Whoa!

Wow, you guys. The past 10 days have been nothing short of an absolute whirlwind. You remember that workshop I blogged about? The Making Things Happen event in Chicago? Well, I'm going! I could not be more thrilled to have this opportunity. I'm leaving this Saturday for Chi-town and will be staying with a good friend from college. We're planning on shopping a little, going for a run and having a nice dinner out. I love girl dates! On Monday I'll be at MTH all day and then I have to drive all the way back to Traverse City. Crazy right? I know- I have to keep telling myself it'll be worth it. It's going to be just the kick in the pants I've been looking for!

Another huge thing that happened this week- my husband started his new position at the hospital! I'm so proud of him. He works so hard for our family. Not only is his position at Munson full time, but he's also still a firefighter for the county. This means lots and lots of hours. He is tired. But so strong at the same time. I feel so lucky to be married to a man with such dedication. Isaiah, if you read this- you are the best! :)

At Making Things Happen, there will be a lot of "tough questions". Now I've never been to one of these magical workshops but I've been thinking a lot about the things I want to focus on, my intentions. Even in the past week my intentions have shifted and I'm really looking forward to exploring those next few months and especially in 2013. I'm excited to share more when I return from the workshop! Lots of exciting changes around here at Occasions and the Moger pad. Pretty fun!

-Rachel

Making Things Happen

Okay you guys, I know there are only a humble few of you out there who read this blog. But those of you that do know that I tend to be a perfectionist... but in a strange way. Those of you that read my blog know me deeply, and know that I have big dreams. Bigger than I think I'll ever be able to share on this blog. I've recently realized that my problem with "perfectionism" is a-typical compared to others. I go to bed with dishes in the sink, my purse is full of receipts, cookie crumbs and more crap that you can imagine. But despite my messy girl tendencies, I still have this weird mindset around big projects. I can't seem to start until everything is

perfect

.

When something is really important to me, like getting a good grade on an exam or starting my business, everything has to be in place just right. Trust me, it took a year and a half before I even started this blog because I was afraid. I made excuses upon excuses- I don't have a professional logo, I don't have time, what will I write about, is this my purpose?, etc, etc. Eventually, after hearing it a million times... I decided to just start. And even though each little thing isn't exactly right, I'll keep moving forward. I'm starting to

make things happen.

When

Emily

posted about the

MTH scholarship

, I knew I just had to put my name out there. This business of mine, what is so so important to me, has the potential to be big. My clients, both past, present, and future, deserve an event designer who isn't afraid- who is ready to grab the bull by the horn and go for it. So here I am, putting myself out there. I'm ready to make things happen.

This summer my husband and I were given an incredible, life changing gift. The support of our family members has really awakened something inside of my to be intentional about my life, something I've talked about before here on the blog. I want to make sure that I'm taking full advantage of the life I was blessed with and give back in a way that I can. For me, Occasions is the way I can do that right now. To bust out of my shell and show the world what I'm made of. I think attending the

Making Things Happen

event in Chicago this month would be just the push I need to let go of the voice of perfection and just get it done. I am so excited!

Styled: Work from Home

Something that is true to my career as a wedding designer, and that I also happen to love is the importance of looking put together. When you're selling a service on the basis of a promise that you're going to make their wedding day stylish and beautiful, you have to look the part!

When I'm wearing an outfit that's appropriate to job I'm doing, I feel confident and I showcase my own personal style as a designer. While I spend countless hours creating inpiration boards for events, I hardly ever take the time to curate my personal style... until now! My new column,

Styled

, will be published on a whim whenever I feel like it. ;) I hope to put together looks for different aspects of my day to day life as a wedding planner and how they might change seasonally. Keep your eyes open for future posts on what to wear to meetings with clients, vendors, the whole wedding weekend and for formal events. This should be fun!

For my first look, I wanted to show you what (in my dream closet) I'd like to wear when I'm working in my home office. I need to be comfortable, but professional enough to run out for a meeting. I like to get dressed (shoes and all!) first thing in the morning to put myself in a "I'm at work now." mindset. But not in a boring sad way.

