresh Perspective

Introducing this month's color and word of the month...

I'm Back!

OMG – can you believe I’m back?! I can’t believe I took a hiatus of sorts for the past six months! Gasp.

Sure – I’ve posted the semi-regular weekend reading posts like this one. And I’ve posted the occasional long form blog post like this personal update, this birthday post, and this (anti) Nordstrom sale post. But I haven’t posted much else here.

So, where have I been? That’s a good question you pose! Oh, just shaking things up. And by shaking things up, I’m referencing this Bible verse: Hebrews 12:27.

Without getting too “churchy” or “preachy”, I’ll summarize the essence of the verse and passage:

Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, so that which cannot be shaken will remain.

If I told you everything that has happened in the last six or so months, you probably wouldn’t believe me – because it’s that absurdly crazy! But really. You can’t make this stuff up! It’s one of those cases where you have to laugh to keep from crying.

Now, I’m certainly not saying it has all been bad. Never! There is plenty of joy in each and every day — particularly with my sweet daughter Elle who is now two years old.

What I am saying is that literally everything in my life has changed in the six months.

And that is not an exaggeration. Keep scrolling for more of the story…

 

Some Personal Background

Where have I been? What happened? Well, let’s start with “the flood”…

The Flood

I posted this personal update on Monday, February 25 – literally the day after “it” happened. Little did I know what I was in for at that point! I thought it was going to be a fleeting blip on the radar screen. Boy was I wrong!

What is “it”, you ask? It is the flood. And I’m not talking about a weather-related event. Rather, this flood was caused by a builder’s defect in our newly constructed home.

On Sunday, February 24, at approximately 8:30 am, as I was getting ready for church, a valve behind the wall in my master shower failed, giving way to water flow of epic proportions. Within minutes, it was literally raining in my house. From the third floor (where the master bath was located) to the second floor to the first floor and the garage.

Thankfully, Elle’s room was on the fourth floor –  away from any danger. And she was still in her crib slowly and peacefully waking up when all this happened.

I, on the other hand, was frantically trying to save my beloved art collection (Ashley Longshore and Hunt Slonem pieces to be exact). I was fumbling around, carrying these large scale pieces up two flights of stairs to the fourth floor where it was dry – all the while water was pouring onto me at every turn. I’m sure the scene would have looked funny from the outside, if it weren’t so tragic.

For the next few weeks, my life was completely put on pause as I acted as project manager.. The water restoration pros had 54 (yes, you read that right) fans and dehumidifiers running in my house around the clock for 10+ days straight – and they were still unable to adequately dry out the house. Side note: would anyone like to donate to a go fund me account for my electric bill that month? Kidding. Kind of. Ha.

Fast forward to now… We are not back in that house, nor will we ever go back to that house. We are currently temporarily in an apartment while we catch our breath and assess our longterm options at a later date.

The Symbolism

I’ll spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say, my world changed in the blink of an eye. And the water  damage to the house was just the beginning.

You see – over the last six months, literally everything in my life has changed.

I lost my home.

I lost my (home) office.

I lost some stuff.

I lost my staff. (Some moved, some graduated, and some other changes were made.)

I lost my nanny.

I lost a lot of money.

I lost a lot of security.

The nature of my business shifted and changed and grew.

Oh – and did I mention I’m still going through legal crap on the personal front?

Add to that caring for and protecting and nurturing and loving and rearing a two year old, and I’ve certainly had my hands full.

But you know what I gained through it all?

A fresh perspective.

And guess what?

We don’t need as much room as we think. (Trust me – I’ve gone from 6600 to 4000 to ~1400 square feet in the last year or so. Ha!)

We don’t need as much stuff as we think we need.

We sometimes need to shake things up and freshen things up.

We sometimes need change to be forced upon us , because we are too scared / comfortable / set in our ways or whatever to make those changes on our own.

Those are just a few of the profound lessons I’ve learned in 2019.

Now, friends – keep in mind… Adversity isn’t new to me. In fact, I thought I had already gone through hell. I thought my hard season was largely behind me.

I mean – let’s be honest… what could be harder than being unceremoniously kicked out of your home of six+ years with an eleven month old baby? What could be harder than being discarded and replaced within days? What could be harder than being a single mom essentially on my own for all intents and purposes?

I tell you – I am no stranger to adversity!

So, just when I was recovering from all that, just when I was finding my footing again, just when I was starting to make our new house a home… it all fell apart.

And truth be told – this stretch of time has in many ways been arguably tougher than last summer. Thank goodness for church, therapy, acupuncture, and modern medicine. 🙂

I alluded to a Bible verse earlier that talks about that which can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain. Along that same line of thought, this water event in my house came to be very symbolic for me. This is what I mean by that…

I have to trust and believe that there is a greater plan. And that God is literally and figuratively washing away all the old to make room for the beautiful newness he has in store. He’s getting rid of the old stuff that no longer serves me to make room for the wonderful new stuff that’s coming!

Word of the Month and Color of the Month

So, with all that in mind… It’s time to once again reveal a word of the month and color of the month!

Our word of the month is fresh.

Our color of the month is green.

Now, would you believe it if I told you these were picked way back in February? That’s right — at the end of January / beginning of February, we picked out “fresh” as our word,  thinking it would be apropos for the start of spring. And we picked out green as our color, thinking it would be appropriate for St. Patrick’s day, the spring season, and everything being in bloom. We had all of our topics picked out, our green items and images gathered for  our mood board,  and so on and so forth.

