Kelly Rae Roberts's Blog, page 8

My Instagram Weekly Round Up: England, Here I Come!

I'm obsessed with Instagram – it's my favorite online home! Here's a recap from the last week, and for those of you who aren't on Instagram, come and join me! And you can click here to see all the Instagram updates right here on my blog!

Friday, June 5 


Adore this sign on a local biz building to let folks know if they are open or closed. I want one! And for the record I'm officially "playing" for the next week or so. Buh-bye work. England, here I come!

They have a really amazing poetry/hope note wall at a cafe in Portland. I pulled a card and this is what I got. I so love this concept of tucking notes into the cracks of things. Feels like a surprise, a gift from the universe.
Saturday, June 6

Hello Saturday. Today it's packing for my solo trip, hanging with the family, a last minute massage before sitting on a plane for 10+ hours, and staying cool (HOT today in Portland). Happy weekend, friends. Hope you're up to something nourishing for your soul.


I've never done this before but I took photos of my outfits before I packed them so I can remember the combos once I get there. This is about half of what I'm taking. Almost done packing and off in the morn!

Sunday, June 7


They're popping up in our front yard. This is the first one and I'm so hoping I don't miss all the blooming while I'm gone. We've never had #ranunculus in our yards and its making me ridiculously excited. One of my faves.


Gonna miss this little lover bean. Friday was the last day of preschool and he is super thrilled for summer break. Before I left we started our summer manifesto, which included riding bikes, swimming, pool fun, trips to OR coast, painting, picnics, dance classes, soccer camp, and more. Last summer we were settling in to the new digs. This summer we have a very little to do list outside of having fun. We are super excited.


I've been at the SFO airport for a few hours waiting for my flight to London. I love airports and I love a good long solo layover as a grounding session away from real life before an adventure begins. Anyway, during my couple of hours here I've come across this favorite Rumi poem twice (in two different places) and I'm taking note of the sign, the message, and the reminder of how much I love a good clearing out to get to the delight.
Tuesday, June 9
 
I have arrived! Dear London, I spent the day walking and touring your streets. You are not only so pretty and clean, but you must be the most courteous and polite city I've ever visited. I like you. A lot. Even the Tube was a breeze to navigate. I'm heading to Brighton tomorrow. I'm a panelist at the Make Art That Sells event!    Insomnia/jetlag. At least the Angels are with me. 
Wednesday, June 10

Thanks for the reminder, London. My scary thing today was navigating Victoria Station. Holy smokes. Quite grateful for all the sincere assistance. I simply cannot get over the graciousness of London. People are so kind!
Thursday, June 11
 

Brighton is quirky and beautiful.

A few things I saw today. Feeling a tad homesick but also falling in love with the Brits.


That's it for this week! Check back here next week for another update, or join us over on Instagram for daily photos and thoughts!

XO,
Kelly Rae

on choosing joy and trusting our hearts out.

 "Beauty is whatever gives joy." -Edna St Vincent Millay
I have a memory of my husband and I purchasing our very first couch together. We were in our mid/late 20's, excited about our very first home. So there we were at the furniture shop - in the land of black, brown, grey and other neutrals. I had been reading up on decor mags, and it seemed that every suggestion was to buy neutral colored furniture and to add "pops" of color with pillows, rugs, and other accessories. This made perfect sense to me and I wanted to follow the rules. Really. But there was this one couch in that entire gigantic furniture shop that stood out and seemed to call to us, "Pick me! Pick me!" According to the magazines, it was all wrong. It was big and it was bright RED. Oh no!
This became a pivotal moment in my joy journey.  John and I considered the red couch, trying to decide if we should take such a leap? Wouldn't we get more "use" from a neutral couch? Wouldn't it be easier to "match" other furniture to a brown couch? Wouldn't it be "practical" to get the grey couch? As we discussed it, we decided that it was more important to purchase what made us LIGHT UP, what made us get super excited, what gave us joy.
So, we bought the red couch, and it provided a great level of enthusiastic momentum to then create a home space that felt like us without compromises, without following anybody else's "rules" except our own. We loved it. 
It's been about 15 years since that day in the furniture store, and we've had many moves and spaces since that one, but purchasing the red couch was a lesson that stuck with us: Always choose joy.

