Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone is suffering from a food coma and spending the day with family and loved ones! This year is pretty low key for us. Our grandparents are on a trip, Jacob is working nights, and Kailey flew in from Amarillo this morning from visiting Paul’s family at their ranch. Us and Lily are spending the day at our mom’s awaiting a delicious meal and watching Christmas movies and the Fixer Upper Marathon.
Being from Houston, it’s easy to recognize all of which that we have to be thankful for after the hurricane. We know so many people that suffered immensely. Lost homes. Lost jobs. Lost loved ones. The list could go on. We are praying that those sweet souls who are rebuilding their lives have at least found themselves today around a table of hot food, laughter, and family.
We thought it would be only fitting to share what we are so, incredibly thankful for. Each of us have compiled a little list of what and who has our hearts full this holiday season, and we hope this only sparks a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings as you recover on the couch!
From Hailey:
- If you only know me a tiny bit, you would know that I have experienced quite the year of ups and downs. It was me and Jacob’s first year of marriage (one year in June), new job, new baby, quitting said new job, finding my calling in the wedding industry, and a slew of major health scares. We were tested and tried to say the least. Today, I’m so thankful for my husband and partner in life. Life is a lot of work, but when you’re dealing with the realest of real happening around you, having a spouse that loves you endlessly through everything makes it easy.
- If there is anything that I was made to be, it was to be a mama. When I look at my girl, I could care less about all of my other aspirations in life. If God made me nothing else at all, being Mama is all that He made me to be. She is just the greatest. Even on the days that are hard (and I mean “I cried more than she did” hard), I still couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in life. She really is my heart walking outside of my body.
- After graduating and falling into the career that I worked my butt off for, nothing was more clear to me than the simple fact that teaching was not where I was meant to be in this stage of my life. Being Lily’s mama was my one and only priority, and working in the atmosphere that I was wasn’t worth my time away from my baby. Today, I am so thankful for God leading me to my dream job. I love making anyone feel good about themselves (probably why I felt that teaching was my calling), and making someone feel good by simply doing a fabulous crown braid on a bride or client makes my heart have all the happy feels. When I’m at work (which is the best schedule ever), I have the joy of providing for my family while doing what I love. Also, what better job to have than with your sister/best friend.
- Even while I complain to Jacob all the time how tiny our house is and that we are desperately outgrowing it, I’m thankful for our little home. I can easily think of all the precious memories we’ve made there. In our home, Jacob proposed to me, we began our married life, we brought Lily home from the hospital…just too many moments to count. Also after Harvey, we were untouched there. It gave us shelter and protected us from the storm, and I’m so thankful to have a home to call my own at all.
- Lastly, my family and friends. Jacob and I are given countless support and help with Lily. Jacob and I both work very inconsistent schedules (him shift work and me working in clients and multiple wedding parties weekly). If it weren’t for my parents, grandparents, or Jacob’s family, we would easily have to put Lily in daycare and that would defeat the purpose of me working outside of the home, and I just don’t think my heart could take being away from her for that long a day. Props to all the full-time working mamas. You are a true super hero. In addition to the help, we are so blessed to have friends that love our girl endlessly. Nothing brings our heart more happiness than when we see someone dote and love on Lily like she’s their own.
Life couldn’t be sweeter.
From Kailey:
- This year was immensely full of new beginnings for me. New business. New home. New relationship. New seasons in life are never easy, and can be incredibly overwhelming. Starting my business was most definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my career. I was so scared of failure or if I was making the right decision. I felt so much anxiety from moving out of my apartment and back home with my grandparents (which ended up to be a huge blessing.) But with Paul, my family, Ling, and all of my sweet friends doing everything they possibly could to get Saltflat up and running, I’ve never felt so encouraged or supported in my entire life. I’m beyond thankful for all of my angels Earth side that God has given me. My cup runneth over with how lucky I am to love the people that I do.
- I’m thankful for my amazing business partner, Ling. I met her on October 1st, 2015, and crazy to think that exactly two years later, we launched shopsaltflat.com! She is strong, beautiful, smart, supportive, encouraging, hard working, and the best mentor I could ever have. I’ve had the upmost treat of learning from her, and she lit a fire in me to be my best self when I didn’t think I had it in me. I tell her everyday and she probs thinks I’m crazy, but this sweet gal will never know how much she means to me and how much I love her.
- I’m thankful for adventure and my wanderlust heart for taking me all over the world this past year. I’ve always been a curious one, wanting to be in a new city and experience the culture and people that consume it. I went to Singapore along with Charleston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York (about to go for the third time this year with Paul next week), Napa, New Bern, and the list goes on and on. I was on a plane close to 30 times this year, and I totally intend on breaking my record next year and add a few more stamps to my passport.
- I’m thankful to be Lily’s Aunt Sister. That sweet girl has brought more joy to my life than I ever thought possible and I question if I will love my own children as much as I love her. That gummy grin lights up my world and her hugs make any day brighter. She’s a mess to say the least, but our family wouldn’t have it any other way.
- I’m thankful for God’s unending love and for always putting me right where I need to be. Trusting Him and His plan has always been my guiding and without Him…NOTHING is possible. He’s so good at beginning and ending seasons, and making a mess of your life when you need to look at yourself and ask “what needs to change.” I give all the glory to Him, and I hope that I can learn and reflect a year from now as much as I did this year.
We are thankfulness is endless. We would like to thank each one of our readers and all who support this platform of ours. We are so blessed to have the world’s best cheerleaders, and the kind words and overall goodness that always seems to come our way…we thank you! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