Styled: Work from Home

by

hello-rachelelizabeth

featuring a

bow belt

Being Intentional.

In my first few years of university, there were severeal

buzzwords

around campus. I was fortunate enough to attend a relatively small, private university in Seattle. As a factor of this, living on campus was a

big

deal for everyone. It seemed like everyone was coming from the furthest reaches of the globe, I was only from Minnesota! "Community living" was the most important aspect of your first year college experience. Orientation week slammed you with words and phrases to memorize- PA, ASSP, SFS, Res. Halls, etc. Then there are words spoken so often on campus they almost became a mantra for student life- community, relationships, calling, 

intentional

. Looking back on my education, we thought these things were silly at times. Why did I have to be so "intentional" about relationships in my little bubble at SPU? What did it even mean to find my

calling

? Are you lost, yet? ;)

my beautiful campus

My gorgeous alma mater,

Seattle Pacific University

 The point is, I truly was intentional about trying to soak up my college experience. I met all sorts of new people, explored the city and dived head first into internships to find my calling in a way that was authentic to me and my journey. (Fellow SPU students are probably totally picking up on the lingo now!). Even though I had a tendency to be a little bit cynical about the whole process, I can truly see the value in finding your calling and being intentional about reaching your goals.

After reflecting on this for a while and reading Jess Lively's

blog

about Business with Intention, I've been inspired to start a new column on this blog about how I intend to

intentionally

bring Occasions to life in an authentic, real to me way. I want to explore the aspects of my business that could easily be swept off the side- to be deliberate about writing a business plan that will work for me now and in years to come. I want to design a

space

that will serve my purpose and allow me to better serve my clients. This section on the blog will be ongoing as I experience the "growth" stage of Occasions Event Design. Look for more posts weekly!

To your journey,

Rachel

Softly Spoken: Like Air

“Marriage is those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over two thousand indistinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel. How do you measure the worth of becoming that familiar to somebody—so utterly well known and so thoroughly ever-present that you become an almost invisible necessity, like air?”

-Elizabeth Gilbert

Image by

Crissie McDowell Photography

via

Style Me Pretty

On a couples' wedding day, I can't help but think of this quote. Isaiah and I haven't been married long enough for two-thousand breakfasts, but we have been through a lot in our time together. He can always count on me to remember that he does not like his steak cooked

medium

, but rather

medium-well

. I have the deepest comfort knowing that Isaiah will always kiss me on the cheek first thing in the morning. Even if I'm sleeping when he does it, I know he'll be right there with a little lovin' first thing in the morning. Marriage is truly becoming one person. My individuality became that much more poignant on our wedding day when we were made one.

This is the fabric of marriage. Knowing eachothers' thoughts at the core of your being. When I'm standing with a bride in the last moments before her ceremony, my heart is so full. She doesn't know how good it's going to get. When the officiant announces the new Mr. & Mrs., those smiles just about knock me over. Marriage is a gift, sometimes loud and most of the time quiet.

With a full heart,

Rachel 

Inspired: Love

by

Grounded on the Daily

via

Pinterest

I came across this quote on Pinterest this week. Though I've heard these lyrics countless times through my earbuds, it looked differently to me on "paper" than it felt listening to it. I'm a firm believer that the small moments we invest our time in each day end up defining our lives. Not to mention, I'm totally digging the color scheme. Perfect for the last sunny days of August. 

xo

Rachel  

Inspired: Breakfast in Bed

This inspiration shoot by

Love by Linzy

 literally took my breath away. You should have heard me squeeling with delight when I stopped by Style Me Pretty on Sunday. The poppy red and vibrant pink truly emphasize the excitement of a breakfast in bed proposal. How much fun would it be to wake up to a stack of pancakes and a bunch of flowers, let along to the man of your dreams ready to pop the question?! Would you ever consider a pink and red color scheme for your wedding? Head over to

Style Me Pretty

for even more gorgeousness, including some amazing shots of the couple jumping on the bed!

Love by Linzy

via

Style Me Pretty

In Love and Kindness,

Rachel Elizabeth