The Last Plate in the Cabinet + Some Good News

Last night I reached into the cabinet to grab a plate to catch the hot fudgy brownie being lifted from the pan while a group of precious, adorable, chatty ladies sat in my living room.

Zach and I decided on this cozy townhouse one year ago because we were about to get married. We chose Augusta because we sensed the Lord calling us here. It's about 2 hours from both families and we thought there was a great job opportunity for Zach here, but needed to make a house decision before there was any final news on the job. 

Well. He didn't get the job. 

So here I am, 1 month married with a small business and a husband fresh out of grad school with...a less than exciting year ahead of him, career-wise. 

I griped, I cried, I scratched my head. If teaching wasn't in the cards this year, I would have to haul some serious business freight. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME PUT ON BIG GIRL PANTIES, I said to the Lord.

The one-sentence version of this year: God provided every growth opportunity Laurel Ave needed through precious clients and fantastic community here in Augusta, and Zach faithfully sold tea, sorted towels, and scrubbed toilets to help get us through. 

The Details.

As we started to see God providing financially, I found other things to be afraid over and complain about. As usual.

"I don't know why, but I just can't seem to make friends," I told my mom our second month here. 

It was a very vulnerable year for us, no "steady" job and no connections to begin with. I found myself feeling very unsure of WHY a lot of days. God taught us to ask "what" instead of "why", and that helped us keep on putting one foot in front of the other, and like a kid that gets dropped off at childcare, I slowly started to warm up to the things available to us here, and then I started to actually LIKE it. 

Then we found Stevens Creek Church. Then we found Tuesdays Together. Then we found small groups. Then we found Tyler and Leah's weekly dinners. 

 

Then teacher application season came back around. 

I put on a brave face around Zach, but surely he knows those mornings in my office (the spare bedroom) I was griping and pleading and praying and scratching my head and googling teaching openings. Where are the jobs? Where do I even want to live? Where can my business grow? Where can Zach have a fulfilling job with a good salary??

Yesterday was June 7th.

Still no news on a job. 

Lease ends in 23 days. 

I have asked the Lord plenty of times what this year in Augusta was about. I've sat quietly (and not so quietly) waiting for answers about when Zach will have work. 

I'm at Target getting brownie mix and my phone rings: it's Zach.

Later that night I told my small group: HE GOT THE JOB!!! But...it's in Milledgeville. So much encouragement and a few tears for leaving friends behind.  

After the small group left, I reached into the cabinet to get one more plate for a late night snack for myself. I jumped when I saw which plate I was reaching for because it's a plate I haven't seen since we moved in. It's our one-of-a-kind fancy plate, and when I put it in the cabinet last June I thought to myself,

"I am never going to get through this giant stack of plates all the way down to this one. We would have to have a ton of people over, or at least 15 dirty plates (which would be a lot in a household of 2). Neither of those things are going to happen. Why do we even HAVE so many plates?!"

 

I did that thing - that only girls do - where you stand in your kitchen and cry over the sentiment of a plate. 

We have been abundantly, ridiculously blessed and cared for here in this weird town where we had no work and no friends at first. 

The Lord carried us to groups, communities, clients, part time jobs, friends, late night laughs, long walks and a whole city full of affectionate memories. 

As we make the move BACK to middle Georgia where we both spent 5+ years in school, it feels a little like we had a Boomerang year where the Lord said, "let me teach you a few things and then I'll lead you back". 

Worth it? I mean, I ate off my last plate...

XOXO, 

E

FAQ:

What will he be teaching? 9th Grade Civics and 10th Grade History

What will happen to Laurel Ave? Nothing. Augusta/Athens/Atlanta...etc... clients will have my full heart and attention and presence. Augusta vendors have my heart and I will still travel to be friends with the amazing community there. And Central Georgia will get a little extra LA presence (Macon's Tuesday's Together, I'm comin' for ya). 

How are you going to live in a town without a Target and a Costco and a Panera? Valid. But Zach refers to Milledgeville as "the town where we fell in love" so I guess we'll get by. 

How to Beat the Lets-Get-This-Wedding-Over-With Attitude

For those who are not yet engaged, engagement may seem like the actual most magical time of your life. I'm not here to burst your hopeful bubble, but working with brides, I have been met with the overwhelming response of

"let's just get past the wedding". 

It's easy to look ahead to your wedding and just see your savings going down drain, or see your parents footing all the bills and feeling guilty for eating grapes out of their fridge because of the $6,000 they're about to drop on one days worth of food for you. Some brides even feel guilty for feeling guilty, because this is supposed to be fun, right?

I'm here to tell you, if you plan your entire wedding without one single emotional breakdown over budgets or seating charts or cake cutting fees: you're not normal.

Our job is to make the process a little easier. Lighten the load, so to speak. But it makes me so sad when I can't produce a magic wand and make three thousand extra dollars appear for my brides.

I've got three secret weapons to beat the "I-Don't-Wannas"

1. Remember why you're throwing this party. 
See, sometimes you want to pull your hair out over your wedding, and when that happens, you just need to go get a sandwich and a magazine and walk away for a minute and think about why you are getting married and why you're having a wedding and most of the time that will make your time and energy feel more necessary. Try not to let money make you so jaded you miss the butterflies of the planning process. Call your intended and talk about your first date. 

2. Forget perfection. 
If the price of a "normal" wedding is killing your groove, think about each part of the process and ask yourself and your groom if the $500 altar flowers are super important to you or if you're just doing it because it's normal.

3. Remember how your guests are gonna feel.
 Your wedding is a huge gift to them because they're going to have an awesome time celebrating you. Every thoughtful detail will be so appreciated and noticed. Your wedding is a love language of its own, really!

Bonus Suggestion: Set boundaries. I AM SERIOUS. Choose a day of the week where you don't work on, think about or talk about this wedding. Get your family in on it! 

Johna Griswell Photography, Southern Vintage Rental, Jeanne Brock Florals

Love you brides to be! 

Merry Christmas, 

Elena

Engagement Season Is Here

Engagement season is in full swing. Pumkin spice lattes  = crisp weather, big sweaters, and lots and lots of rings. 

But my question is, dear ladies, is - are you ready? As a wedding planner, I spend a lot of time and energy around other people's romantic relationships, so I thought it was time we talked about the ugliest joy thief: comparison. 

I wanted this post to be accurate, so I have interviewed 10 women in who are all very different, all of whom I respect SO very much and consider to be great sources of wisdom. I asked them questions about how we as women compare ourselves and our relationships. Their  answers were profound, beautiful, and strikingly similar. We all compare. It always hurts.  

The following is an open letter, from ourselves, to ourselves, as women in the pre-marriage life stage. 

Dear Single,

You are wise. You are beautiful. You are every bit as worthy. You will have your turn, pinky promise. And don't use the term "Forever Alone".  Waste no time on self pity. Strong women don't need to make jokes about how Netflix is their boyfriend, because they see ahead with clear eyes and steady heart. First things first, because the boy that finally discovers you will have found a novel in a sea of magazines, my love. You are tired of the questions from your family, tired of the prompting from friends, tired of striving. All you need to do is be completely yourself, happy in your skin. And in the mean time, you are a whole person. Be. 

Dear Dating,

Sweet heart full of love. What will comparison do for you, but steal your joy? Lift your chin, count your blessings, and enjoy this beautiful season of lightheartedness. Don't make your relationship like a marriage. Save the responsibility and intimacy for later. The best thing about this season is hope. Hope for your future, but don't hold any claim over it like it already belongs to you. Hope for your relationship, but don't control it. Relax. Resist the urge to try and persuade your friends that your guy is great. If you think he's great, then......great!  Your relationship will progress without you flooring the gas. Don't rush him! Go out to dinner, walk in the park, swing after dark, surprise him with tickets. These can be the good old days.

Dear Engaged,

Don't be afraid. You aren't ruining someone else's happiness by being engaged. You are so very much worth celebrating! Don't forget that you will have lots of visitors to your Facebook profile during this season, so take this major opportunity to post uplifting, life-giving things (hint: sometimes choose topics other than relationships) but don't be afraid to be openly thrilled with engagement. This is your moment, sweetheart, soak up the joy! People are happy for you. Don't get overwhelmed, but know that a friend you call will feel remembered and honored because engagement brings a small degree of social celebrity. 

Dear Women,

We all have a little fountain of celebration inside of us. The one thing that can shut off the tap to our reservoir of celebration is jealousy and comparison. Don't let any voices in your head make you bitter at her over that ring. Set your sternest face against envy and rejoice for her. WITH her. When was the last time you were so overjoyed that it affected your face, your attitude, your tone, your thoughts. Is that how you feel for your friend when you see her post about the best boyfriend ever? Women, sometimes we hurt each other way worse than men hurt us, and on top of that, we're sneaky. Don't stew in the poison of pride and comparison. Delight with your girls.

You want to see a strong woman?

Look for the one that can genuinely celebrate another woman's gain.

Lovingly,

Elena