Hey there, my sweet readers.

Do you remember me? It’s been a hot minute since I last published anything personal here on the good ol’ blog. I honestly completely understand if you forgot all about me. I’ve tried to dive into “work” mode, but I’ve honestly been totally immersed in my daily life outside of Emma Rose Company. Those things include pursuing a new podcast with my sister, Truth Talk Podcast, being more present with our daughter, spending more time with my husband Shaun and simply taking more time to just be alone. Seriously, the other day I got a sitter and went to the coffee shop to color and read my book. Who says you always have to have a sitter for work? Heck no — do what you gotta do to keep your sanity!

So whether you’ve been with me since the beginning, somewhere in between, or this is the first time you’re reading my blog, I just want to say:

Welcome! I’m truly thankful you’re here.

When I find a blog I love, I always love feeling like I know the blogger behind that little computer screen. I am an avid Pinterest user and love tips and tricks, but also love learning about the more vulnerable stuff behind all the pretty like his or her own struggles, experiences and stories. I’ve found my journey with the Truth Talk Podcast so helpful to share more about myself personally, but it’s not here at Emma Rose Company so I’m going to try to be better about keeping my followers — you, in the loop.

With that being said, I’m bringing something a little different to the blog: a life update. Basically I want this post to be a little bit of a highlight reel and update on a few things that are happening in my life and hopefully you find a bit of joy and connection through this post.

My baby isn’t a baby anymore.

I don’t know what hit me recently, but our daughter Riley is simply not a little baby anymore and there’s just something about her in this season that’s making me want to squeeze her extra tight and tell her I love her a million more times a day than usual because I know it’s fleeting. Before I know it she’ll be pulling out of the driveway with a drivers license and begging one of her cool aunts or uncles to buy her beer. Okay, I hope not — but let’s be honest… it will probably happen.

Her little personality is so fun, and also exhausting at the same time. But however frustrated and even annoyed I get sometimes, behind it all is the same kind-hearted, gentle and loving little human I’m proud to be raising. She has her moments like any four-year-old, but man — we hit the jackpot with this one and her sweet soul. Growing up my Dad used to always tell us how much he loved us, “To the moon and back”. I tell Riley the same phrase and she always tells me, “Well, mama, I love you to the stars and back, so that’s further.” Queue the #mamafeels.

In a few weeks she’ll be starting four-year-old preschool, which are longer days but she’s ready. This girl loves school and I’m excited to continue watching her grow and develop in so many different ways. It’s truly remarkable as a parent to watch your kid grow and learn and thrive. We’re nervous but ready for the upcoming school year!

I’m bringing something a little different to the blog: a life update. Basically I want this post to be a little bit of a highlight reel and update on a few things that are happening in my life and hopefully you find a bit of joy and connection thro…

My marriage is better than it’s ever been.

So when you get married they tell you, “It’s hard.” You don’t really want to listen to those comments because you don’t want to believe it — at least I didn’t want to anyway.

I would be lying if I sat here and told you it’s been easy. It hasn’t. But over the past year or so my Husband Shaun and I have been actively working on our relationship and friendship and simply trying to find more joy.

It all started with #myfighttofeelbetter and me finally taking ownership of the things in my life that we’re making me unhappy. My own issues with my weight and self-confidence played a huge part in our relationship and since I turned things around and made my health and wellbeing a priority, in turn, my marriage just got better.

We also read this book together that made a huge impact:

All in all, there’s a lot more to this that I will save for its own post, but hot damn I love my man, and love where we’re headed. While we’ve only been together for just shy of 10 years, approaching 6 of marriage, I do believe that love grows stronger over time. It’s always a work in progress and I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but together, with the right tools, we’re growing stronger day by day.

I said goodbye to my sweet assistant, Dean.

This one is hard to even share because I love her so damn much and my decision to move forward alone was not a decision I made lightly and it had nothing to do with her abilities or anything like that. It was a simple reality that I’ve slowly but surely been embracing more rhythms of rest within my business and life in general. She has also been growing her VA business and I couldn’t be more happy or excited for her.

We’re still friends, we still talk, I simply don’t have her helping me with my business anymore. The memories made with her over the past year + are ones I will cherish for the rest of my life and I truly believe Dean came into my life for a reason and her impact on me has truly changed me for the better. She helped me find more clarity in what I’m doing, where I’m going, and also where I’m not going. Truly, this should also be a blog post of its own!

I will have an assistant again eventually, because it truly is the best. But right now, I’m taking on the load myself as I’ve intentionally slowed things down.

I love you, Dean!

My annual Dream Chasers Workshop is right around the corner!

It’s hard to believe that in just a few months I’ll be driving down the coast to Southern California for my third annual Dream Chasers Workshop. We’re going to have a house full of amazing women ready to come together to learn, grow, and connect. This workshop sold out in just over one month and some of the ladies joining came to my first Dream Chasers Workshop in South Bend! Talk about amazing… I can’t wait to hug them in person and reconnect.

There is so much to come in terms of telling you about the workshop, but for now I will just tell you how excited I am and how right now is total GO time in planning mode because there are a lot of details that don’t come together until about 3 months out and we’re there! Well, a few more weeks — but we’re close! The workshop is November 4-7th in Palm Desert, California! I’m driving down in late October with my Mom and Miss Riley! I’ve got a tribe of women (aside from attendees), coming together to help me with this event because there is simply no way you can do it alone! I’m grateful for my village and everyone involved to make this truly special.

So as much as I want to say, I WISH IT WAS NOW — there’s still a ton of work to be done so I’m going to be a busy bee the next few months gearing up for it all!

See you soon, Dream Chasers!

I’m going to New York City in December!

My Dad took me to NYC when I was in high school and it was amazing. I was also young. When he recently asked Shaun and me if we want to tag along for a winter trip to the Big Apple, we couldn’t say no! We’re staying in a GORGEOUS New York AirBnb with my parents, sister, and her husband! It’s going to be epic.

I’m secretly also hoping to find a photographer to take pictures of Shaun and myself in Central Park or ice skating or something! I’m so excited.

So all in all, things have been really good. I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been some hiccups, because there have been. I think the most difficult thing has simply been work/life balance on the ranch and figuring out our next steps. Right now we live in the sweetest little house in town that I absolutely love and have no intention of leaving anytime soon, but we do need to start making plans for the future and where we want to really plant our roots. We want to live on the ranch, but there are a lot of logistics with that in ensuring we’re in the right spot on the ranch. You can’t just build a house without a pretty much “forever” plan, because you can’t just sell the house when you’re “done with it”, haha. That’s just a tiny sliver into what’s been going on at Rose Ranch, but we’re figuring it out! We’ve had some extremely productive family pow-wows that are absolutely crucial when working for a family business and ensuring all parties are on the same page. I’m still learning the art of patience and flexibility when it comes to this lifestyle and as I write this, my husband has already put in 60 hours this week… #hayseason. I’m officially #OVERIT. Haha! Seriously, though… I’ve been mowing the lawn and doing a lot more work outside than I normally do because I feel bad asking him to do it after working in the hay/grass all day.

I hope this is the first “life update” of many in the future! Again, I think it’s important for anyone reading my blog to know me better, beyond the pretty pictures and website projects!

Below are a few pictures I’ve taken recently on my phone to highlight some of the fun we’ve been having here the past few months!

With that being said… what have you been up to? I’d love to hear from you!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

How Finding My Voice Changed Everything
5 Ways I'm Being Nicer to Myself
How I Used the Hardest Year of my Life to Fuel my Business and Triple my Income

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