Welcome!

Hey everyone! Thanks for making the transition with me over to this new platform. There are still lots of kinks that I need to work out, but we are here regardless. Please bear with me as I figure out how to make this space as pretty as it deserves to be. Eventually this will be the site for Sincerely, Ginger with links for service offerings, galleries, and all the info you could ever want to know. I'm still working on developing the content, but will be rolling out phase two sometime this summer! 

So just like this little photo I snapped for Instagram last weekend, I'm embracing the perfect imperfections. The potential. The drive to make things better and more beautiful. I'll be back later this week posting about my post-partum meal plan! ​

xoxo

Rachel ​

A Beautiful Baby Shower

flowers by

Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events

On Sunday I was given a beautiful baby shower for Little Mo by my dear friend Renee. I had the pleasure of planning her and Seth's wedding in September, how time flies! I am so thankful for the friendships that develop with my clients. She is so wonderful and it was such a perfect day to celebrate this sweet baby. Because Renee knows me so well, she let me do much of the designing and all of the floral design. Unfortunately I didn't get many photos of the whole day, but I did snap this photo of one of the centerpieces I made for the table. I love the combination of pink tulips, alstro, eucalyptus and wild greens. Sorry baby boy, mama loves pink!

Excitement is Building

Good morning, friends! This morning isn't spectacular, but I have a really good feeling in my gut. It could be the giant cinnamon roll I just polished off mingling with two cups of coffee, but I have a feeling it's something more. Time is moving. Good things are coming. The end and the beginning are getting closer. I sort of feel like I used to feel before big dance competitions. We spent months preparing; practicing every step over and over. The few weeks before I would set out my costume, line up my accessories, make sure my caboodle was all packed and mentally rehearse to make sure everything was going to be just perfect. When the weekend finally came to perform, I was ready!

I've been feeling a similar excitement brewing lately, but in a bigger way than when I was younger. I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks haven't been a cake walk. I've been tired and felt hopeless much of the time. We've been through the longest Michigan winter ever and I thought spring would never arrive. I've done my best to prepare for the baby and the big career transition that's coming up in spite of it all, but now we're getting down to the wire and even though I have so much left to do I am so excited.

simply perfect.

So I'm going to spend a moment focusing on gratitude. Today I am grateful for anticipation... specifically these ten things.

Isaiah's extended family is coming into town today, meaning lots of laughs and good food.

Meeting new friends. I have so many coffee and dinner dates with some fun ladies in town and I couldn't be more thrilled! One of my big prayers for the year was that motherhood would bring more women into my life who are passionate about similar things. I am grateful!

We opted out of our childbirth education class on Saturday (more on this later) to spend time with each other preparing for the birth of our son. Feeling so peaceful about this decision.

One more month of work. May 31st is my last day and I am giddy with excitement.

All of my doctor's appointments are scheduled until the baby is born, and we have a surprise ultrasound on Monday! Thankful for a healthy baby and that time is moving along. Last night Isaiah asked if he thought it would go fast and I said "the days will be slow and the weeks will be fast" He said, "You sound like a wise person". Haha, maybe I just AM wise. :)

My in-laws are visiting next weekend and I love when they come to town. We're going to knock out some good projects and finally have some quality time together. My MIL and I are going to cook a bunch of food to freeze post-partum and the boys are going to paint and build office furniture. Yay!

Amy & John's wedding is coming up in May, and we've been having so much fun preparing! I can't wait to see everything come together after almost a year of planning. Those two are the sweetest and deserve the most phenomenal day.

Two spa days within the next month. Enough said. 

My office is getting really close to being done. Finishing building the shelf and I'll spend the last part of May organizing. My fave! Hoping to paint this weekend. Also, I've had such a steady increase in inquiries for fall 2013 and 2014 weddings. Feeling so happy and blessed that my business is growing authentically and my patience is paying off.

I'm going to birth a baby sometime in the next 4-8 weeks. And finally, finally meet my son. The anticipation of this alone is driving me wild. Oh baby, this is going to be fun.

What are you thankful for today?

What is this blog even about?

While working on my branding, I've posed the question "what kind of blog do I want to be?" a number of times, and I never really knew the answer! But I think that's okay. I'm sort of a mixed bag, and maybe it's necessary for me to write about lots of different things to generate enough content. I don't know. It's always been that way for me. I was never all business, I needed a little art. I love organized spaces, but my closet is definitely "organized chaos". Healthy eating is one of my top priorities, but somehow I find myself eating dessert daily (especially during pregnancy). The little part of me that's very "type A" loves a strict budget, my simplified planner, to-do lists, a clean car, sheets washed every Sunday and a meal plan I can rely on. It pushes perfectionism, it pressures me to do

more

, be

better

, work

harder

. I'm thankful for the part of my that's type A.

beauties

.

But there's another whole half of me that's wildly and unapologetically type B. This side shines through when I decide to throw my clothes on the floor and leave my dishes out overnight, but it's also the part of me that feeds on inspiration, that helps me let loose and create things. When I can abondon my to-do list and go on a date with my husband and not feel guilty, when I step away from work, take a break from my exercise routine, throw together a floral arrangement or paint canvas for the nursery and actually like what I come up with. It's the part of me that writes on this blog, and that loves to cook without recipes and that lets loose and drinks fishbowl margaritas on Friday nights. I like this part of my personality. I'm thankful for the part of me that's type B.

So in the spirit of keeping things interesting, this blog is also going to have a split personality. Yes, I am a wedding planner. I love writing about weddings and spending hours pinning bouquets on Pinterest. But I'm also passionate about true love, dreaming big, goal setting, and my family. A little bit about me, a little about weddings, a little about baby, and a whole lot of random in there. It took me a long time to commit to blogging because I didn't know what to write about. I was afraid of sticking to a particular "theme". But I realized today that I want my blog to be a reflection of myself, and the same for my brand. And not just myself, but the best, most authentic version of myself. After all, when you hire me as a wedding planner you won't only get budgets and timelines, you'll get flowers, spraypaint and lots and lots of e-mails filled to the brim with excitement and passion. So there's that, a little bit about what this blog is even about. Will you stick around?

Pregnancy, The Third Trimester: Part 2

It's been almost a month since I gave a proper update on how things are progressing with Baby Mo, and it's been hard for me to feel inspired in blogging lately. I think I may have hit my first "blogger's block". On Friday I sat down to write, and after I read it I had a honest moment of "oh my gosh, that is SO depressing! Do I really want to put that on the Internet?" I decided not to. But the long and the short of it is that pregnancy is HARD. Comparing yourself and measuring yourself against others is HARD. Feeling stuck and uninspired is HARD. I'm trying to remind myself that I'm doing my own thing, and my own thing is fun/great/perfect. I'm trusting that the passing of time will  make things more clear.

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So anyway, instead of writing about all of these feelings I'm going to write about the baby, because it's easier. I am 34 weeks along, which means that there are only six weeks until my due date! How is that possible?! Since my last update I've had 2 doctors appointments. The first was an ultrasound appointment. My doctor wanted to check the size of the baby. He was being really shy with his hands rubbing his eyes, but we got great news! At that point he was almost 17 inches and weighed over 4 pounds. A good size, but not so big that they needed to change my due date. Thank goodness! She showed me the sweet little hair on top of his head, and snapped a few photos of his abnormally long feet. I had to laugh, 6 and a half centimeters! Those are going to be some big baby feet. No wonder some of these kicks have been so startling! They also measured the health of the placenta and how much oxygen he was receiving. We are both healthy and I am so grateful for that.

Warning: Possible TMI in this paragraph.

On Thursday I started feeling really icky. The baby's movements had slowed down a lot and there weren't very many strong kicks and punches. I know he's getting crammed in there so I tried not to worry. But after lunch I started feeling feverish and had sudden extreme pain in my back and abdomen. I was lightheaded and feeling very off. I could tell that I wasn't going into labor because the pain was constant and didn't come in waves like a contraction. But nevertheless I decided to go to the doctor just in case. I was able to drive myself to the clinic but was in a lot of pain. Luckily they were able to get me into see a midwife right away and I didn't have to wait in the lobby. I was put on the non stress test for 20 minutes. The NST is just a simple Doppler that monitors the baby's heart rate continuously. He showed a good amount of oxygen and a steady heart rate even though I hadn't been feeling strong kicks. It was a huge relief. They also did standard check-ups and a cervical check so ensure I wasn't in early labor. Another huge relief, no labor for this girl. It turns out that my urinalysis came back that I had a UTI. Super bummer, but it explains my fever and back pain. They put me on antibiotics that I need up keep up for 7 days. Luckily I caught the infection, my midwife said that if I hadn't come in the UTI could've caused pre-term labor!

The baby list is slowly but surely coming along. The nursery is almost completely finished and we've checked a lot off of our big baby list.

I've been reading a lot! I finished reading Happiest Baby on the Block, which I really enjoyed. You can understand the basic principles fairly easily, but I enjoyed going more in depth on the techniques he suggests. I'm also about halfway through Natural Hospital Birth, at the recommendation of my childbirth educator. Love this one so far. It has practical advice for advocating for yourself during labor in a hospital setting and teaches techniques for avoiding unnecessary intervention. Isaiah is reading The Birth Partner. He just started but it seems like he really likes the information.

I'm through 4 of the 6 classes in our natural childbirth education series. I've said it before, but this has been the most useful thing I've done for myself during pregnancy. The instructor is so knowledgeable, down to earth, and the small conversational style class really jives with me. I'm thinking I'll post a re-cap of the most beneficial things I've learned, but if you're in the Traverse City area I definitely encourage you to take Jonelle's class!

The nursery is really coming along, it's practically done! We got the rocker and ottoman shipped last week and Isaiah surprised me and had it all set up when I got home. It's perfect! The changing table has a pad, the diaper genie is in place, the car seat is installed, the co-sleeper attached. I still need to hang some artwork and decorate the shelves but it's very close to being done.

I also figured out what I'll be wearing during labor (this in white) and ordered my robe! I have my diaper bag too, which I'm obviously very excited to pack. :) I'm looking forward to our next appointments and classes. The last 6 weeks will be jam packed with preparations. Tonight I have pre-natal yoga, childbirth education class Tuesday, Wednesday we have a routine check-up, Saturday is our day long Childbirth Education class at the hospital. At 36 weeks we have our hospital tour and another appointment, and from there we'll have weekly checkups and a breastfeeding education class in May! Pretty crazy but I like being busy while I'm waiting.

Things to do:

Safety: Check smoke alarms & install CO2 monitor, replace fire extinguisher & plug outlets, etc.

Hem drapes

Wash clothes & sheets

Order diapers & wipes

Pack hospital bag

Pick up supplies for postpartum care

Clean out the car & install baby mirror, shade & car kit

Fill out Munson's "5 Wishes" Form

Test the car seat in the middle seat

Interview daycare options

Put together newborn first aid kit

Create "he's here" template e-mail with contacts

Write the birth plan copy to give to hospital staff

Organize post-partum meal plan

Learn infant CPR

Choose a "going home" outfit for baby

Pick up un-purchased registry items

Okay, longest baby post ever! But it's helpful for me to write it all out. I'm still hoping to get everything ready by 36 weeks, which gives me two weeks to knock out that list. We can do it!

Choosing Peace.

Stepping into your fears and choosing action is hard. It's scary. At least for me. But it's even harder to let go of action, when it's necessary, and trust that life will work itself out. When I don't think logically about why I'm acting a certain way or doing something "productive", I end up feeling out of control and throw myself into mindless tasks to distract myself from the real fears. I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit, but stick with me.

Transition has never been easy for me, but I always do it, I always choose action. I made the move to Seattle from Minnesota when I was 18. I took a chance and moved again to the East Coast, where I happened to meet my husband. We decided to move to the same city after falling in love, we got married and moved again to "settle down" in Traverse City, Michigan. We aren't afraid to take chances, make changes and sacrifice comfort in order to live our best life. I do my best to look at long term goals, which is why I'm so passionate about budgeting, having patience with my business and sticking it out through the "junk". When life throws a curveball, I don't handle it too well. When the offer for my dream job was taken back unexpectedly, I was devastated and cried in bed for 3 days (that's a story for another day).

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This fall, we were thrown another curveball when we found out we were expecting a baby. It's time for another transition, a big step into parenthood. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. When we found out we were pregnant (like most people I assume) we were shocked, excited, nervous, and a million other things. I didn't even cry (which is unusual). Immediately (as in 20 minutes after I took a pregnancy test) we adjusted- changed our mindset and focus and started loving this baby like crazy. I remember asking Isaiah to just "take a deep breath and stop thinking about the details". Meanwhile, I was mentally re-working our budget, figuring out which room would be the nursery, wondering when I could ever quit my job, worried about never being able to plan weddings full time, questioning if we were too young or too newly married to have a baby, if I was strong enough to be a mom... worry, fear and doubt. I was saying one thing and acting a completely different way.

The next morning I went out and bought a bunch of books and started reading about pregnancy. I made an appointment with the doctor. I drank a green smoothie, I went to the gym and I bought pre-natal vitamins. I budgeted and figured out what it cost to have a baby, I called my insurance company, I bought 5 more pregnancy tests. Essentially- I entered complete spaz out mode. I was 5 weeks pregnant. My body still felt like mine. I was scared to death. Scared of what would happen to our new marriage, scared of loosing the baby, worried about money. I can't even tell you how fast my mind was spinning & swirling. This was a territory that was completely foreign. What I didn't do was stop and breathe, and pray for our son. I didn't pray for our marriage, or for peace. I worried.

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One thing I can say for sure is that I am so thankful that a baby takes 9 months to grow. I've needed these months to adjust and prepare my heart, house & mind for raising a child. As you know if you've been following my blog for a while, I've been focusing on preparing for a baby. I've been reading the books, buying the stuff, trying to keep my body healthy, going to the doctor, budgeting, being as responsible and over-prepared as I can be so that when he makes his debut I can focus on loving him with all of my energy. Meanwhile I've been so scared of what motherhood will be like. Will I be a good mom? Can I handle a marriage and a baby? What about work? Is there going to be enough money? Will my business take off? Am I ever going to have any friends? What if he gets sick, or I have postpartum depression, or I can't breastfeed, or this, or that, or whatever? I've been hanging onto my fears while doing all of the "actions" that should be calming and comforting, but they aren't. Something isn't working, something has to change.

Today I'm making the choice to let go, and choose peace. I'm deciding to trust that everything will work out perfectly, because it already has. There isn't enough room in this blog for me to list all of the blessings and love we've been the recipients of lately, specifically in the time we've been married. We are so lucky, with so much ahead of us, and I am choosing to be peaceful. I'm still going to struggle with worrying, but I'm hoping and praying that peace will be an overwhelming presence in my life so I can love my family better. I had a pretty major freak out the other day and wildly explained  to Isaiah that if I didn't "worry about and plan for all the scary things, then they would happen". Always the voice of reason, he explained that I could plan and prepare all I wanted, but worrying wasn't necessary. We will be good parents, we love our son. He is healthy, nothing will go wrong. I'm so thankful for a supportive husband and family. Happy weekend, friends! If you read this, thank you. It was good to let it out.

Surprise! A new look for Sincerely, Ginger.

Today I got my final logo proof from Juliet Jones (aka my new BFF) and it looked so stinking amazing that I have decided to re-work my whole launch. Details tomorrow, but for now just enjoy the beauty above....

UPDATE: Good morning, lovelies! As you can tell, I got pretty excited to see my final logo yesterday. I joked about Juliet being my new bestie, but truly honestly I wish I could just hug her. I hired her knowing how beautiful her work was, but feeling pretty anxious and vague about the concept I wanted. Not only was she so open to my ideas, but she made them better than I expected. We're still working on a few final touch-ups, but you guys, Sincerely, Ginger is coming to life. And it's better than I imagined.

So in honor of being way too excited, not being able to keep anything mysterious or build any type of excitement or hype around anything as a blogger, I'm going to launch my new site early. It's going to be a "soft launch", meaning that I'm going to switch over my blog to my new domain sincerelyginger.com, and start using the new business name. This blog will reroute to the new domain so expect to be redirected! Hopefully monday. :)

I can't wait to share all about the little strawberry, it's significance, and the big story behind the name and why it's so important to me. The small version is that it's my heart & soul in the form of a business. I've spent a lot of time thinking through each little aspect of my brand. By the time it's finished, it's going to be big. I decided early on that I was never going to enter this field and be mediocre. Average isn't for me. If I'm going to do something, I do it full out. It's the reason I've been putting off an official launch for so long! I didn't want to start until everything was just right.

True love is a big deal. Celebrating marriage is important. There is no wayI am going to settle for a so-so planning experience. It has to be amazing, filled with joy, trust, inspiration and encouragement. It needs to be beautiful, better than you'd expect- but somehow exactly what you'd hoped for. Weddings are a big deal. Being a part of the journey to marriage, at least for me, is sacred. It's exhilirating, exciting, and really FUN. Sincerely, Ginger was inspired by natural light, summers along the coast of Lake Michigan, locally sourced & farm fresh food, love letters, putting a spin on tradition, the first blooms of spring, soft & romantic color palettes, gorgeous calligraphy, and of course... a little bit of sparkle. It's a blend of meaningful and beautiful, just like a wedding.

I don't have it all figured out. I'm still working on branding, designing a website and building an office with limited time and a super limited budget. It's worth it though. Some days I wonder if I should just let the business go. I would have more money, more time with my husband and baby (once he gets here), less stress. I could just work my part time job at the flower shop! But then my heart sinks and I think about my long term goals and why they are important to me in the first place.

By planning and designing weddings, I'm fulfilling my calling. My business is worth the time I'm spending right now figuring it all out. Eventually it will get easier and I won't be working 60 hours a week, pregnant, juggling 3 jobs. We won't always be sharing one car, sacrificing food for sleep. I won't be at my full time job forever (even though it feels like it some days). There is a brighter future ahead. It's closer than I realize. So that is why I'm not wasting any time on getting the elements of my brand in place. I'm doing this my own way, taking physical steps to make what matters happen.

Thank you so much for reading and sharing with my in my journey! I can't wait to show you the rest of what I've been working so hard on. Juliet, thank you a million times for the thought and care you put into designing my visual brand. It's simply perfect. Current & past couples, you keep the heart of my business beating. You inspire me daily, and seeing your wedding day come together makes my heart sing. So much love!

Sincerely,

Rachel

Celebrate!

It's Monday morning. Sleep was awful, I tossed and turned all night trying to find a comfortable position for my growing belly. I was cold in some spots and hot in others. This morning the alarm came too early. My clothes were still damp in the dryer from the night before. I was freezing. I was running late. I had no time to put peanut butter on my toast. My toast tasted like a dirty dishtowel, but I knew if I didn't eat it I would start to feel nauseous. The last thing I wanted to do was walk into work at 7:45, cold, hungry, & tired with absolutely nothing to look forward to this week. I hate my job. I hate it. No seriously, I hate it. I was being a total brat.

I sat down at my desk and took a deep breath. There is nothing about my day that I can't handle. I slowly checked my voicemail, opened my e-mail, and started checking things off my morning to-do list. There was no going back. My eyes started to open, the coffee was poured and my damp sweater started to feel cozy as it dried. My co-worker showed up with a smile, bringing birthday cake, and I was thankful for her cheerfulness. We talked about our weekends. My days at the flower shop and spending time with my in-laws, her birthday celebration.

Celebrate!

Somewhere in there it hit me to just calm down, quit being a spoiled brat and be thankful. I want to celebrate these mundane days that seem to have absolutely no good in them at first look. God is good. I have so much to celebrate and be thankful for.

A loving family that supports us, loves us and wants to be a part of our lives.

Full time jobs that support our financial goals.

A safe place to call home, enough food to eat, enough leftover to give.

A healthy baby on the way, and an ultrasound to look forward to this afternoon!

Caring and supportive friendships.

A future that is better than anything we could have planned for ourselves.

The promise of spring.

Clean laundry.

Hot coffee on dreary Monday mornings.

Self awareness.

The promise that each moment is another chance to start fresh and focus on gratitude.

What are you thankful for today? Sometimes when I stop and write down a list of what I'm grateful for, my heart wants to explode. There is SO MUCH good. Today and everyday I want to choose gratitude. To be optimistic. To greet each day with an open heart.

April Goals & Checking in on 2013

It's the first of April. Spring is in the air (well, not really in Traverse City). The first quarter 2013 is behind us and life is moving us so quickly towards summer. As cliche as it is, life moves pretty fast. I wanted to pause today and not only hold myself accountable for my monthly goals but revisit the

letter I wrote to my future

self back in January.

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Just reading the letter makes me feel so happy. These days haven't been easy, in fact I'm struggling a lot with the transition into a new job and an entirely new way of living in anticipation of a baby. But I do know that keeping focus on what truly matters, having faith that things will come through and working hard pay off. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.

Here were my goals for the month of March. It's been a good month overall.

1. Finish outlining business plan & client experienceThis isn't fully done, but I got a huge jump on it and the outline is almost finished. Client experience is "finished" but I know as I use the outline I will want to change things.
2. Finish logo & collateral design! (!!!)Working with my designer on this. I made some final decisions and now I'm just waiting for the final proofs. Counting it! Next up, translating the logo and illustration to print materials. Yay!
3. File paperwork (LLC, bank stuff, Maternity leave, etc)Boring stuff, but it's done!
4. Check 3 more things off the baby list.All set for cord blood donation, placenta encapsulation, and I've started taking my natural childbirth education class. Oh, also found a pediatrician & am researching childcare this week! Getting so excited the arrival of baby Mo.
5. Read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the book club! Well... I have to say that my reading time has been encompassed by baby books this month. I read some here & there, but in April I want to make more of a priority of participating in the discussions.
6. Re-organize our pantryAs a last-ditch effort Isaiah and I did this yesterday. It was exhausting, but we deep cleaned and organized our whole pantry, and also cleaned out our fridge & freezer. Happy Easter?
7. Finish designing website structure & wordingI have to say that I love my website. It's simple, not overdone, and you can probably definitely tell that I made it myself. But it does look professional. Now I'm just waiting to place portfolio images. :)
8. Contact vendors for my brand inspiration shoot! This didn't happen. I think I'm procrastinating because I already have a handful of vendors who want to participate, but I'm afraid of asking more people to get involved. The worst they can say is no. That's what I have to remember. Next month!

In April, I'm going to continue to focus on preparation for the next season. Lots of house cleaning & organizing, reading, and general nesting. Only 2 months left before life changes radically! I was so inspired by Emily and her daily habits list. I recently started using Lara's powersheets and am still figuring out the best way to use them. I can already tell I will love the tending list. There's something about goal setting and tracking that makes me feel awesome. Continually setting goals is so important to me. It helps me feel on track and like I'm living with purpose. I'm going to be doing a separate post about daily goals and habit forming soon! If you haven't, check out Zen Habits. I really like his tips on habit forming and sustainability.

patiently preparing for this.

April Goals

1. Implement daily habit system & tending list
2. Finish building and installing office furniture
3. Read 3 books (I'm thinking Finding Greatness by Brene Brown, Strengths Finder 2.0 & Happiest Baby on the Block)
4. Continue working on business plan with a focus on work flow & client experience
5. Exercise 2-3x per week (yoga, walking or swimming)
6. Interview potential childcare options
7. Start preparing post-partum meals to freeze
8. Organize post-partum exercise & meal plan in a new binder.
9. Start sprouting seeds for our herb garden. This is a long shot!

Spring brings it's own kind of freshness. I've always been a fan of spring cleaning. I love opening the windows and going for my first bike ride of the season. Easter is a time to celebrate renewal and grace. How amazing to give ourselves that gift this Easter.

What are your goals this month?

Pregnancy: The Third Trimester Part 1

Good morning, world! This morning after I sat down with my coffee, it just felt right to blog. It's been a little while since I updated you all on how things are going with the pregnancy, so how about an update? As of this morning, I am 30 weeks pregnant, within the third trimester. Baby Moger is growing fast and his brain is making all sorts of connections. His size is likened to that of a cabbage, about 3 pounds and the length of a laptop? (16 in.) It seems like every day he is capable of something new. It's comforting to know that if he was born today, his chance of survival is great because his lungs are able to function outside of the uterus. If you're interested, this is what I look like. Here are my previous pregnancy posts.

Since my last update I've had two doctors appointments and taken two classes. The appointment following my "big ultrasound" was at 24 weeks. They had me take the glucose tolerance test... easily my least fun appointment. I had to drink a bottle of this orange liquid that was honestly so thick and sweeter than syrup. It was disgusting and made me feel awful. Especially because I'll be the first to admit I've had more than my fair share of sweets this pregnancy. I was freaking out that I would test positive for gestational diabetes. They make you wait an hour before drawing your blood and of course you can't eat or drink anything. Afterwards we went and got some eggs for breakfast but I felt bad all day, surely I had failed. Luckily I called for the results and my blood sugar & protein levels measured perfectly in the middle of the road. What!?! I never want to do that again.

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My most recent appointment was on Monday. We're in the process of meeting with the other doctors in the office because their on-call rotation dictates who delivers the baby and they want us to have a comfort level with each. The woman we saw at my last appointment was my favorite. She was easy to talk to, asked the right questions and scheduled us another ultrasound for my next appointment. YES! Usually the 20 week ultrasound is your last one unless something is wrong. But nothing is wrong (that we know of). Basically my uterus is measuring long, which could mean that he's going to be a big baby. Considering that low birth weight is a negative thing, a high birth weight has to be good, right? Right. They may have to re-calculate my due date, but even that is unlikely. His heartbeat was in the 150's, perfectly healthy and normal.

All of that makes a lot of sense considering how I've been feeling. He is getting so strong! The kicks and jabs I feel are honestly frightening sometimes. :) I started experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions a few weeks ago too. They don't hurt, but I notice when they happen. It just feels like everything is so tight and I become increasingly aware of my heart rate. I've been getting these "practice" contractions about twice an hour, but irregularly.

At the end of my second trimester I had a burst of energy. I wanted to get everything done. I cleaned, organized, wrote lists, worked on my weddings a ton and would stay out until 11:30 working on projects at Brew. I was tired, but it felt good to be productive. Now I'm sort of settling down into more realistic version of pregnant me. Other symptoms include heartburn, lower back pain, and hunger. Yep, I'm hungry all. the. time. Oh, and then there was that time I lost my lunch all over the front of my shirt, like a first class infant. Yep, because I love you all so much I'm willing to share that on the Internet. I was in my car (luckily) and then it just all came up. Disgusting. Gosh this blog is glamorous. ;)

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I've been spending lots of time with my labor ball and big pillows. Slowly chugging along at the baby list. Reading books. Organizing the nursery. Preparing our home and hearts. 10 weeks and counting. Baby boy, I cannot wait to hold you in my arms. Thinking about that moment makes all of this SO worth it.

If there is any interest, I'll post a re-cap of the baby care essentials class I took, and the natural childbirth education classes I'm in the middle of soon. They have been so amazing! Thankful for teachers and mentors every where I turn.

Sincerely,

Rachel

Designing Your Day & Setting Yourself Up for Success

We all have a workflow, even if we don't realize it. Whether we stay at home and work, clock-in somewhere or are constantly on the go. Most of you know that come September, or more realistically June, my "workflow" is going to make a drastic shift as I make the transition from a full time office employee to mama & full time wedding planner. While I'm going through these changes, a recurring theme in my thought process is setting myself up for success. I have to give a big shout out to Lara & Emily (Making Brands Happen) these two women really helped me shape how I think about my ideal day, and a lot of these principles were inspired by their teaching. I encourage to you sign up for one of their webinars! Amazing.

In a bigger way, I want to set myself up for the first months of motherhood by having an organized home and nursery, a freezer full of post-partum meals and logistics figured out. I have a diaper delivery service lined up, I know I will be breastfeeding and have all of the helpful tools ready to go, and we are in the process of looking for a co-sleeping option. There are so many unknowns about parenting- specifically those first weeks of life. It's so important to me to get these things nailed down before he arrives, so when I hold my baby for the first time I don't have to worry about anything but loving him.

In the present moment I don't have a ton of control over the flow of my day. But I can tweak small things to make it more pleasurable and to ensure I'm working at my fullest potention. Here are some little steps that I've thought through that make my day better. Using these tips below, I'm hoping to design my ideal day, or at least think it through. Knowing that some things work for me and some won't will be helpful in those trial months of getting things going. Eventually I'll have a flow for this whole motherhood & working from home business, but as of right now it's a mystery. I'm planning to take it day by day, and hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection.

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Understand Your Creative Flow

Wedding planning isn't all about color swatches & floral designs. There are lots of timelines and budgets to nail down, and vendors to get a hold of. But some things are creative, and it's important to be in the right mindset for those things. Think about when you do your best creative work. For me, it's first thing in the morning, when I'm sitting down with my coffee. Maybe I'm the least inhibited at that point (not fully awake), but I write the most clearly and have more authentic ideas. In setting up my ideal day, I make sure to schedule blog posts first thing, and not at 3 in the afternoon when I'm feeling exhausted.

StreamlineYour Workflow

I love finding ways to make my life easier. A new app, filing system or pre-filled form makes my heart sing. Thinking through my entire process of planning and designing for a client clears my head so I can do the best creative work. I have several helpful tools that I've put in place that I can now never live without. Some of my favorites? Freshbooks, my Simplified Planner, and obviously my iPhone. Simplifiy and streamline.

Set Your Intention

Once you're ready for action, you understand your creative and work flow, and are ready to hit the pavement, set your intention. In any job I've ever had, and even in college I would use this practice. Sometimes all it takes is for me to say, "Today is going to be a lovely and productive day", to myself. Other days I silently pray for my work and for the people I will encounter. Just like my yoga pratice, this is a habit that I've really grown to love. I like to pose it as a question to myself, "what is your intention for this day?". Try it out!

Organize Your Space

Similar to streamlining, I like to have an organized space when I begin my workday, and this truly stems from the evening before. A clean desk, paperwork filed, e-mails all in their places. Removing external clutter has proven to be the number one thing to clear my mind. As a lifetime leaver of messes, I'm trying to change my ways because I know how beneficial an organized space is for my productivity. The next thing I do is organize my planner. I leave a space in my AM section for an action list, or the things I must do that morning. Usually it consists of e-mailing certain people, one big project and a few odds and ends. I love lists.

Connect With Someone

One of my biggest fears about motherhood and working from home is loneliness. Growing up, I had siblings and parents around from the moment I woke up, and would go to school and immediately hang by the lockers and chat with my friends. This didn't change in college, waking up with roomates and going to class together. Even now, Isaiah and I ride to work together in the morning and at the very least listen to NPR side by side, and say I love you before we go to work. While I was working at SPU, my friend and supervisor Megan always greeted us with a peppy "Welcome to work!" and a huge smile. She may think it's funny, but she's honestly one of the most genuinly positive and upbeat people I've ever met, all while still being real and sensitive. I'm worried about working alone and missing that connection with people. My plan is to check social media, or leave someone an uplifting note before I do much else.

So there you have it! These are just a few things that help me get organized and feel productive. Like I said, there is going to be radical change in my daily structure soon and I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to handle it. Soon, I want to figure out a flow. Even though now it seems impossible to do the same amount of work while breasfeeding, changing diapers, and everything in between, I know we'll somehow make it happen. I'm hoping that I will spend two or three days at the flower shop, and the rest at home with my baby. He won't be seeing much daycare, but luckily my husband and my schedules are nicely blended so one of us can be fully present with him most of the time. I'll post an update on how this is working sometime down the road. What helps you in your day? I would love to hear how you make the most of your time!

Inspiration for Sincerely, Ginger

Good afternoon, everyone! As you probably know, I've been working mega-hard on branding my business under my new name, Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events! The name fits me and my personal brand perfectly, and it's so important that visually that's represented. In my last post I talked about finding inspiration, and here I wanted to share more specifically how I was doing that for this huge project I'm working on. As Lara said in the webinar I attended, "A brand is not your logo!". I couldn't agree more.

I'm aiming to showcase who I am, and what I can offer brides as a wedding planner & designer. A logo is just part of that equation. Colors, images & how you write are just three little pieces of the equation. There's lots to thing about!

Sincerely, Ginger is about love. It's about appreciating and celebrating the little things that make life so special. Once I understood this, everything became more clear. I plan weddings in little Traverse City, Michigan to bring real love to the forefront of our daily lives, and I do it beautifully! I'm so proud to be able to do that for my clients.

​All Images Sources on Pinterest

Here's a little snippet of my brand inspiration board. Before I even got to this place, I wrote my story. I thought about my grandma Ginger and what matters most to me. From there, I honestly just started pinning images that stood out to me, things that I evoked the feeling I wanted brides to feel when they're first introduced to me & my brand. Miraculously, a cohesive board came together... and I was like "this is the best thing ever". Looking at these images makes my heart burst.

Friendship, love, lightness, anticipation. Big smiles, happy hearts. Soft colors and big bold blooms screaming with color. Those peach juliet garden roses get me every time. :) I asked a few people for feedback about the board. I heard things like, "it's so YOU", and words like happy, feminine, inviting, pretty & pink. I think I got it right. Celebrate with me?

I could have probably made a smaller board to make it more aesthetically pleasing on the blog, but I didn't want to leave anything out. :) I can't wait to tell you all about who I hired to design my logo. She's pretty much the coolest, and I know she'll do a great job with such an important task. Because even though your logo isn't your brand, it IS a big part of it!

What do you think?

The Case for Creating a Beautiful Life

I've been using this shampoo for the past month that I used for an entire summer when I lived in Connecticut. It's nothing special, just an Herbal Essences brand moisturizing shampoo. When I bought it I had forgotten it was the one I used while I was living out east. Surely enough, the moment those suds started forming the smell of the shampoo brought be back to my 20 year old self, living in a little cabin by the ocean. The fragrance was an instant reminder of what life felt like during those months.

Do you have experiences like that? I seem to have them quite often. Certain songs, foods, smells or actions make me feel so nostalgic. It's like magic. In high school I was a devout follower of the band Brand New... I always feel like a 10th grader again when I hear those songs. It's little things like the soundtrack to a favorite movie or your grandma's famous rhubarb pie that make memories. For me at least, I rarely think back to a big project I was working on or anything like that as the timestamp to a certain period of life. It's the little things.

flowers from here.

Upon realizing this in a deeper way, and understanding it rather than just experiencing it, I've decided to be more intentional about the little things in my life. As a wedding planner & designer, my job is to make things beautiful, and to give a sense of peace, belonging and encouragement to my clients. It's a goal of mine to inspire the couples I work with to love better. What an amazing calling. It's an important job to do. Of course there are the parts that aren't so glamorous (I spend a lot of time with my 3-hole puncher and excel spreadsheets), but styling flowers, being thoughtful about the tiniest details like what kind of champagne to serve for the toast and what music to play... those things are important. It's what they'll remember when the think of their wedding day.

I'm going to start sending a "sensory" anniversary gift to my clients. You might think I'm totally weird by this point. But how amazing would it be to be gifted a candle that smells just like your wedding night or cupcakes in the same exact flavor. It's the little things guys. Sincerely, Ginger is all about an experience. I want my clients to know how truly unique and special they are, and it starts from the moment we start our journey together and lasts long after their first anniversary. I'm so pumped about this new development!

An easy way to do this for your wedding day is to choose a special new perfume. You can even keep using it on your honeymoon and in your first few weeks of marriage. I guarantee if you stop using it and revisit the scent months later it'll bring back so many feelings of your big day. Like magic.

Personally, I want to be more intentional about the small things in my life. A phrase I always come back to is "if something matters to you, cultivate it". I think I'll work on weekly lilacs in my office this spring. :)

 This post turned into something different that I originally thought it would, it's a little more scattered. But what it really boils down to is this. Cultivate small, sensory habits. Cultivate a beautiful life filled with things that give your life meaning. Not only will you be working towards your ideal day, but looking back you'll see that you've been living your ideal life.

Preparing for Baby... an Update!

So it's Friday afternoon, and after a long week I sat down to look at my to-do list. I'm 28 weeks along now! My belly is looking more like a soccer ball with every passing day. Apparently baby Mo is 2.5 lbs, and I can definitely feel him kicking and squirming like crazy sometimes. Woah, baby!

 

We're slowing checking things off the list, but just adding more things to do as time passes. Here's where we were last time I updated. The new updates are in italics!

 

 

 

Find an OB we're comfortable with: This is done! We feel great about our doctor and the clinic in general. For those of you who are TC locals, we're seeing Dr. Danz at the Grand Traverse Women's Clinic. Now we're starting to rotate around the other doctors, because she may not be on call the day baby decides to make his debut. Everyone is really nice and helpful so far!

Research and Hire a Doula: Okay this is strange because all of the Doulas in Traverse City are also PREGNANT and not accepting clients. One of the downfalls to living in the middle of nowhere... So needless to say we most likely won't be having a doula. Decided finally not to hire a doula, because of this issue. However, I am going to take a natural childbirth class with Jonelle, the doula in town! It's six weeks long, starting next week. The only bummer thing is that Isaiah won't be able to attend, because he works on Tuesday evenings. We're going to cover so much material! I'm excited.

Read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: We checked this out from the library and are reading it together most nights before bed. I love reading this one slowing and thoroughly- she has great advice and information. Highly recommend. Finished!

Read A Nursing Mother's Companion: Have heard rave reviews from moms about the importance of this book to prepare you for nursing. I hope to breastfeed and pump for 1 year so this is important to me! Waiting for a copy to come to the library.

Read Bringing up Bebe: Another one with stellar reviews. Should be fun, too!

Read Happiest Baby on the Block: So excited about this! My aunt Cristin had a baby in September and highly recommended. She's going to send that one in the mail this week.

Choose a stroller: We did it! It's not purchased yet, but we decided on the Bumbleride Indie in the color ocean. It has an infant car seat adapter for the car seat we want and should last through toddler hood. The stroller arrived! It's perfect and I can't wait to use it. We ordered it through Sweet Pea downtown TC.

Choose a car seat: Also done! We chose a Chicco brand for it's safety ratings and compatibility with the Bumble. It's also small enough to fit in our little Toyota Corolla, but still holds baby up to 30 pounds. We still need to purchase this too. Carseat came in too! We got a navy color to match the stroller.

Research Baby Carriers: This was really fun for me. I stopped into Sweet Pea (a local baby store) and the nice lady there helped me try a few carriers and choose the best ones for me. We decided on the Moby Wrap for infancy and the Ergo Organic as he grows. Still need to purchase the Ergo.

Choose & Attend a birthing class: The local hospital where I'll be delivering has childbirth classes that I'm sure we'll take as labor gets closer. I also want to take a more specialized class that focuses on natural labor and childbirth but the options locally are very limited. Registered! I'm actually taking an embarrassing amount of classes. My first is a baby care essentials class at Munson. Then I'm taking that 6 week natural childbirth class through the local doula starting next week. Isaiah and I are also taking the childbirth class at the hospital where we're delivering, and finally a breastfeeding education class at the hospital. Whew! Also looking to take an infant CPR class.

Choose a theme and colors for the nursery: Done! We're going with a white/cream/tan/brown theme with pops of forest green for a "Swedish cabin" feel. I know I sound extremely dorky here but this means we can shop at ikea and purchase lots of sheepskin rugs.

Purchase nursery furniture: Getting there! We were gifted a beautiful white crib and have already cleaned out the room and set that up. Still need to get a dresser/changing table, a rocking chair and closet organization elements. Rugs too! :) It's coming along! We rearranged some furniture so now the crib is in place and we have a big shelving unit in there. My in-laws are gifting us a rocker and bringing it up in a few weeks. yay!

Build a registry: Need to get on this. However, I don't know what exactly I want yet! There's a lot to decide on- what pack n' play, highchair, and even bottles and sheets. We don't want a lot of unnecessary stuff so we're trying to be intentional in this area. We are so thankful for our family and friends who want to bless us with gifts! I did it! We registered at Target and Sweet Pea, and it wasn't nearly as tough as I imagined. :)

Attend pre-natal yoga: Crossing this off because I've signed up for a 13 week session and I'm headed into my third class this Monday. Hoping to make friends with some of the other girls in class. Yoga has been so great for me. I've missed a few classes because it's been a busy month, but I'm looking forward to my class in the future. It makes Monday's bearable! Margaret has been so vital in making sure I'm comfortable, and even just helping me breath. Sounds crazy, but I feel my air supply is so limited.

Arrange to get my placenta encapsulated: Don't judge me- if you've never heard of the benefits I encourage you to research it! I know who will be doing this but haven't made my down-payment. Just sent another e-mail today to get this process in motion. I talked to my doctor and she said it won't be a problem to have my placenta released. I'm glad I'll have Jonelle there to do it for me!

Schedule a time for maternity photos: Not sure who I will have take these. I definitely want some photos because we are so lazy about taking our own at home. I'm sure my mother in law who is a photographer will want to take some but I'll hire someone else too. :) Taking photos at the end of April! I'm sure I'll be monstrous by then, but we're going to do them the same day as my shower. Can't wait!

Decided if I want my birth experience to be photographed: Up in the air on this! I don't want Isaiah to have the pressure of taking photos during everything, but I'm not sure if I'll feel comfortable having another person around. Need to think about this. Here's what I've decided. I don't want a photographer there for the whole thing, but I am going to have my friend and photographer come to the hospital right after he's born, to do some photos of my first time nursing and hospital photos. I think this was a good compromise!

Write a will: Freaked out by this, but also I'm feeling like we don't need to do it because we have no real assets. I'm sure we will anyway though. Isaiah found a guide at Munson that we will follow. We're going to be pretty casual about this and not hire anyone to help.

Figure out what to do about a life insurance policy: So lost on this. We both have life insurance separately, mine through work and Isaiah's through his grandparents. Need to mesh these and add baby somehow. Oh man. No progress whatsoever.

Diapering... so many options!: I've decided to go with the Honest Company, for their stellar products, decent pricing and convenience factor. Read more about the company here! Still feeling good about this! I'm leaning towards cloth diapering once he's a little older.

Research Cord Blood Donation: I'm a big advocate of donating blood and we know that we aren't going to pay to have his own cord blood banked. We figured this would be a good way to go! We know we will use Michigan Blood but haven't set the process in motion. Done! Sent in my paperwork and just waiting for the final supplies to come in the mail.

Childcare: This is the big one. I know I'll have three months leave from work, but I haven't decided what to do after, what Isaiah's schedule will look like, how I will work part-time and what that will mean for childcare. Prayers, please! Yikes! This needs to start now. Now that I know what my work will look like (praises!) I can be more decisive about what type of care will work. Planning to start interviewing next month.

Find a Pediatrician: Planning to ask our OB for suggestions. We asked our OB and she basically had no suggestions. We might search for a family doctor instead, because Isaiah and I don't have primary doctors either.

Write our Birth Plan: We already know the basics of what we want, just need to write it down and go over it with our OB. We have lots of questions to ask her! Hoping to do this as part of our natural childbirth class!

Plan a Babymoon!: This will be something real simple because of our budget, but I'm hoping we can make it to Chicago this spring for a quick weekend away. We'll see!

Learn More about stuff: Will baby stay with us in the room at all times? Can I nurse and have skin to skin contact immediately during cleaning/ APGAR? When and who will go over our birth plan with us? Research what to expect and prepare for right before, during, and after labor (the icky stuff), Emergency cesarean, episiotomy, what if? What do all of the shots and vaccines do to baby? What happens if I panic and want an epidural? What can I expect? Lots to learn still!

Write out a hospital bag packing list: Okay I know I'm a person who has it on a list to make another list. DEAL WITH IT!

Prepare a freezer full of "body healing" meals: This won't happen for quite some time but if you have suggestions I'm all ears! :)

Create a Postpartum Exercise Plan: I am hugely prepared for a big break for about six weeks. Once I'm feeling up to it I want to exercise again, and do it with purpose! :)

Figure out what we can control in the Labor Room: I hate florescent lights with a passion. Just ask my husband. I get panicky and I just hate them. I would love to be able to control the lighting in our room and have music that soothes and calms me. I also wish to bring some flowers and maybe another element that will remind me of home, even in a hospital setting. Aromatherapy is also super important to me. I hate that hospital smell! I'll be sure to pack my own lotions and products.

Choose a Diaper Bag: Clueless on this one! Since I don't know how big I'll want it or any features that are really necessary, I'm planning on going on recommendations and style. I always like the look of Kate Spade's designs but they are pretty darn pricey! I really love this one! But I still have to purchase it.
Pick a Name: Oh boy... this is HARD. We're not even to the point where we're narrowing it down. We just don't like anything for our own son! Hopefully this will come soon. Even when we figure it out, we won't be sharing until he is born. ;) We have one! Or rather, we each have one. Once he's born the final choice will be determined... and all I'm saying is that Isaiah isn't going to be the one going through hours of labor & delivery. ;)

 

 

Okay, so we're doing pretty well! Here are a few more things I want to add to the list.

 

Choose a baby monitor: I'm pretty sure I want to go with the Angel Sounds Video monitor, but it's so pricey! We'll see what happens. I'm really attracted to the movement sensor because I'm a freak about things like that.

 

Attend my baby showers: I'll have two in April and I'm so looking forward to them. What a fun excuse to spend time with my co-workers and friends. I'm also helping plan these so that'll be a big part of the rest of this month.

 

Find & Attend an infant CPR Class: This one should go without explanation. I get scared just thinking about it, but if there were an emergency I want to be prepared!

 

Think about labor details: Who should I contact? What snacks do we want to have? (obviously the important stuff ;))

 

Buy a robe for after delivery: I've heard that a delivery gown is sort of unnecessary because of, you know, the blood and stuff. So I'm instead choosing to spoil myself with this Plum Pretty Sugar robe that I've been wanting. It'll be great for photos in the hospital and comfortable for nursing. Yay!

 

Figure out how to be a swaddling master: There are so many types of swaddles out there, I don't know where to begin!

 

Get everything done by 36 weeks!: This is an ambitious goal, but it's necessary. May is going to be an unbelievable busy month with weddings and flowers like woah. I would love if the nursery was finished, the bags packed and the carseat in the car by May 10th I'd be so happy!

 

There's a lot to do when you're expecting a new person to join your family. I can't wait to meet you, little Mo!

 

On Finding Inspiration as a Wedding Designer

In the past few weeks I've had the privilege of creating design boards for a few of my clients. In doing this I've realized how much the process of gathering inspiration, organizing it, piecing out details and finally presenting it to my clients truly does fire me up! Each stage has been so much fun for me. Color palettes, big blooming florals, perfect paper products... be still my little wedding planner heart.

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I wanted to chat a little bit about where I find inspiration. Obviously Pinterest is great. I know for a fact I'm not the only one who spends hours browsing through boards and organizing images to my liking. I'm also a pretty big fan of tumblr, which is where I save images that I'm going to use for this blog. Of course, there are other blogs out there that are regular reads. From fellow event planners & designers to Once Wed, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty and you name it, I check them almost daily. Photographers are a great source of inspiration for my work too. Rylee Hitchner, Jose Villa, & Tec Petaja are easily my top three.

Most of the time, though- I need to get offline to find authentic inspiration. I get inspired when my husband and I take time for dates- away from our iPhones and other distractions. Relationships fire me up. Real conversation spurs real creativity.

I like books and magazines that I can hold in my hands. Exercise clears my mind, especially when I'm outside. A good hike in the woods does wonders for my creativity muscle. Relaxing is vital for me, especially when I take the time to do it right. A bubble bath and a good night's rest leaves me restored for the next day. And everyone knows that the best ideas are concocted in the shower!

Stories inspire me to get inspired. I love hearing love stories. I like telling my own. More often than not, clients inspire me with their own ideas.

Flowers get me fired up. The colors, textures and endless arrangements and opportunities. I also enjoy grocery shopping, my favorite is Oryana (our local co-op) or the farmers market in the summer. Picking and choosing fruits, vegetables and flowers season to season is a blast for me. (Note to self... peonies are coming soon!)

So essentially that's the first stage. Meeting with clients, hearing their ideas, getting out and about in the world to gather authentic inspiration. Once I do that it's easier to refine my ideas and source images to put together a cohesive design board, that's where pinterest comes into play for me. How do you do things? Where do you find your best sources of inspiration?

xoxo

Rachel

March Goals

It's March! Hello, March! I mentioned on Instagram on Saturday that this is usually my least favorite month of the year. I'm not in school (no spring break), the weather is awful and there's usually not much going on except the anticipation of spring. However I've been loving March so far! The past four days have been productive and exciting. I've started my third trimester (woah!), really nailed down some things in my business plan and have had a couple exciting opportunities thrown my way. I also had my first day at the flower shop.

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Looking back at February, I did so-so on my actually goal list. Midway through the month I wrote this post here. I've been trying to hard to focus and re-focus on grace not perfection. It takes a lot of effort.

1. Take photos!Even though I didn't use my camera, I did get on Instagram some! Counting it.
2. Host my 3rd Annual Valentine's Day BrunchOpted out this year. Read the post here.
3. Apply for my new Driver's License Okay, this is BAD. I have a date with the DMV on Wednesday...
4. Have a real date night with IsaiahWe went to Siren Hall for Valentine's Day and it was perfect.
5. Clean out my officeNot finished yet, but we made some serious progress!!!
6. Send letters to my BFF's Not real letters, but I did make some phone calls. Letters this month!
7. Go to the gym (even once) Didn't happen. I actually even put my membership on hold for 3 months. It's one less thing to worry about!
8. Check off 3 things on the baby list.Did it! I'll be posting an update on this soon.

In February a huge prayer was answered in the form of my dream job. As of June 1st, I will be a full time mama and full time wedding & floral designer. The way that these things were woven together is nothing short of a miracle. I wish I could explain in words the weight that was lifted, and the anticipation that follows. This is a dream I've been working towards for a long time and I couldn't be more thankful. If you missed those posts, check them here and here. :)

Okay, so March goals!

1. Finish outlining business plan & client experience
2. Finish logo & collateral design! (!!!)
3. File paperwork (LLC, bank stuff, Maternity leave, etc)
4. Check 3 more things off the baby list.
5. Read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the book club!
6. Re-organize our pantry
7. Finish designing website structure & wording
8. Contact vendors for my brand inspiration shoot!

This month is going to be all about preparation. Truly I think it's perfect considering that Easter is just around the corner. This season has the ability to be beautiful, which I'm now realizing. Instead of putting my head down to the do hard work, I'm going to forge ahead with my chin held high in confidence, ready to take on the days ahead and soak up the beauty in that.

What are your March goals? I would love to hear and cheer you on!

xoxo

Rachel

Saying Yes to What Matters.

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Today I wanted to share a little bit about a fear of mine. Although I'm not in the place yet with my business where a branding experience is necessary or even financially feasible, I have invested a little money, time and effort into a few branding webinars hosted by the Making Brands Happen ladies, Emily & Lara. To say they struck a cord with me is a vast understatement. They've taught me to be my authentic self, to examine what fires me up and then to translate that to business. Choosing my business name was a big step for me. Sincerely, Ginger Weddings represents my story authentically and I hope it shines a light on the type of service I provide.

One step in the process of designing my own brand, encouraged by MBH is to list your biggest fears in business. Well let me be the first to say that I have a lot of fears. I'm afraid of letting down clients, of not serving them to my best ability, of missing the mark somewhere. I'm fearful of being unhappy, of not making enough money to support my family or of dissapointing myself. I'm scared of putting myself out there in my community. While I was writing down these fears last night I wrote something down that didn't surprise me at all.

I'm afraid of starting before everything is perfect. I've written about this before but it still scares me because it's such a paralyzing fear. It actually stops be from making things happen and doing what I need to do to more forward. So I decided to get over it and do the hard work.

Obstacles are a natural part of life, and definitely expected in business. It's clear to see what's working against you and so difficult to focus on your abilities and strengths. To get over my obstacle and fear of perfectionism, here are a few things I'm going to do.

I'm saying NO to focusing on what I don't have. I don't have a brand new iMac, an office, photoshop, a gazzilion airline miles, 5 years of experience, 60 hours a week, a finished website, newly designed logo, business cards, collateral, vendor relationships, legality.

Most of these are a work in process, and I am saying YES to optimism and positive thinking. I do have a great attitude, brides who love and respect my work, a strong business education, a laptop that functions, a new opportunity to design florals starting this month, the ability to priorotize, ideas up the wazoo and passion. Boy do I have passion. Instead of staying home and pouting about my office not being finished I'm choosing to head to the local coffeeshop and set up camp for 4 hours and dream big for my clients. That's what matters.

via Lara Casey

So that's a lesson I've learned and I know I'll have to learn it again. Choose to focus on what you do have, and not what you don't. Say yes to your future and it'll unfold right before your eyes.

And a note to myself... nothing will ever be perfect. There will always be new technology to buy, trips to lust after and people doing bigger and seemingly better things. It doesn't matter. Keep dreaming big and putting on your big girl pants every day. Work hard and authentic, true, lasting success will follow. Don't let your fears paralyze you.

With a sigh of relief,

Rachel

p.s. How amazing is Lara Casey? When I saw these downloads I immediately pimped out my phone, iPad and desktop with this inspiring image. What a positive message to look at several times a day. Thank you, Lara! You encourage so many of us with your wisdom and ability to sense what we're going through as creative entrepeneurs, moms, and women with hearts for dreaming big. xoxo

If you could meet one woman for lunch...

Who would it be and what would you order? Every morning after I get my coffee and settle in for the day I check my usual roster of news, blogs, and sites. Included in those is

The Everygirl

-- one of my absolute favorites. They usual ask the women they interview in their featured posts, "If you could meeting one woman for lunch, who would it be and what would you order?". Today they turned the question on us and I sort of ran with it.

This is a no brainer for me. My grandma Ginger passed when I was in 6th grade, but up until that point and even now she has a profound impact on my life. She battled breast cancer bravely for years, and even through that we had the best time together.

I named my business after her (Sincerely, Ginger) because she represents what I love most about bringing people together for love. Strawberry picking, swimming in the lake, dining al fresco and just simply being together. The stories of true love between family, friends, and partnerships usually start with something simple. Meeting at Starbucks for your first date, taking long walks after dinner. These little moments are so special. Ginger loved these little things.

I would opt to eat in her kitchen, for breakfast I hope. We'd drink coffee and tea (yes both) and she'd probably insist on making fruit pancakes even though I'd be fine with eating cereal. She likes to make every day special when we're together. We would sit in the breakfast nook, look out over the lake in Northern Minnesota and catch up. I like chatting over breakfast because that means we have the whole day to sit there if we'd like. I'd want to tell her everything about my wedding, marriage, business and little baby growing inside of me. So much to catch up on.

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 I'd ask for her advice on everything. On love first. I'd ask about the letters she mailed to my grandpa before their wedding, what didn't I know? As a truly young person I admired their love for one another. They created a beautiful life together- one my grandpa still lives out each day with Karen, his new wife (who is equally as lovely, might I add). Ginger was a brilliant designer, fabulous mother, the best in the kitchen, exerciser extraordinaire and fiercely dedicated to her family. What more could you ask for?

Don't think I'm naive. I see her in her best light because I was a child. She was brave and didn't show how hard things were most of the time. Our time together wasn't jaded by having to work or deal with stress. We spent our time creating with our hands, swimming in the lake, baking, and snuggling on the couch.

I remember once when she was going through chemotherapy, my sister and I were in elementary school. The three of us were going grocery shopping for dinner that night. We got out of the car and Ginger put on a baseball cap because had lost her hair due to treatment. I was only in fifth grade, but I understood why she put the hat on. My sister Bridget is two years younger than myself and asked "Grandma, why are you wearing your hat?". I was so embarrassed. Who would want to be seen bald in a grocery store? People would stare! I bet I shot her

a look

. In reply she simply said, "You're right, I have no idea why I'm wearing it". So she took it off and we went in the grocery store bearing her scalp, walking bravely in truth. She couldn't have cared less if people stared. I wasn't embarrassed because I was protected by her honesty. I want to be a woman like that.

More than anything I want to tell her about my life I want to hear more about hers. There's so much about her story that I don't know. If we had a chance to meet for lunch (or breakfast) I'd ask her to tell me more about her struggles. She was incredibly wise and there's so much I want to learn from her still. It's such a joy to remember my grandmother. All the little bits and pieces. What this question from The Everygirl really did for me this morning was open up a door to ask

more

questions. I'm positive my grandfather would be thrilled if I asked him to tell me more. Life is short. Cherish your loved ones and learn from them.

With Gratitude,

Rachel

p.s. Thinking about the importance of grandmothers today and praying for the loss of a dear friend's own grandma. Sending love & peace your way, K & J.

Honesty & Grace

Here are some words and goals and things I've been thinking about. I've really let myself down in terms of my

February goal list

so far. A few things are in the works... we're making progress on my office and I've checked somethings off the baby list. But I haven't taken my camera out once, I choose not to host my annual Valentine's Day Brunch, amoungst other small failures. Sure there is still time, but I'm really tired. I'm trying not to feel guilty.

I'm realizing that tiredness is sort of the theme of my pregnancy. Even if I can be super inspired mentally, it takes a lot to actually make things happen. Even small things. So I'm going to make a list of things I've done this month that I'm proud of. I've been realizing more and more that I need to hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection. Thanks,

Emily

. Your words sink deeper even still.

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1. Isaiah and I went on a real date. For Valentine's Day he surprised me with a fancy night out at Siren Hall, even though it was a blizzard. I even wore a dress. We ate 3 courses (actually 4 because we had two desserts) and I ate a lot of bread and butter. I am so thankful for my husband. He loves me and he loves our family. His heart for our son and our future is so comforting and inspiring. I loved our date. As soon as we got home we

rushed

into bed and... iced our lower backs. He iced with my in solidarity, it was sexy.

2. I cleaned our house. In a manic fit one night I cleaned our entire house from top to bottom. If you know me, and especially if you've lived with me you know this is unnatural behavior. I literally washed every dish, cleaned the bathrooms, reorganized our pantry, ran two loads of laundry, vacuumed, swept, swiftered and mopped my way to a clean house. In only 2 hours. It was like stopped for me. The best thing about it was surprising Isaiah. It got him on a clean kick for the rest of the week.

3. Talked to Callie and Brittany on the phone. It sounds like a small thing, but even those 30 minute chats make my heart to happy. I'm glad they took the time to call. I miss my friends.

4. I am the new proud owner of sincerelyginger.com! I've chosen to design my own site through Squarespace. I'm just getting a handle on how things work, but I think it's going to be a great fit for what I'm looking for.

5. I let go of the pressure of hosting my Annual Valentine's Day Brunch in favor of giving myself time to rest. Even though this is usually so much fun for me, it felt like a lot of work this year. So I decided not to do it. I didn't even hang up my heart banner.

6. I worked hard at my "day job". Even though this sounds silly, it made me feel good to give it my all. I got a few projects and meetings under my belt and it's made me feel more invested in my current position. I'm working on appreciating the experience and connections I've made here before rushing off to the next thing.

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All in all, I'm just taking it day by day. Some of my goals this week are to get some exercise, take more Instagram photos and keep my house clean and prepared for the new office and nursery. next week I have lots of appointments (doctor, dentist, chiropractor) so I want to take it easy while I can. :)

By the way, how pretty are these shades of purple, pink & grey for late winter? Just the beginning hints of spring. I feel an inspiration board coming on!  

Keep it real,

Rachel

Pregnancy, The Second Trimester Pt. 3

Hello week 24! I can't believe I'm over halfway there. I wanted to share a little update on how things have been progressing. I've been feeling pretty good overall. My energy boost has been sustained throughout the past few weeks which I am so thankful for. I don't need daily naps anymore, but I find that if I have a few later nights I need a big nap to catch up.

At 20 Weeks we had our big ultrasound! It was so much fun to see our little one's face. He's a little angel baby. We loved getting these 3D images to share. He was rubbing his eyes and even sucking his thumb! Be still my heart.

The purpose of the ultrasound was to check for any abnormalities in his anatomy. The technology was crazy- they checked the parts of the brain, the heart, all of his bones and made sure he was still a boy. Isaiah and I are so thankful for such a healthy baby!

One new symptom that's come up is some major back pain. Not good! I've been seeing a chiropractor for some help, but the truth is that it's just pregnancy doing it's thing. It's been better but my ligaments will only get looser. The chiro has also been helping with my headaches and they've gotten better do to her help, more water and more rest. Hallelujah!

At around 19 weeks I started feeling regular movement. Turns out I had been feeling flutters for a few weeks but couldn't verify that is was in fact the little guy. Now at 24 weeks I'm feeling full on kicks and punches! Isaiah could probably feel them but is too scared it'll remind him of a mouse (???).

We're getting closer to a name, though it's still really tough. I think we'll most likely keep a list of 3-5 names that we like and bring it to the hospital with us. :)

Other than that it's been smooth sailing! We're slowing checking things off of our baby list and even bought a car seat! I'm looking forward to our shower and praying that he stays healthy for the next few months. I'm getting so anxious for this next stage of life!