Year End Review
We started out the year with the sweetest little blessing. Three days before my brother got married, we welcomed our precious Delta Clare. I was set to design floral for the wedding, as well as stand beside my brother’s bride as one of her Matron’s of Honor. I had an entire month longer until my due date, but I was sure that the wedding would put me in labor. Delta had other plans and like she has shown every day since, she did not want to miss a thing. I made it to the wedding, all floral in tact, and let me tell you– it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to and it had nothing to do with the floral or decor. It had everything to do with the love my brother and now sister-in-law have for one another and every person that attended. It was a joy to witness such a love as theirs.
The next few weeks were a delightful blur. Becoming a Mother was so much more than I ever imagined it to be. Ranger and I were on cloud nine. I had really put a halt on designing floral once Delta was born out of a desire to spend as much time with her as possible. But 6 weeks postpartum, I got a call I couldn’t refuse. An event planner I knew from home was hosting three Editorial Styled Shoots in Italy and her florist had just fallen through. “Do you have a passport? I know you just had a baby, but do you think you would be able to come design for us?” Ranger still had one week of unused paternity leave and lots of vacation time racked up. The trip was 15 days long and we didn’t skip a beat lining everything up to go on this trip of a lifetime. Everything was pointing to there’s no way this is happening, we were set to leave in 13 days, Delta didn’t have a passport, mine was expired, and Ranger’s was locked away somewhere in storage. I will save you the nitty gritty details, but 13 days from the initial call, we were on a plane to Atlanta- to Paris – to Milan with our still very new 8 week old baby. You can call it what it is: PSYCHO.
Italy was incredibly beautiful. It was quite the trip and if you get us in person, we have lots to say about it haha! Delta did amazing, she was born to travel. When we got back from Italy, we felt like we needed a vacation from our vacation! We booked a cabin in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on a whim. Neither me or Ranger had ever visited and were ready for an actual relaxing trip that didn’t involve work. We had the best time, traveling just the three of us was so dreamy. Delta audibly giggled here for the first time!
Ranger eventually went back to work and I went back to everyday life, lugging Delta around everywhere with me. I made a promise to myself and Ranger that we wouldn’t be parents that couldn’t/wouldn’t do things they used to just because they had a kid- we would make it a point to bring her with us and although we still just have one baby, we plan to continue this. We’ve realized she’s better for it. She’s so adaptable and we’re grateful for it! From hair appointments, to Floral Wholesalers, to grocery shopping, to nail appointments- I would ask a friend to come with me when I worked a wedding, just to keep Delta company so she could tag along, and would throw her in a wagon on any photoshoots I had and she was just as happy as could be!
We attended the PBR World Finals, had a staycation at Great Granny’s on 4th of July, went fishing at our family boathouse, met so many friends and family members for breakfast every opportunity we had. We swam, took walks every afternoon, we revamped our apartment to get it looking more of the way we (I) wanted. We went to Ranger games and then watched them win the World Series, had playdates with friends, took family photos almost more than Ranger could stand, and made many new recipes. We visited our 85+ year old Memaw in East Texas, went to the casino more than we should have, Delta wore a helmet for two months to correct a minor flat spot on the back of her head- it was PRECIOUS. We shopped more than we probably should have- cleaned out storage units and then filled them up again. We took photos for families, couples, and even branched out and shot some interior design photos for some local designers. My floral design business was published in multiple magazines this year. We went to Colorado in the Fall and then again in the Winter. We attended sporting events for our high school family members, we went to pumpkin patches and concerts, we read books, learned a bunch of new words, ate spaghetti (Delta’s a BIG fan of spaghetti), wore bows bigger than our head and maybe got spankins if we tried to take them off. We switched from a carrier carseat to a “big girl” carseat, shopped in Round Top, TX, saw the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour in theatre, got RSV (do not recommend), attended multiple baby showers, started linking items I loved and used and realized I could actually make money at this. Celebrated our first Halloween with a last minute costume idea that apparently should have gone viral, stayed consistent with hair and skin care, celebrated 2 years married at the best steakhouse we’ve ever eaten at. We sent out our first Christmas cards as a family of three, skied our way through Breckenridge Colorado and celebrated Christmas with so many family and friends. We welcomed a new baby niece and rang in the new year dancing until the AM with some of our favorite friends.
There were so many highs, a few lows, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every single stage Delta transitioned to from the time she as an infant to now as we get ready to celebrate her FIRST birthday! I feel more in love with Ranger than I’ve ever been before and more content and confident in who I am myself. Thank you for being here and loving my family on the internet. We love you back!!
