The past two years I’ve struggled on social media. As each of my profiles gained followers, comments and received more and more direct messages I found myself combatting a lot of mental things. I deeply desire to connect with people and love how incredible the interactions can be but I found myself drained each time I opened Instagram and Facebook. After several conversations with my husband, I made a choice to take a 90 day Facebook break.

This picture was captured by my incredible husband this past week and I truly felt like it captured my essence. I am finally feeling like I have energy again and wanted to share insights to why I’ve been quiet on the blog this year. The past five and a half months brought a whirlwind of things I did not expect. Many of you guys have followed my journey over the years, but for some of the new faces I had a baby five months ago.

The past 6 weeks have been a complete blur. A month and a half ago I gave birth to our son Maximilian Everest Lowy at 8:16pm. It was a complete joy and I’m so thankful he’s finally here. With that being said, I’ve been in the newborn cocoon with my husband in a blur of breastfeeding, a 24-hour schedule, a little sleep deprivation, and a lot of eating. I am so lucky to have my husband as we transition into this new phase in life.

This past year has amounted to an extreme amount of growth. Almost a year ago, I made the decision to go back to one-on-one counseling to sort out some stuff that was surfacing emotionally in my life. It was so hard, but I finally feel like I’m on the upswing and things are more manageable. It’s easy to make excuses in our lives for behaviors we did when we were not at our best. It’s also really easy to blame others for the things that went wrong. Ultimately, accepting full responsibility for my life has given me freedom and inner power I did not know a few years ago. I’m going to share with you today 10 Things I Learned this Year in hopes of inspiring you to rise above your current state of being into a higher version of yourself.

The past few months seem like a blur. We had such a great time over the holidays entertaining friends and family and then also spending time together on our trips, but I am so glad to be back in my normal swing of things. I wanted to share a few updates about my pregnancy in today’s post and insights into what I experienced in my second trimester. First of all, I noticed a huge increase in my energy levels which is pretty common. I began walking 10,000 steps a day and noticed I felt so much better. I would pace myself, but each morning and evening I walked for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It felt so good to move my body and keep my legs in shape.

Happy New Year! I know we are already over a week into 2024, but I took some time over the first week to set intentions for the year. I hope each of you had an amazing time over the holidays and found ways to celebrate with your loved ones. Before fully moving into the new year I wanted to take a few minutes and highlight last year and share a little about my journey during 2023.

I absolutely love this time of year and getting to dress the Bump has been so much fun! If you follow my Instagram account, you will see tons of outfits I’ve been wearing lately like this short black dress styled two ways or this adorable pink dress that gives so much room for my growing belly. I had a few requests for styling tips and now that I’m in my second trimester I actually have a bump to show off! Currently, I’m sizing up one size in anything I buy so I have room for my larger boobs (yes they’ve jumped two cup sizes) and waistline. I’ve also invested in a couple of maternity bras that will convert later for nursing. It’s good to have those staples on hand so you don’t feel uncomfortable underneath your clothes.

Insecurities are something we all have. Many of them were formed in childhood and then reinforced throughout our teenage and adult lives. For some of us the insecurity lies in our physical looks (here is a great post for how to have a better body image) but for others, our insecurities lie in feeling loved in our relationships. I’ve been going through intense therapy this year and we’ve been digging deep into my childhood, doing shadow work, and healing my inner child. I’ll share a few ways that therapy has helped me over this past year and what I’m currently working on.

A shirt designed to remind you that the best kind of party is a party you can remember. Slip this baby on for your next event or girl's night out and feel immediately empowered. This top is tight-fitting but still incredibly comfortable, and it hits just above the navel. Fits true to size.

Fourth of July is right around the corner which means outdoor entertaining for so many! I wanted to share our backyard with you guys before we move. We are in the process right now of packing up (check out here) and moving our stuff to our new home. So excited! I cannot wait to unfold the design projects that will be coming your way. Today I rounded up some of my favorite things for outdoor entertaining.

Last weekend we met in Salado, Texas at Greenfield Coffee to catch up and shoot these incredible dresses from friends at Wneedu on Amazon. They sent us each a dress to share with you! We both picked out our colors to fit our own personalities. I chose a bold leopard colorway and Tiffany went with a beautiful shade of deep mauve. Great style is available for everyone. No matter what your age or body type you have when you walk with confidence in your own skin a new sense of style seems to follow. That’s one of the things I love about our conversations!

I’m sharing a live on Facebook this Friday at 8:30pm on Five Steps to Start a Blog. You can register here and its a FREE Masterclass. We will cover some of what I share in today’s post, plus so much more. You will walk away feeling empowered and equipped with a game plan to launch your own blog. So with further ado, let’s jump into today’s discussion on how to start your own blog in five easy steps.

You deserve happiness. You deserve joy. You deserve to have a life filled with positivity. That’s the entire reason for my GLOW UP course which gives you a 60-day plan and a community of accountability partners to chat with as you continue to affirm yourself into your dream life!

Today I wanted to share the new cropped sweatshirt! It comes in mauve, dusty blue, and black. It’s designed to be lightweight enough for Spring and Summer months but also is the perfect amount of soft and cozy to slip on after a workout or when you are feeling like you need a little lift for your mood. I love the perfect shade of this one and how the cut shows off your hips and waist.