Happy Sunday, friends!

I'm so excited to share this project with you guys today. If you tuned in to any of my Periscope broadcasts yesterday, you heard a little bit about it, but if not, let's start from the beginning.

The first week of January, we're excited about our fresh start and the newness and ready to burst into a new year. Which is very healthy I think. I think God knows us enough to know we need a re-set in our calendars. So we make our resolutions, we take the time to think about how to better ourselves and our businesses and get to it. And by week two or three, a lot of us are struggling to get through the day, let alone even attempt to get through our resolutions. This process by itself is NOT a bad one, so hear me say that. But we'll come back to how we can actually make things like this function realistically.

I want the new start. I ache for the fresh chance. I feel personally that I am hard-wired for re-examination this time of year because my birthday falls in tandem with the New Year. However, I think each year, I get lots of grand ideas about how to make changes, and if I'm honest, I go into disaster prevention mode. I move pieces of my life around on a chess board and say, "OK if you can fix this, then this won't happen." Or "if you can lose x amount of pounds, you'll feel better about x." I weigh myself, find where I'm wanting, and then decide what failures I will attempt to prevent. I won't call them resolutions, but they make themselves on to a magic list and when they are not crossed off by the date I deem worthy, they are tossed in the trash and moved over into the column of shame.

Sounds super healthy, right?
Definitely not. lol
But does it sound familiar?

This project has been brewing in my heart for a long time. I've been able to see snippets of the idea, but I haven't been able to truly figure out how to grasp it as a whole. As it started to come together, the doubts started rolling in:
- I do not have time for this, this is crazy
-Other people are going to thing this is crazy and/or stupid
-No one cares about this stuff
-You'll fail at this too.

Eventually this Fall I was given an opportunity to put my words and thoughts together and test the waters with some of these thoughts a bit with other women in my sphere of influence. As it turns out, I wasn't alone after all. There are a lot of us running around spinning too many plates, asking too much of ourselves, and setting unrealistic goals during all parts of the year.

Now what are we going to do?

Well, for me, I want to try something new. And I would love for you to join me.

The definition of intention is to do something on purpose. I don't know about you, but the idea of living a life on purpose sounds refreshing. It doesn't sound like me trying to just make it work and survive every day. It sounds more like the life Jesus said He came to bring us:

““I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows.)” ”

— John 10:10b (Amplified Bible)

This is what the 31 Acts of Intention Project is all about. Its about making intentional choices that can plant seeds into your daily routine, or even into your monthly routine, that would find roots and grow into a life that overflows with joy past the month of January.

““Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” ”

— 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV)

I want to sow generously with what I have to give, so that I may reap generously and ultimately, stop feeling like I'm just trying to survive the life I've been given.

Are you with me?

Let's give it a try.

The 31 Acts of Intention Project is based around 4 sub-categories of sowing.

Simply Yours, Simply Ours, Simply Family and Simply Community.

Each of these represents, for the most part, what encompasses the environments and relationships that most affect our lives. Here's a little breakdown of each section:

Simply Yours: Ultimately, everything starts and ends with you. Your heart, your thoughts, your choices. How can we sow generously in other areas, if we don't start with sowing generously and intentionally into ourselves?

““... for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart, his mouth speaks.””

— Luke 6:45b (Amplified Bible)

Does the verbiage sound familiar? Its definitely not lost on me that we must sow to overflow. But what we are all ready filled with will be what continues to overflow and overwhelm.

*Here are some examples that I am wanting to implement into my life:
-Do one thing this week that makes me feel alive. I've made a list, I'm happy to share it with you, but some of those things are: read, work out, have a deep conversation with a friend, spend time in scripture and prayer. I know that because of the schedule this coming week, I may not be able to do ALL of these things, but I am hoping to achieve one. That's a much more realistic goal.
-Drink a nalgene of water every day. Apparently, only drinking coffee is bad for you. Apparently.
-Before I collapse on the couch and zone out in front of the TV after my daughter has gone to bed, I will a) not leave dishes in the sink so I'm not REALLY annoyed in the morning b) Read something for fun or for soul nourishment for at least 15 minutes
-Don't freak out that our Christmas decor is still up.