(new piece, available here)

I deeply believe that these micro decisions that we make everyday: which colors we choose to paint our walls, what kinds of furniture we buy, what we bring to our cubicles at work, what we wear - it all matters. DEEPLY. If we're choosing (and trusting) our own unique brand of joy along the way during all these micro decisions, then we're primed and ready to choose joy for the bigger macro decisions when it really really really matters: what job to say yes to, who to date, who to marry, who to be friends with! It all matters. 
Our jobs, here on Earth, are to choose joy. To integrate it into our homes, our work spaces, our friendships. To radiate it out into the world through the expression of ourselves whether that be our clothing, our perspectives, our outlooks on life, our decor, and so much more.
This is what it's all REALLY about. (Love, Trust, and Joy).
Big love,
Kelly Rae

My Instagram Weekly Round Up – Kindness Changes Everything

I'm obsessed with Instagram – it's my favorite online home! Here's a recap from the last week, and for those of you who aren't on Instagram, come and join me! And you can click here to see all the Instagram updates right here on my blog!

Friday, May 29


Print Available – Your Story Matters
Your beautifully messy complicated story matters. Tell it. Chances are, someone else recognizes your beauty and messiness, can see parts of themselves in your story. Makes our world a little smaller, makes our hearts grow a little bigger and more connected, no?


This happened this morning. Taking advantage of the amazing weather we're having. Saw a beautiful bald eagle while out on the water. Whoa. Majestic.


Found this lovely feather in the water today. Anyone have a guess what type of bird? Feather is about 8 inches long.


Current view. Finishing this one up and it's making me happy. I'll be listing many originals next month. Stay tuned! It's been a full, fun day!

Saturday, May 30

Detail of recently finished painting. Joy and Trust are my most potent teachers. Happy weekend, ya'll.

Sunday, May 31


Raise your if you see an elephant.


I am the lucky owner of this GORGEOUS painting by artist Carrie Schmitt. She came by to drop it off today and I'm not sure there is a more generous, delightful soul! 


He was on his bike down the sidewalk when he insisted I come check out the heart he just found in the grass. And there it was, barely visible, a little patch of a heart in the grass. Honestly, I just love that he seeks out hearts and little joys all day long and shares them with us.

Monday, June 1
 
Print Available – Portrait of a True Spirit
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” ― William Shakespeare To recognize your truth, to hear it in your heart, and then to finally listen to it – this is where the work is, no?

Tuesday, June 2


Print Available – Love, Possibility
Dear You, Permission granted to dream BIGGER and let your spirit soar. Love, Possibility Here's to a big, dream-filled, soaring, possibilitarian Tuesday! Print available from my print shop!

 Wearing my joy today with a fave necklace, super old Miz Mooz hoes, and a knitted tank. I feel like I have a small army of amazing women doing The Wear Your Joy Project and 30 day practice with me. Still adore how this practice had been a way IN to more joy in all areas of my life. So good!  Wednesday, June 3

Print Available – Embrace the Journey
Not all those who wander are lost.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien Our journeys are our stories, and everything shapes us.


Field day!


 New piece in the shop! Choose joy and trust your heart out.

I have been moving so fast the last couple of weeks, over-extending myself a bit. At heart I'm an enthusiast and it takes a boatload of conscious restraint to not overfill my days. I'm feeling the pull to sloooow it way back and get back to smelling the roses. My soul is calling.



Thursday, June 4
 

Print Available – Dream Big in the Moonlight
Dream BIG in the moonlight, dear one. And let those dreams take flight during the day.


Dear Peonies, you, dahlias, and daisies will always be my fave.


I just got off an extraordinary intuitive call where I was told that kindness is my primary life lesson - to discern how to balance it with innate compassion so that it's not given in a way that is ultimately detrimental - to not allow myself to be exploited because of it - to spread it widely - to give it to myself in boatloads - to usher it toward those who have been unkind to me - and so much more. As I was digesting it all, I looked up and saw this old piece of mine hanging in the kitchen. It's angel winged message that says "kindness changes everything."


That's it for this week! Check back here next week for another update, or join us over on Instagram for daily photos and thoughts!

