Hi! If you are wondering why it has been so long since my last blog post it’s because I just moved from San Diego, CA to Nashville, TN. I’ll get to those details a little later, so if you’re curious you’ll have to read this whole post. 😉 I want to start by sharing something I’ve been thinking about a lot about lately, so here it is. I love that each and every one of us has our own unique sense of style and our own story. As I continue to share photos of my personal style and story; I’m going to start sharing the style and story of friends and new people I meet as well. If you follow me, know that my blog is still going to be style focused, but there is going to be real substance as well. It will be a blend of fun and serious. Here’s why… Anyone can post a cute outfit and style blogs are a dime a dozen. Don’t get me wrong. I am a Pinterest addict, I follow a lot of style blogs and I love looking at photos of cute outfits for inspiration, but we are more than what we wear. When all the materialistic things are stripped away, we are simply our own unique person with our own unique story. So what’s the story behind all these faces that we follow and all of the photos that we obsess over? I for one am curious, are you? I get so tired of just scrolling through beautiful photos on blogs wondering how these women lead such perfect glamorous lives. I don’t want anyone to follow my blog and think that I always have it together because I only share the good stuff. That’s not reality. Yes, I am passionate about helping every woman be the best version of herself through personal style and I hope to inspire you through photos and by sharing ideas, but it doesn’t start and end there. I like to feel connected. All humans crave connection; we were created to do life together. With social media always at our fingertips it’s easy to be glued to our phones, looking at photos day in and day out, trying to keep up and not truly connecting. Everyone is posting photos looking cute and happy, and we post our own photos looking cute and happy, but sometimes it’s just not what’s going on behind the scenes. We are all going through life on our own journey and it can be messy at times. We all go through seasons, highs and lows, and I think it’s time to get personal and share something deeper than just what’s on the surface. When we create a community and build relationships; we build a foundation. This foundation will support us when life throws a curve ball (see my post titled “STRIPPED”). When we choose to engage, we choose to be part of something bigger than ourselves. All that said, I will kick off by sharing a happy story, an update really, about my family’s recent move from San Diego, CA to Nashville, TN. My family in this story is me, my husband Josiah and our Pomeranian, Stella. You may be thinking what most people thought (or said) when we told them about this move…Why? Is work taking you there? Do you have family there? The answer to those questions are because we can, no and no. 🙂 Josiah and I have been married for 5 years (we celebrated our anniversary on June 5th) and we were just ready for a new adventure, a fresh start, better quality of life. For us, at this stage, that meant a big move to a new state. For some of you this may mean moving to a new side of town or getting a new roommate, something not as drastic. For others it will be getting engaged, making a career change, starting a business, etc. All big moves. It looks different for everyone. Nashville was on our radar after taking a five day trip in October of 2012 to visit friends who had moved there from San Diego. We fell in love with the city and all that it had to offer. The possibilities lined up with our goals so we decided to plan for a move. I can happily say that after much preparation, determination and dedication we have arrived and are settling in to our new city of Nashville, TN. We have new jobs, new friends, different weather, different food, all sorts of changes. It has been one month (time flies) and we are loving it!! On that note, I need to thank my amazing parents for flying from MN to CA, helping us pack up the Uhaul trailer, then making the three day drive with us and helping us move in to our temporary apartment. We couldn’t have done it without them. We love you Greg and Carla Schroeder! That said, those of you close to us know what it took for us to get here. There were some rough times while we prepared. Our patience were tested, our finances stretched, our relationship strained, but we pressed on. All I can say is, it was well worth it. We are on track to achieve one of our big goals for this year and I can’t wait to share more with you soon! If you have a goal, a dream, a desire to try something new, don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t settle in your comfort zone and miss out on what could potentially be your greatest adventure. Change is never easy, and there are always obstacles to overcome, but the reward is worth the risk. You’ll never know if you never try. If something doesn’t work out exactly as you imagined, that doesn’t mean it’s a failure!! It just means its a learning experience and a stepping stone in your journey. I’ll wrap up by saying that I am currently in a season of transition. It’s a time of building, learning, preparing for my families future. What season are you in? I’d love to hear your story and get to know you! XO, Erica Below are a few photos from the last four weeks, starting with the day we said goodbye to San Diego and locked the door to our unit at SD Lofts, The Union, for the last time.