Simply Ours: SO is for all of you who are currently in a relationship. Whether you just got engaged, are newly married, or have been married for several years, this is the area where you can be willing to learn and grow. I don't care if you've been married for 50 years, there is ALWAYS something to learn about yourself and how you function in this primary relationship AND something you can learn about your significant other.

*Some examples:
-Do one nice thing for your significant other, no matter how you feel about them.
-Take Gary Chapman's Love Language test. I'm going to definitely talk about this later this month. Its a relationship game changer.
-I want to list a bunch of things, but I'll end up writing a whole other blog. We'll elaborate more on this one later. The first two are great options ;)

Simply Family: SF is open ended to include your given family or the friends/significant relationships in your life that you consider to be like family. This one is super challenging in adulthood. Its heavy on my heart all the time. We need to reexamine our expectations about friendship and be willing to receive each other where we are in this season and not try to make old ways work in the new. Grace abounds, friends.

*Some examples:
-Schedule time with a friend. I don't care if its a Facetime session, a phone call, or if you're a lucky duck, face to face coffee talk, put it on the calendar.
-When you think of a friend/family member, tell them. We are in constant communication with people. Whether its a Facebook post, a text message, whatever, don't wait to tell them you're thinking about them. Even if they don't answer, the heart is what matters. The connection is what matters. We have to get back to fostering our connections.
-I feel that there are many, many people going through tough challenges in life: moving, new babies, divorce/break ups, loss of a loved one or caring for an ill loved one. Whatever the case may be, find one person in your life and ask them what they need. If they don't have an answer, a couple of sure-fire ways, if you have some cash to spare, is to either a) make, or pay for the delivery of, a meal for them or b) send them a cup of coffee. I learned this year that the Starbucks app allows you to send digital gift cards. How amazing is that? You may not be able to grab coffee, but you can send them a cup of comfort.

Simply Community: I think giving back to our community can feel daunting and overwhelming at times. What does that mean? Do I have time for that? I don't have the money to spare. It doesn't have to be complicated or cost a dime, but its the most challenging and intentional choice to make because it calls us to be aware of others and not ourselves in situations that we would not ordinarily be so.

*Some examples:
-If you are involved in a church, a ministry or some kind of non-profit charity, do something to thank the staff. They give their lives away constantly and often thanklessly for the betterment of others. It doesn't matter if your child draws a craft, if you take cupcakes to staff meeting, or again, buy the coffee, offer a meal, ask them what they need; any of it will bless their socks off.
-The next time you're in a public place, smile at everyone.
-Hold open doors for people, be kind and courteous while you drive, let someone go in front of you. do something that is often against our nature and uncommon to experience for a stranger.

This week on Periscope, Instagram and hopefully here on the blog (because again, realistic goals), I will go deeper into each of these categories and how they can be applied or get you started. I would welcome feedback about your ideas! My ideas are not the only ones out there. I can't wait to hear about how you guys apply this into your lives.

There is NO pressure here, friends. This is not a to do list or a daunting challenge that is designed to set you up for failure. In my opinion, doing one thing a day for 31 days is not realistic. It very well may be for you! I can all ready own, that it is not for me and my family. BUT as I become more aware, especially by starting with the Simply Yours category, I know that the Lord will open my eyes to where else I can sow with intentional generosity.

I would love for you to partner with me in this and document it on social media by using the hashtag #31actsofintention. It does not have to be a grand gesture. You saw my list! One of them is to drink water. How simple is that? Let's do this, friends. Not just because we feel like we have to, but because we were made for more than what we've been settling for.

xo,
Em

Dear friends,

Happy new year! Thank you for stopping by to check out the new face of Simply Yours.

I feel a little bit like a young girl walking into a new office in a place where she's worked for a long time. Same building, same view, same coffee in the break room, but entirely new world.

When I started this company in February of 2008, I was 23 years old, fresh out of college and six months into marriage. I knew that I loved helping people, I loved being the one who could solve the problem with my Mary Poppins sense of readiness, and I knew that I loved weddings. Otherwise, I had a heck of a lot to learn about running a business, about the ins and outs of weddings, the nuances of how people function in relation to weddings, and how to develop my own sense of what made a wedding truly great. Not to mention, why someone should hire me to share any of that information and be able to tell them about it.

