11 Years on Instagram! & 11 Lessons along the way
I can’t believe it’s been 11 years of showing up here! Starting with a dash of recipes and mocktails, and somehow landing in this incredible community of women who gather, grow, and give together. 💕
Today I’m sharing 11 takeaways from 11 years together! I hope you’ve learned a lot of these lessons as well, I know I’ve learned more from you than you will ever learn from me.
Thank you for growing right alongside me, for putting up with my constant need to gather 💃🏼 and for expanding with me in every beautiful, brave, and bold way. I really do love you. 🥹
Let’s go!!
You’ll never feel ready. But the magic doesn’t show up before you begin, it shows up because you did. So start before you’re ready. Just start and let the work teach you.
I was in the thick of it, 6 kids under 8. Bottles, exhaustion, love. And what I learned is that motherhood gets lighter when we tell the truth about how heavy it can feel. The good, the bad, the messy middle, it all belongs. And when we share it, we remind each other that we are not alone. You don’t have to be like every other mom.
You can either laugh or cry—and I choose to laugh. Because joy isn’t found after the mess; it’s found inside it. When we learn to laugh at ourselves, we take the sting out of criticism and the pressure off perfection. Find the light in the crazy. Energy is contagious—so let yours be joy.
Exercise has been my therapy—for my brain, my body, and my sanity. It’s how I find peace in the chaos and strength in the busy. Move because it feels good. Sweat for joy, not perfection.
Marriage is work, but it doesn’t always have to feel hard. Play, tease, flirt, forgive quickly, and let almost everything go. Being easy doesn’t mean being small, it means choosing joy. Be fun. Be forgiving. Be easy to love. The best marriages are built on respect and grace.
The day we took the path less traveled and its made all the difference in every day of my life since. There is nothing I could have bought or consumed that would have brought so much richness and fulfillment to my life and my family’s life!
One family, one friendship, one act of service can grow into circles of women linking arms for something bigger. I’ve learned that generosity isn’t about having more, it’s about seeing more. When we gather our hearts, ideas, and resources, we create ripple effects we may never see… but others will feel. When women gather, good grows. Collective kindness changes communities.
Life is hard. It’s messy and beautiful and never goes quite as planned. But I’ve learned that perfection isolates and authenticity connects. When we share both our trials and our triumphs, we become more human and that’s where real connection begins. Because life doesn’t happen on our phones; it happens in our hearts, in our prayers, and in the everyday moments as we try and find our way home. Choose authenticity over perfection. Perfection is SO BORING!
Real change happens when we show up, not from afar, but up close. When we sit in stories, listen deeply, and love people as they are. When we get our “hands dirty and heart broken” we can show up with curiosity and love looking to learn and not solve. When we lift others, we rise too.
Over the years, my tabes have been filled with food and laughter, friends and strangers, stories and second changes. I’ve learned that the table isn’t just where we eat, it’s where we belong. Connection really is prevention, for loneliness, judgement, and all of life’s woes. Keep setting the table. The world needs more places to gather.
Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. Joy over duty. Expansion over contraction. Fun over fear. We don’t have to shrink to fit the world; we can expand and fill it with light, love, and laughter. I hope to live and help others live a brave, bold, joy-filled life. Choose joy. Live brave and bold. Add light, love, and fun wherever you go.