XO,
Kelly Rae

Products We're Loving: Hope and Healing

Friends, each week we try and highlight some of our gorgeous products that we want to share with you! Some new new new and some old favorites. Check 'em out below!

PS: All of the products featured below (and more) are sold online via the online retailer Garden Gallery Iron Works (a local shop here in the Portland area), but if you're looking for signed/matted prints, you can get these in my print shop. 

PPS: International customers, Garden Gallery is HAPPY to ship worldwide. Please email them  at gardengalleryorders@gmail.com to get started.  



These new new new block manifestos are some of my favorite pieces from my 2015 collection! Perfect little moments of inspiration and support that can be displayed just about anywhere. Find them at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here! 


Did you guys know we have wind chimes? Find this one (and others) at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!


Love this photo that displays (almost) the entirety of the new charm collection – customizable bracelets, necklaces, and tons and tons of charms! I especially love the lace doily frame charms with sweet messages of hope. Find the whole collection at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here! 



Let it go. Say yes to healing, yes to change. Breathe in the beauty around you. Rediscover the beauty within you. Surrender your fear. Be gentle on your soul. Trust your strength.

The hanging angels from the KRR collection are great for spreading a little hope and joy to loved ones. Hang from any corner of your home or display with a stand! Find them at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here. 


Friends, sending you hope if you need it. These mini everyday ornaments are great for tiny reminders that we are loved. Find them at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here.

Studio Tour!!

We moved into my new studio/office about 4 months ago. We're settled. We're in love. And I still sometimes pinch myself that I have a dedicated space, all to myself, outside of my home. I've come a long way on this creative journey - ten years next year! Amazing. And I am so grateful. 
Let me give you a tour! All photos by the lovely Tiffany Kirchner Dixon. 
This space is housed inside of an old high school, and our office/studio is housed in one of the old classrooms. 
This is what it looked like BEFORE:


And this is what it looks like now: 


(that's me drawing hop scotch on the floor)
We have this space (about 875 sq feet) sectioned off into several different spaces that we use on a regular basis...
STUDIO AREA:
This is the painting area....



I love that we painted the floors a bright teal. Not only can we drop pain on the ground, but it's huge pop of color for the entire space. Screams joy. 

I'm using a basic table that my dad built from old farm wood. It's a perfect size for me. I mainly paint here at this table and occasionally on the easel that is behind this table


Chalkboard rails are a perfect little ledge. 


The rolling carts (mostly from Ikea) are perfect for supplies. Love. 



My dresser from my Creative Co-op Collection holds papers and other supplies. 

An old door is a perfect spot for aprons. 


My Desk Area:

This is my admin happy place......


We bought our desks from a liquidation center here in Portland. They're old teacher desks! 

Parasols are a must, no? And the rug is from Target. Lamp is a vintage base paired with a shade from Home Goods (love that place!)


Inspiration behind my desk. 


Nichole's desk:
This is where Nichole, my Community Care & Engagement Manager works her magic each day...

I'm so in love with her desk. So much light. And those chairs (also from a liquidation center) are A+ cozy.

We crafted a little mobile for above her desk. Love, love, love.
Lounge AreaThis is where I often write, dream, and hang out with anyone who stops by. 

The couch on the left is from my old collection with Creative Co-op and the green couch is a very old Pottery Barn couch. Rug is also a Target rug. 



Entry way:
Where we hang our coats up and are greeted with color! 

The clock is original to the high school. Love that it's still here from the early 1900s! 

(Hi)

We fashioned a coat rack with a huge magnet board + hooks atop an old trunk I've had forever. 


Kitchen/Storage Area:

Nichole and I have our weekly meetings here over take-out. The table to the right holds our dishes, small fridge, microwave, teapot, and more. 

Paintbrush chandelier I made years ago. 

Behind our kitchen table is a small storage area we created using two 8' doors hinged together with curtains on either side. Works perfectly. 


That's the tour, friends!
The mission for this space is to use it to create, build my team, admin work, writing work, and perhaps an in person workshop from time to time (sign up for the newsletter if you want to stay in the loop!). 

My Instagram Weekly Round Up – Sending Love

I'm obsessed with Instagram – it's my favorite online home! Here's a recap from the last week, and for those of you who aren't on Instagram, come and join me! And you can click here to see all the Instagram updates right here on my blog!

Friday, May 22




Print Available – Seeker of all Things Brave
She was learning to to silence the noise and reawaken to her bright bloom. Here's a bright, blooming, awakening weekend, my friends.



Totally in love with this tunic my mom made me. It's rainy and cold and cloudy in portland today but I'm dressed up in joy anyway.


Ahhhhh! Sneak peek of our brand new scarves. They are my favorite ones we've ever made. Cozy, artful, and I will be wearing these for layering up on the daily!


I am in the 4th grade. Mullet. Check. Purple suspenders. Check. Pink shirt buttoned all the way up. Check. Checkered pastel pants. Check. One pink high top converse and the other purple. Check. Wearing my joy since 1975. Check.


Just got off a call with my brand mgr Betsy after a previous call with another consultant regarding some needs we have here at KRR, including a producer role. And now I'm settling into writing content for my various offerings. As I think about all the little (and big) things I get to do (painting, licensing, products + prints, books, Ecourses), I am sooooooo grateful to have the support I have both here in KRR land but also out there with you all, supporting what I do. Also really grateful for all the inspiration that hangs around, patiently waiting (sometimes years) to be born into something tangible. I sometimes can't believe my life. I am happy, fulfilled, as balanced as I'm ever gonna get with creativity on board, and just genuinely excited for what's ahead in life and in biz.
Sunday, May 24

Hello, Sunday.


True and I dropped in on our friend Flora Bowley's painting workshop today. We marveled at all the gorgeous student paintings and even did a little painting ourselves. Flora is a gifted painting teacher and the work coming out of her workshops shows it. Well done Flora and bloom true students!! Flora has an online painting workshop that starts June 1st - check it out!

Monday, May 25
 

Print Available – Seeker of all Things True
“When you seek, you lead in discovery.” ― Jean Hamilton-Fford Seeking your own truth is a continual, everlasting process. New layers are shed, new wings are spread. This piece reads "seeker of all things true" and it's always been a fave.


We had an open house over the weekend (finally) for our new digs. It was really special to have the new neighbors and the old neighbors and friends all converge and help us officially celebrate. These flowers were one of the offerings and I just can't get over their beauty. Sending love. Xxo

Tuesday, May 26



Print Available – Let It Go
Just when you thought you got the song from Frozen out of your head.... But really and truly, there is nothing like letting it go. Release release release.


Daisies and gerber daisies are among my faves. They just scream joy to me. Love. House is full of flowers right now. Screen doors are open. And I'm savoring it all. People, my mom made me another schoolhouse tunic and this one features bespectacled deer. Ahhh, love!


This has been a fun experimental canvas for me and she's almost done.


No filter. The light streaming through is so pretty right now.Wednesday, May 27

Happy place.


Print Available – Be Brave Manifesto
Be brave. May you surrender fear, embrace uncertainty, and trust your strength. May you be gentle on your soul (and ask for what you need) as you heal and mend your heart. May you feel the immeasurable power of how deeply you are loved. May you discover all the ways in which you are not broken but deeply, profoundly whole. May you embrace your vulnerability and practice courage (every single day). May you emerge softer, wiser and more beauty-full. May you discover all the ways hope rises up to meet your biggest struggles and cracks open your heart to the light within yourself, waiting to be seen, waiting to be born.



Beautiful day at the Portland Rose Garden with my boys. Taking a little lifecation this afternoon. Ahhhhhh.



After a bit of family fun this afternoon I'm back home working a bit from the living room. The light in here is magical and I'm feeling grateful for the flexibility in schedules and routines.

Thursday, May 28
 


Grass. Sunshine. Flip flops.

  ️

He's had this lovey since he was born. His name is sockdog and he goes wherever True goes. There have been many many panicked times when we have misplaced him and parents, you know how that goes. Anyway, sockdog is much like the velveteen rabbit these days - so loved that he's starting to unravel and fall apart. This week John sewed a large blue heart-shaped patch over sockdog's chest (can you see it?) and when True saw the heart on the wall he wanted sockdog's new heart to be next to it.



That's it for this week! Check back here next week for another update, or join us over on Instagram for daily photos and thoughts!

XO,
Kelly Rae

Products We're Loving: Believe and Be True

Friends, each week we try and highlight some of our gorgeous products that we want to share with you! Some new new new and some old favorites. Check 'em out below!

PS: All of the products featured below (and more) are sold online via the online retailer Garden Gallery Iron Works (a local shop here in the Portland area), but if you're looking for signed/matted prints, you can get these in my print shop. 

PPS: International customers, Garden Gallery is HAPPY to ship worldwide. Please email them  at gardengalleryorders@gmail.com to get started.  




This cute cute cute mini ornament can be hung in unlikely places, anywhere you might need some magic! Rear view mirrors, ficus trees, coat hangers. A lovely way to add a little magic to your home or office for those who believe! Find this mini ornament at the online retailer


 Totally adore our little bird homes in our garden collection. I've been gifting them to my friends lately - perfect for the back yard! Find it at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here.



Love love love these new customizable charm necklaces! Totally unique with beautiful, interchangeable piece! See the whole charm collection (starter necklaces, starter bracelets, and individual charms) at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!




You guys, this dragonfly sculpture is just lovely, perfect for work desks, endtables, bookshelves, wherever! This one reads: "Dear Joy. You make my heart soar, peace." Yes yes yes.
 Find it at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here.



Love love love these new gift wings. Beautifully and delicately done, they are the perfect little gift for that special person in your life who deserves a little reminder that they're amazing. This wing pair says: "Nourishing heart. Your kindness changes everything. Thank you."  Find it at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!

My Instagram Weekly Round Up – Trust Your Wholeness

I'm obsessed with Instagram – it's my favorite online home! Here's a recap from the last week, and for those of you who aren't on Instagram, come and join me! And you can click here to see all the Instagram updates right here on my blog!

Friday, May 15



Print Available – Bright Bloom
She was learning to to silence the noise and reawaken to her bright bloom. Here's a bright, blooming, awakening weekend, my friends.


Hello baby, hello business, hello burnout. My thoughts, personal stories, and tips are in the latest issue of Where Women Create Business. On the upside, it's been almost one full year since I experienced my last burnout. It was the big mama of burnout and changed my life completely toward one of self compassion, care, and love. We live and we LEARN, no?

Love making tunics out of layers. And I love this practice and all the amazing women doing it with me. I can barely keep up with the enthusiasm in our private Facebook group! It's day 6 out of 30 for many of us doing this practice. Love love love.

Saturday, May 16

Fresh flowers in the house is a kind of delight I will never not have.


Me: I love you all the way around the Earth. True: Well I love you even when I'm in heaven or in jail.
Monday, May 18
 
Print Available – Slow Down
Slow down. Breathe. Take it all in. Trust. Feel your aliveness. Ask. Manifest. Connect with your heart. Do you ever have those moments in the full, heart-centered swirl when things are going good, but it feels like so, so much? Been having a few of those lately. Even when everything that is happening feeds my soul, there is still a need to breathe, slow down, connect with my heart, feel my aliveness one step, one moment at a time.

Tuesday, May 19



Print Available – You Are Beauty-Full
“For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.” -Sam Levenson

My favorite recipe for feeling beauty-full.

Someone in our neighborhood painted hearts on their garden rocks. Love!
I've been under the weather a bit lately. Glad to be back here in my office/studio where inspiration awaits and motivates. Wednesday, May 20

Sitting here after an intense workout, taking a rest and slowing my heartbeat. It's been a long while since I've consistently exercised and it feels really really good to care for myself in this way. Yes yes yes. But man I have some cardio strength to work on!


Print Available – Trust Your Wholeness
“Be whole in everything. Put all you are Into the smallest thing you do. So, in each lake, the moon shines with splendor Because it blooms up above.” ― Fernando Pessoa Our (divine) wholeness comes with practice and trusting our own blooming. For me, this means acknowledging my fear, my doubts, the things that make my wholeness, and not letting them eclipse my purpose.


Today is John's 41st birthday. Celebrating with a family bbq and lots of love. And totally got dressed up in joy for the occasion.


A friend of mine recently told me the story of how she unexpectedly shed the last lingering bits of her girlhood and fully entered womanhood. It involved setting a fierce and clear boundary with someone who was, for lack of a better phrase, in her face. She set the boundary and suddenly and completely felt a full embodiment of her adult woman self, feeling the last pieces of her girlhood slip away. She felt the empowerment of the transition in that moment, and I was totally struck by her story. I want that moment, I thought. And to get it, I'll have to get angry. I just know this in my bones. I don't do anger, and I can tell it's holding me back. Anyway, the whole conversation made me realize all the ways I, too, am holding onto my girlhood. In many ways I have embraced my womanhood - the part of me that is fierce, confident, and capable - but in many ways I have not. I struggle sometimes, a lot of times, with taking up space. It's my soul work to complete, I know, and something tells me that once I do it, once I fully embrace the full range of who I am, that I will finally let the last pieces of my girlhood go. I'm turning 40 next month. Perhaps that will be my birthday wish - to shed the layers of girlhood that are holding me back from reaching my full womanhood self. I think that would be amazing. Life. I adore it. 

Thursday, May 14
 


Print Available – Rise and Sunshine
“A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” ― Friedrich Max Müller Ahhhhh yes. Two things that make my heart full – sunshine and love. Let's rise today to meet up with both! Rise and sunshine, friends!


Just got off a call with Annika Martins. What a lovely, amazing human being she is. Shiny, bright, soulful.

  Working on finishing these babies up today. Apparently I'm digging this color palette lately.


LOVE THIS. Had to share.



That's it for this week! Check back here next week for another update, or join us over on Instagram for daily photos and thoughts!

XO,
Kelly Rae

Products We're Loving: You Are Deeply Loved

Friends, each week we try and highlight some of our gorgeous products that we want to share with you! Some new new new and some old favorites. Check 'em out below!

PS: All of the products featured below (and more) are sold online via the online retailer Garden Gallery Iron Works (a local shop here in the Portland area), but if you're looking for signed/matted prints, you can get these in my print shop. 

PPS: International customers, Garden Gallery is HAPPY to ship worldwide. Please email them  at gardengalleryorders@gmail.com to get started.  




Love love love these mini notebooks. The one on top says "The smallest of moments" on the front, and inside the flap reads: "Bring the greatest joys." You can use this notebook to capture all those small moments that bring the most joy!

Find all the mini notebooks at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!


Love the unusual dimensions of this 8x24 wall art piece. It reads: discovering peace, slowing down pausing, listening, being gentle on ourselves, finding sacred in the ordinary, this is where the peace lives, where it breaths.

Peace peace peace, y'all.

Find this piece at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here.  

These every day ornaments are great for delicate, gentle reminders to decorate your home. This one reads: Daughter, you are deeply loved. Might be good for a graduation present, no?

Find it at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!


The cuff bracelets from a couple years ago are just darling. They really capture the mixed media and handmade quality that I adore in the jewelry line. This one reads "Dreamer – Dream Big." Find it at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!


These wood block manifestos make super great gifts! Perfect for coworkers' desks or a new neighbor's mantel. High quality, handmade, and the perfect size for displaying anywhere. Find them at the online retailer Garden Gallery right here!

on letting the last bits of girlhood go.

A friend of mine recently told me the story of how she unexpectedly shed the last lingering bits of her girlhood and fully entered womanhood. It involved setting a fierce and clear boundary with someone who was, for lack of a better phrase, in her face. She set the boundary and suddenly and completely felt a full embodiment of her adult woman self, feeling the last pieces of her girlhood slip away. She felt the empowerment of the transition in that moment, and I was totally struck by her story.

I want that moment, I thought. And to get it, I'll have to get angry. I just know this in my bones. I don't do anger, and I can tell it's holding me back.

Anyway, the whole conversation made me realize all the ways I, too, am holding onto my girlhood.   In many ways I have embraced my womanhood - the part of me that is fierce, confident, and capable - but in many ways I have not.

I struggle sometimes, a lot of times, with taking up space. It's my soul work to complete, I know, and something tells me that once I do it, once I fully embrace the full range of who I am, that I will finally let the last pieces of my girlhood go.

I'm turning 40 next month. Perhaps that will be my birthday wish - to shed the layers of girlhood that are holding me back from reaching my full womanhood self. I think that would be amazing.

Life. I adore it.