Once I started getting my feet wet, the world kept on changing. When I began my business, I booked my first wedding off of my MySpace page, DIY weddings were unheard of, the economy had yet to tank and Facebook was limited to colleges and the most exciting part about it was changing your profile picture. Since then, Social Media has completely changed the vernacular of a generation, Pinterest has changed the wedding world, and Facebook.... well. Its Facebook ;)

Not only did the world grow and change, but Simply Yours has changed. For one, the name got shorter! It started out as Simply Yours Weddings & Etc. I think I was trying to be fancy. I started out as a one woman show, trying to do everything and be everywhere at once. There have been a number of fantastic guys and gals who have worked for me on my team, and we've grown now into a tight-knit family. In the last 8 seasons, we have been a part of over 100 weddings. We have seen so many incredible Brides walk down the aisle, grooms beam as they greet them, first dances, hugs from proud families, happy tears, "we wish you were here" tears, an amazing variety of designs and tastes, colors and textures, and a world of personalities.

On top of all of those changes, and a world of experiences, I have grown and changed. Andrew and I are now 8.5 years into marriage, we've lived in two apartments and house and now we are 3 years into the adventure that is parenting with a beautiful, hilarious and rather sassy little girl we are blessed to call ours. And today, I turn 31 years old.

I think one of the biggest things that has changed in my life, and in turn in the life of Simply Yours, is not so much a change, but a growth. I started out pursuing this career because I really loved helping people and walking with them through what I saw as a challenging season in preparing for marriage, mostly because it was so fresh in my life. Not just because of what we walked through, but also what I was seeing in all of my friends. The joy, excitement, anticipation, constant ideas and big plans colliding with feelings of confusion, uncomfortable conversations about money and life merging, managing shifting family dynamics and reality checks.

Over the years, I have seen all of these things and more. I've had meetings in hospital rooms, umpired a million arguments, dried 1,000 tears, held dozens of hands, and prayed an innumerable amount of prayers.

What I didn't expect, was just how magnanimous the good stuff would be. The overwhelming satisfaction of bringing a dream design to fruition. The CAKE. (Just bein' honest!) But seriously... The happy tears of a proud parent. The equally hysterical and sentimental toast from the Bride's brother. The truly perfect look on a Groom's face when he sees His Bride for the first time. The Father/Daughter dance. The sacred moments right before I send the Bride down the aisle.... I never would have been able to anticipate the true privilege of bearing witness to these pieces of the lives of my clients. To all our Simply Yours family of the past 8 years... the pleasure has truly been mine.

The new Simply Yours is not a source of major change, its a deepening of what we've always been. And I wanted to be provide us a home that could house all that we have been up until now, and allow us to put down roots for where I believe the Lord is calling us.

I have had multiple veins of this calling going for a couple of years now, where I have been sharing with and helping others in the industry, or those trying to break into the industry. I've also been writing pretty much my entire life, but I've kept it hidden away from the world because honestly, it was scary to share. However, in the last year, I've been given so many opportunities and much support to pursue both of these things in addition to the ins and outs of doing what we do best for our Brides and deepening our knowledge to become better at what we all ready love to do.

And now we have a home for all of it to live together in the same place, where all things Simply Yours: Weddings, Consulting and what I lovingly refer to as all my other Shenanigans, can live in harmony. I can't begin to describe how equally scary and awesome it feels to share it with you!

Now. I know this post is all ready lengthy, but I want to wrap this up by inviting you to celebrate with me! In honor of the launch of the new Simply Yours home, and because its my birthday, I have a special project I've created to start the party! Its called #31actsofintention. Its going to be a project that's based on being intentional with the choices we make walking into the new year, not just making resolutions, but actually planting seeds that will take root and hopefully, grow all year long.

I will elaborate more on it today via social media, particularly Periscope and Instagram so be sure you are following along! I will also dive into it more here in Simply Shenanigans as we get further into January. I just know I've babbled on too long all ready for one day =) I would love for you to join the party.

Thank you for being here today. Thank you for reading. Just... thank you. I can't wait to see what happens next.

xo,
Em