Why is it always the hardest to write about ourselves?? I swear to you… every single time I have ever been asked to write a bio, I made my husband do it because what do I even say??? But here we are, and if you’re here, it’s probably because you want to hear what I have to say. Not my husband… believe me… he talks enough… just kidding. I do love him dearly. He’s the one that really encouraged and pushed me to just go for it, and I guess after 20 years, I’ll keep him around.
As a self professed shy girl, I never… and I mean NEVER thought I would put myself out there into the blogging world of sharing my life. DEFINITELY never thought I would stand in front of large crowds speaking and sharing about my passion… But have you ever just felt completely compelled to do something? Shoved the thought away a million times but it kept coming back?? That’s kind of where this all began for me. And by the way, when I say shy, I’m talking PAINFULLY shy!!!!! I’m pretty sure I couldn’t manage to order my own food in a restaurant until I was close to the teenage years. Yeah… THAT bad. In fact, I was talking with my mom just the other day and she lovingly, the way mothers do, told me that I was so shy that I would get my big sister to get the free cookie from the grocery store. Can you believe that? I wasn’t even motivated by food!
Clearly a lot has changed as I’ve grown up, haha! I’m now highly motivated by food… tell me you’ll bring me street tacos and a fresh juiced margarita, and I’d probably clean your bathroom. Not even kidding. And I’m now in a place where if someone asked me to speak in front of a room of people, I wouldn’t bat an eye.
So what changed? How did I get to this place? I enjoy reading blogs and following all kinds of people in instagram and facebook and sometimes found myself frustrated that there really wasn’t anyone more like me. I love clothes, but do you know how hard it is for a tall girl to find a pair of jeans??? Listen, I love all you shorties out there. Boob hugs for all of you. (Because thats where your head is when we hug…) My best friend is a mere 5’2 on a good day, and we have the same pair of Lululemon leggings. On her, they’re full length, but on me, they barely go past my calf! So the clothes the shorties recommend ARE NOT going to work for me!
And ultimately, when you’re really truly passionate about something, that passion will outweigh the fears of getting out of your comfort zone. You just go for it with all your HEART. You see, about 10 years ago I learned of the horrors of Human Trafficking, specifically child sex trafficking. A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR a year business!!! What??? Selling children for WHAT??? How can I just sit back and let that happen?? It lit a huge fire in me to DO something!!! So I partnered with this amazing clothing brand here in the Seattle area that was giving proceeds to fight child trafficking. Spoke at several events… was even invited to be on a TV show. And then bam… my grandmother passed away. Her memorial service ended up being the very weekend I was supposed to be on TV. And instead of being on TV, I stood in front of my family and many of friends at my grandmother’s memorial, honoring her and her life and how well she cared for everyone she met, while my grandfather listened to the words I had to say. There was no way I was going to miss her memorial. She is such a foundational piece of who I am. I even named my daughter after her mom.
It was as though that season of advocacy was buried at the same time we buried my grandma. It just somehow got shelved. I had my three littles we were raising… my husband’s work schedule was really demanding and time consuming… it was just the wrong timing. But that fire never when out… the embers were still burning. And now, here I am a decade later and coming out of this season of CRAZY skin issues (more on that journey later) and introduced to a toxin free beauty and wellness company that gives their proceeds to fight human trafficking, and BAM! It’s like God threw some gas on those embers and a microphone in my hand and I just can’t stop sharing about any of it!
And maybe I was saving all those words I didn’t speak as a child for such a time as this. Thanks for following along. It’s sure to bring some beautifully awkward moments… because tall girl problems. And let’s be real life gets messy, and I like to keep it real.