But life is funny, isn’t it?

At first, I thought maybe I’d just scrap “fresh” and green altogether. However, I then realized that the concept of a fresh start and a fresh perspective and a rebirth and blooming and growth are even more relevant to me personally now!

So, I hope you’ll  join me with excitement as we explore the concept of “fresh” and the color of green for the next six weeks. We will explore what it means to make a fresh start, what it means to look at things with a fresh perspective, how we can start afresh each and every day. And yes of course we will also talk about how to wear any and all shades of green!

In Closing

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking around.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for me.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading all of this.

And thank you from the bottom of my heart for moving forward with me! I’M BACK! You may sense a fresh perspective in me, and you’d be right. Major life changes like this have a way of changing you. I do hope you like what you see.

PS – Be sure to browse our color of the month shop where green abounds!

27 comments

  1. Annaliese says:

    That is so much stuff to be going through in recent months! I am in awe of your strength and perspective. Praying the rest of 2019 is better!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

  2. Holly says:

    Welcome back! I’ve missed your posts but definitely worth the wait! If anyone can weather this storm – it’s you! You amaze me on the daily! Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Your fresh start is right now!

    1. Well, you inspire me! The way you love and care for your family is such a great example. I’m privileged to be surrounded by so great a group of ladies.

  3. Mommygineer says:

    Bless your heart! Thanks for sharing. You are one, strong woman. And yes, you have been missed! ❤️🖤🧡💛💚💙

    1. Karla! Thank you so much!!!

      And I saw a message from you. Pardon my tardiness in replying. I promise I’ll get back to you asap. 🙂

  4. Erin says:

    A great reminder that life is not about material things. Thanks for sharing, Carrie and may God bless you and guide you in all ways. xo

    1. Indeed, it’s not! People >>> things.

      Thanks for all the love, Erin. 🙂

  5. Vicki Boutin says:

    Big huge hugs!!! For real. That’s a lot to handle. I’m glad you have weathered it for these last 6 months! We had a weather related flood. It was terrible. I remember trying to salvage stuff while ugly crying in my pjs with bed head and no bra! Terrifying my kids. Lol. Also a fridge leak and leaky pipe just a few months ago in my newly constructed studio. Water and the damage it brings is devastating. I’m so sorry you have had to deal with all of this, my friend. Glad you are back to posting! Love your energy and colorful spirit!!!!

    1. Thanks so very much, Vicki! Isn’t that the truth? It’s crazy how quickly things can change.

      But life is good, God is good, and we will persevere and grow and come through the other side stronger.

  6. Sheri says:

    Thanks for the update, Carrie. I appreciate your candour. What a time you have had.

    1. Yep. Thanks, Sheri.

      But you know what? We are thriving. We will get through this and be better for it.

      So much to be grateful for.

  7. Cassandra says:

    Carrie! I am SO glad to hear about your FRESH perspective! Oddly, you were on my mind this morning during my drive into work and here you are posting again today. I look forward to seeing what you are up to and how God uses you in this season!

    1. That means so much, C! I appreciate you more than you know. Keep us in your prayers. God is good.

  8. Erika says:

    Wonderful of you to share and nothing but good vibes for you and Elle for the rest of the year! I was raised by a single mom working in oil and gas, with no child support and I never felt that I had any less or was ever without. It may all seem insane, but it’s making you stronger and Elle stronger!
    Keep going! It gets easier and more amazing!

    1. Thank you so very much, Erika! I appreciate your sharing. Hugs to you!

  9. Krish says:

    That’s a lot! I’m currently going through some difficult time in my life and this gives me so much hope! Thank you for sharing your story, wishing you a lot of success for your future – hugs 🤗 – Krish

    1. Thanks so very much, Krish! And I’m sending you best wishes to get through your tough season with class and grace and strength.

  10. Jane says:

    Thank you for your honesty. You never know what is going on behind the beautiful pictures. You have a gorgeous daughter and you are a smart, creative and positive woman. I wish you all sorts of good things.

  11. Laura Kemp says:

    Praise God from who all blessings FLOW…
    I couldn’t resist.
    I love you my friend and proud of you!

  12. Jenny says:

    Thank you for being so brave to share! Love the new color and theme for this month! Seems very fitting.

  13. Abbie Pshigoda says:

    Oh Carrie!! I am just so inspired by you. I’m sorry that you have experienced all of these things. I can see the “beauty from ashes” story in all of this for you. Much love to you and that sweet, adorable Elle.

  14. Kim says:

    Thank you for sharing! All my best to you as you move forward. I personally really love a smaller home so enjoy it if you can.

    1. Thank you so much, Kim! And you are so right. 🙂

  15. Shelley Laming says:

    I love what I see! 💕💚
    So proud of you for turning lemons into limeaide! 😊
    Cheering you on every step of the way. Hugs, friend!!

    1. Thank you thank you thank you, Shelley. I’m so thankful for your connection and inspiration and example over the years.

  16. Nancy Wyatt says:

    You amaze me always. Love that you are sharing your true self and that you are walking towards a fresh re-start for you and your precious E!! I had wondered why I hadn’t seen much of you and glad to see you back! Thanks for sharing that verse and for being an awesome example to us and your E!! Hugs my IG friend!!

    1. Thank you, Nancy! You are the sweetest. Hugs to you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *