Let's Be Real

I’ve been trying to write this post for almost a week. I took off last week for my college spring break and only did “work” last Tuesday, but I wouldn’t really consider it work. I had a phone consultation and met with a coordinator at a venue that I adore! So, Sunday, when I came back from break I began to type up my post. I started with a few sentences about what I did over Spring Break but I couldn’t get started, writers block I guess? So, then I decided I would do a super positive post about Spring coming but I couldn’t find anything positive to talk about and it didn’t feel like spring at all, in fact, we were under a winter storm watch. As the week kept going my motivation to write was becoming less and less, my motivation in my business was going down, and I just felt stuck. So, last night, after having an unexpected phone call with my dad, I figured out what to write about.

In this industry, I’ve noticed there has been a huge push for being real and not just posting and writing about what people want or what you think they want. I’m going to be super real and this post isn’t going to be super positive until the end!

This week has been rough, y’all. No one thing in particular which I think makes it even worse because I can’t pinpoint one thing to blame it on. I’ve been discouraged in my business...big time. I see people my age, or younger who are extremely talented and doing very well in their businesses. I see people in the industry with gorgeous websites and amazing brands. I see success everywhere. It’s so rare that people open-up about failure, or just not succeeding to their own standards. I am one of those people. There are a few creative ladies that I follow on Instagram that are so honest about their struggles and when they don’t feel good enough for this industry and they are encouraging me by doing this. My dad said “be patient”, anyone who knows me, knows that I am one of the most impatient people there is. I can handle being told “no”, or that “we aren’t a good fit”, but I don’t do well with not hear “yes” or “we would be a perfect fit for each other”. I think of it like, if you don’t like me, fine but if no one likes me, not so fine, ya know? Instagram can be awesome for us in the creative industry. I mean you gain more connections with people from literally all over the world, find inspirations, learn about new products and apps to help you grow and sometimes even find out where to get that amazing lip color one of your Insta-friends wears in all of her Instastories! BUT it can also kill you from the inside out. The girl with the cute lip color is younger than you and beyond successful, the one you gained inspiration from, she has more than one successful business, the one with the new product and app ideas, she has a family, 9-5 job and owns her own business. So, I just think, “how”? These women are beautiful, smart, hard working and beyond impressive. You know what else these women are? They’re real. They waited, the struggled, they worked hard, they charged nothing before they could get to that price, they asked questions, cried themselves to sleep and had self-doubt. I, I’m sure along with many others, have forgotten those “negatives”.

We must look at the positives there are too. I have a support system that’s like an army. I have met someone, Miranda, who works for a wedding venue who believes in me and wants me to plan bride’s weddings at that venue. This connection happened because my dad worked with a young guy, that guy has a dad who owns the venue, Upper Shirley Vineyard and we took a leap and gave them my cards. Miranda has become a friend who totally gets where I am right now in this little business of mine. I also have a cozy little apartment with a roommate turned friend to go back to at the end of the day to binge watch Mad Men with.

I have the best support system there is, I’m convinced. So, last night, I talked to my dad. I got off the phone and thought about everything that has happened in the last 6 months. I made myself a healthy dinner because, well, college and turning 21 in June means that you may gain a pound or 5 since your last doctor’s appointment in May. But that is okay because I am in college and I am 21. So, I made some healthy chocolate chip cookies, sat down, poured myself a glass of my favorite Pinot Noir, turned on Grey’s Anatomy and wrote.

Comment or email me your top 3 struggles and top 3 blessings in this crazy world we live in if you feel compelled to share! Email: hannahmarieevents@gmail.com

“This too shall pass” –my dad (and I’m sure someone else, almost as famous )

Routine

I am someone who needs routine during the school/work week and wants to either do nothing or everything during the weekend. I know I’ve always liked to plan and know what’s happening when but it wasn’t until college that I realized I need routine in my life. Every semester my routine has to change, and every semester I struggle for a few weeks. My typical routine is spending most of my day in class, coming home to relax for a bit, doing homework and then relaxing until bed. This semester is so completely different.

I was excited when I realized that this semester I would have free time. I have one class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and two class on Tuesday and Thursday. I have two online classes, which I quickly learned have a heavier workload than my on-campus classes. I HAVE to be out of my apartment to be in class for about 8 hours a week. That’s nothing for a college student. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining that I have an “easy” schedule this semester, but it’s been a huge adjustment. I’ve had to create an entirely new routine since 3/5 of my classes don’t have work outside of the classroom except for the occasional reading of a short article or creating a resume for the 100^th time!

So, my new routine during the week is a good breakfast every morning, then I go to class, then the gym for about an hour (if you know me, you know this is VERY new to me), lunch, a shower, some work for my classes and then usually just whatever I feel like doing. This usually entails, catching up on “On the Road to Full Time”, pre-blogging, binge watching a show and sometimes fixing a detailed dinner that literally will take me hours to make because I get too distracted.

My roommate is a student teacher, so she doesn’t get home till almost 4 every day. I have found that I love the quietness of my apartment when I’m home. Eating my breakfast with the TV on, catching up on a show I didn’t watch the night before, not having to worry about if I’m bothering anyone or need to adjust my time for them and coming home after the gym to no one. I used to feel like I didn’t to be around people all the time and that I couldn’t be alone but I have found peace in that quiet. The routine helps with my lax schedule and boredom until I buckle down on my assignments and finish everything in a day, sometimes two. I think this is all a part of senioritis as well, it is real my friends. I’m constantly trying to find things to fill that boredom while still trying to enjoy these last few months in college.

When it comes to the weekend, whether it’s spent at school or at home, I don’t feel the need for routine. I want to do what I want, with who I want, and when I want. The weekends are when the work gets put down and the fun happens. This fun may be visiting a winery, sitting on the couch, shopping, spending time with Huck, finding new places to visit or just running errands with my mom but for me, the routine stops on the weekend. I think we all need that balance. If you don’t like the routine you have now, but you know you need one, change it! It’s yours and to an extent you can always adjust it. If you need help figuring out what the change needs to be, whether something is taken out or added, feel free to shoot me an email! I’d love to talk routine, balance and life with you!

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Is that Spring I feel?

Is anyone else hoping this unusually warm weather stays? I know I am! This weather gets me motivated for some reason. As a college student, you’d think this weather would make me less motivated because warm weather leads to summer and summer means I’m done with school forever!! Can you say senioritis?  Now, I say the weather is motivating me but more so in the clean everything, go to the gym every day, eat healthier and focus on how to better my business way. I’ve gotten into a routine because of this which has been so GREAT for me!! I have my “me time” in the morning when I wake up, eat something healthy-ish, go to class, go to the gym, come home and do homework, eat dinner and spend the rest of my night doing what I want to do. This may be getting ahead in an online class, watching video for my On The Road to Fulltime class that I’m taking with Kat Schmoyer, veggie out on the couch with my roomie and some addictive cookies or spending an hour or two with Huck.

Warm weather puts me in a good mood. These 65 degree days with a slight breeze make me want to spend all my time outside and envisioning beautiful weddings and styled shoots. Speaking of weddings, I booked my first bride with Dear Sweetheart Events this weekend!!! I am super excited to get started with her and hear all about her vision! I also got word last night that out vacation is booked for the summer in Punta Cana and I couldn’t be more excited or grateful that my parents decided this year deserved a big trip! I have two weeks until my spring break and I am actually excited that it will be spent enjoying a week at home, spending time with my family, friends, Huck, and the adorable children I babysit.

There are so many great things coming my way and this warm weather gets me even more excited. Not every day is easy, not every day is fun, I don’t feel productive every day but I will cherish the happy days, whether they are warm or cool. If you’re feeling like the days are dragging on, they’re really hard for whatever reason, you don’t feel complete or worthy enough, step outside. Take in a deep breath, sip your favorite drink and do something you love. It will never be worth it to drown yourself in sadness, anger or grief. Experience it, deal with it how you chose but then step outside, I promise you won’t regret it.

A Love Like Theirs

Valentine’s Day. A day I really had no feelings towards until 2013. Growing up I would get excited for the candy I would get, the little presents and cards from my parents and the chocolate…so. much. chocolate. Once I got into high school I had a few boyfriends, none of them lasted long, by my choice. I would say they were typical Sophomore year, high school relationships and I think only one of them lasted during Valentine’s Day, but I honestly can’t remember what we did.

I started dating Huck my senior year of high school, about half way through the year. I kept saying we had to wait to start dating because I was known for rushing into relationships and then ending them a couple months later. We went through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. My family and I went on a trip to the Bahamas for New Years and I could not stop thinking about Huck and if he was still going to want to date me when we got back to the states. If I remember correctly, we got back on Saturday night, pretty late and I don’t think we went back to school until Tuesday. Huck texted me towards the end of the day asking me if I could meet him at a gas station on his side of town after school. I realize this sounds super sketchy but it’s a really nice gas station and close to our high school. Me, being completely oblivious said that I couldn’t because I had to take 2 girls home from school that day. He was persistent and changed the meeting place to a Starbucks on my side of town. I agreed. We both got out of our cars and I think things were super awkward for a minute because I had no idea why I was meeting him, that was until he took out a huge bag of York Peppermint Patties. He handed them to me and then quietly asked me if I would be his girlfriend, I think I screamed “yes!” We talked for over an hour in the Starbucks parking lot and then I went and tutored someone (if you know me, that’s not something I usually do). I called my mom and said, “mom, guess what!” She didn’t even have to think, she knew her daughter had just become someone’s girlfriend and she was happy.

My parents, well really my dad, asked if I liked Huck or if we were dating pretty much the whole time we hung out before we officially became boyfriend and girlfriend. When I told him, I’m pretty sure he said something along the lines of “finally” or “I knew it". A little over a month after, was Valentine’s Day. We went to Plaza Azteca for dinner and then went to see Silver Lining Playbook at the theatre. As we went to leave, we got in his jeep and then realized the battery was dead. We waited in the cold for a while until someone came around and jumped his car. Our second Valentine’s I drove home in the middle of a blizzard, surprised him that I was home and then made him homemade Shrimp and Grits and a Key lime pie. He made me his famous sausage dip and it was the best, snowy Valentine’s. Our third Valentine’s Day we went to Cheesecake Factory (I know, dumb move, they don’t take reservations), we got in after 3 hours. The 4^th Valentine’s, last year, we tried to be really simple and planned to order a pizza at home in Richmond and watch a movie, well, snow happened and we had to go back to school. We still ordered the pizza, but the movie never happened because my Wi-Fi was too slow and it wouldn’t download. Have you noticed a pattern yet? No? I’ll tell you, we always had something get in the way but it was still perfect to me.

This year, Huck came to my apartment like he usually does on a Tuesday but he brought a bottle of Smoking Loon, Peppermint Patties and we watched out current favorite show. It was nothing huge, but it was still perfect. My friend, Lisa said something this past weekend when we were all hanging out that really stuck with me, “I don’t really think Valentine’s Day needs to be celebrated too much because I love Justin every day, and every day he treats me special. This day is no different.” I couldn’t agree more. Now, we are going to Shyndigz (all dessert restaurant at home) when we go to Richmond this weekend but we haven’t been in so long. It’s a date night that will be followed by hanging out with his family and family friends.

            So my friends, both men and women, treat your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, friends, and family like every day is Valentine’s Day. Don’t make your significant other long for this day just because she/he wants something special. I love spreading the love and seeing it everywhere, so we should all do it more often. The best relationships I see, are those where they are treated with the love and respect that Valentine’s Day brings, every day. I’m proud to say that Huck has done that for the last 4 years and many more to come. My parents and his parents do the same, along with our grandparents as well. I saw my dad’s parent’s love for each other for 16 years of my life, I saw and heard about the love my mom’s parents had for each other. I see the love that Huck’s grandparent’s had through the examples of his aunts and dad and their relationships. I get to continue to watch the love his Mommle and Bopple have for each other now. Let’s all love hard.

“After almost 27 years, I still feel like a newlywed”- my momma

Those Who Inspire Me

This post is a weird one for me to write. Some of you will think that’s silly or that this shouldn’t be weird at all, but trust me, it is! I was talking to someone a while ago about the way we know people in this industry. The creative industry fills my social media now and I love it!! Huck (for those of you who are new, this is my long-term boyfriend) has always followed more car and golf social media accounts than actual people he knew. I used to think this was kind of funny because he would talk about these golfers like Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Smylie Kaufman like he knew them. He wanted to have the same type of clubs and drivers as one, be sponsored by the same company as another and have the same swing as another one. When we first started dating I thought this weird. Admittedly, recently I’ve told him he’s weird because he has a slight man-crush on Rickie Fowler in the manliest way J  

It didn’t really click with me that we, as creatives do the same thing! Referring back to what I said at the beginning, a friend of mine (I can’t remember who it was, so if it was you, thanks for the inspiration!) and I were talking about how sometimes we forget that we don’t personally know these people we see as we scroll through Instagram or watch their stories. We receive Newsletters, watch them on Instagram stories, press a little heart to show we love their latest post, watch a webinar that they are teaching from and even sometimes become friends on Facebook! I get swept up in all of it and think I have like 40+ new friends all the time when in actuality I’ve probably only met about 10 of them and only really KNOW about 3-- 4 if we’re really pushing it!

Something I’ve really loved recently about this industry is that a lot of these women have been opening up about the not so pretty things right now. Something that has been brought up is that we almost “hide” behind the screens and post these beautiful photos, perfectly organized desks, professional headshots and all the pretty things in our businesses and lives. So, because of this, a lot of them have been sharing more of the nitty gritty, harder to admit details; messy buns and desks and the hard parts about life and owning a small business. I LOVE this. As a younger woman starting my own business while still in school, it was so overwhelming and even scary to see all these “perfect” women with their beautiful homes, working space and lives. Seeing them be real and open about how their lives aren’t always as perfect as the photos may seem has encouraged me!

I feel like getting to see this side has made me want to meet more of these women (and man) and REALLY get to know them and hopefully someday work with them! So, here comes the weirdness in my little post!! Some women who have made me laugh, be encouraged, love their work and their style and feel like we could really get along (yes, I feel all of these things through Instagram posts, call me crazy) are Callie Lindsey, Lauren Carnes, Megan Martin and Tyler and Ashley Herrinton. Their work has inspired me and I love seeing how they grow each of their businesses! This post has come from a wave of being brave and putting it all out there. If you asked me to write it yesterday, it wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t plan to do it tomorrow either, just right now.

On a side note, I guess Creative Women and athletes/sports fanatics aren’t that much different when it comes to being inspired.

All the lovely creatives, thank you for reading this SUPER long and a bit out of the ordinary post!

Proud owner of Hannah Marie Events

Today is the 3^rd Tuesday of the month. Today was my last, first day of college. Today I also became the proud business owner of Hannah Marie Events! I woke up this morning with no real feelings about my classes. I stood in the kitchen telling my roommate that I wasn’t happy, sad, nervous, excited or fearful of the classes I was about to walk to. I’m very indifferent about this semester.

There are great things happening right now in this little apartment with my amazing roommate turned friend, her little kitten running around and the coziness of our living room. There are amazing things to look forward to as well when I leave this apartment in May. For instance, the wedding I have with Dear Sweetheart Events a week after graduation, being reunited (almost) full time with my three favorite little people and their parents, a summer with my best friends before they embark on their jobs and further schooling in different areas, being home with my family and I’m sure so much more that I don’t even know about yet!

There are also the not so great things happening now, like rainy days, classes that I’m not 100% psyched about, this tiny town that I have a love/hate relationship with, not being able to be in the presence of some of my good friends from home within 5 minutes and being away from my family. The not so good things to come, that I’m a little apprehensive about are finding a job to give me somewhat of financial stability come this fall, getting accustomed to living at home again for more than a few months at a time (I love my family, but it’s change, ya’ll), not living in this apartment with Rachel because I’ve found a roommate that I connect with and has become a great friend, and not having much of a routine anymore!

This is balance my friends. Something I LOVE and have written about before. A little tidbit of advice from me:

1) there will always be a brighter side even if it takes a few hours, day, weeks, months or even years to see it!

2) Do NOT give up, please keep trying for whatever you’re dreaming of!

3) You CAN do it, don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t!

4) It doesn’t all have to happen at once, I still have a long way to go but the little accomplishments are SO big!

With that, I hope everyone’s rainy Tuesday is going well and if not, tomorrow will! Thank you to all the old, and new friends who have congratulated me today and for following my journey!

Baby Alsop Shower!!

Some of you may have noticed I posted an Instagram yesterday saying I had a surprise coming soon…well, here it is!! For about a month I have been planning a surprise baby shower for Katelyn Alsop. Michael was my youth pastor and Katelyn and Michael have continued to play a very active role in my life. Every winter for the last few years they had a Christmas party for the high school and college students and I always looked forward to it! This year I wanted to do something for them and since Katelyn is pregnant, a baby shower was a perfect idea!

Thanks to Michael we had kept it a secret for about a month while I planned it! I had SO much fun, especially over the last few days getting all the decorations together, baking cupcakes and visualizing how everything would come together. I had the help of Katie, a long time friend, help me come up with cute ideas and fun things to do as well and she helped me set everything up! I was so excited I got to plan an event myself, including colors, theme, food and games! The best part was seeing everything come together and having all the girls and Katelyn and Michael together!

Katelyn and Michael have showed me what true love, caring for others, appreciating life and having a strong relationship with God really looks like. From the moment they walked into our church they wrapped their arms around us and haven’t let go since. Last night, we looked at old pictures from past retreats and mission trips. We laughed, reminisced and brought up how Katelyn would come on the retreats even after shooting a wedding, driving hours alone just to spend a couple hours with us. She would also fly out to some mission trip late after having a wedding to be with the youth for the rest of the trip. Even after a shift in the youth group, growing up, the youth getting older and now being young adults, they are still so present in our lives and role models to me. That is what true dedication and love is and we are forever grateful for her and Michael.

I know they will care for, love, listen to, share with, and teach their little girl the same way they did, and still do with us, making them AMAZING parents. They started off with teenagers and loving them so well, now they get to start over with a little bundle of joy. Katelyn and Michael, I wish you the best and look forward to meeting your precious baby in just a few weeks, she is so blessed already!!