Things I'm grateful for:
1. Answers from doctors. For the past 6 months I've been struggling with my health quite a bit. For most of those months I had no idea what was going on with my body, but a few weeks ago at my doctors appointment I finally got some answers and learned that the majority of the pain I was experiencing was because I had an ovarian cyst that ruptured. I also discovered that I am gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant, but am still waiting to know whether I have Celiac Disease or NCGS/NCWS. I've been able to adjust my diet so I don't get sick every time I eat, and it has actually been a great way for me to get more into cooking! (I've thought about adding in some gluten free/dairy free recipes to my blog every so often, so I'd love to hear if that's something you'd be interested in seeing!) I am just so thankful to finally have some answers from doctors and hopefully be on the road to recovery.
2. Eternal perspective. This month has brought on a lot of trials that I was completely blindsided by. Because of that, I have found a great deal of comfort in leaning on my belief that there is more than just this life, and that most things in this life really don't matter in the long run. I feel so strongly that families are forever and that is something I'm extremely grateful for, especially this month.
3. More time with Conrad. I feel so fortunate to be in a situation where I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Since graduating college, I've been able to focus a lot more time on just being a mom and it has been so great. I feel extremely blessed and thankful to have this extra time and energy for Conrad.

Conrad's bottom teeth came in this month!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that I recently had my eyebrows microbladed by Kristy Strickland at Kristy Jo Studio, and that I am absolutely in love with how it all turned out! I thought I would share my experience and answer a few questions I've been asked as well.

So first off, microblading is basically a semi-permanent technique using a microblading pen-like tool that is dipped in pigment color with hand drawn individual hair-like strokes applied to enhance natural brows.


I was really surprised when she started microblading because I hardly felt anything. Every so often, she'd ask if I was doing okay and was so caring about my pain levels. Honestly though, I would rate the pain at about a 4/10 at its worst - as in, it never even got to a point where I felt like clenching my fists or asking her to pause for a minute. It did feel a bit more sensitive toward the end, but really wasn't anywhere close to as painful as I thought it would be. Kristy was so kind and sweet, and after a couple of hours, it was time to see the results.
I was so excited when I saw how my brows turned out! I've been a bit leery about microblading because I was afraid of it being too painful or not looking natural enough for my liking, but my experience totally changed my mind on that. It was so amazing to look up close at the detail and see how realistic my brows looked. I could barely differentiate my natural brows from the microblading, which is exactly what I wanted.

As for the healing process, my brows were sensitive for the first 3-4 days and I was a bit concerned at how dark my eyebrows were, but Kristy had told me beforehand that this was to be expected. By day 5, they had lightened up to my ideal color and all tenderness was gone. After about a week, my brows started flaking a bit and got a little itchy, but it wasn't really noticeable. A few days after that I was really loving how they turned out and was so happy that I could just get up in the morning without having to fill in my brows!

6 weeks later I had my touch up appointment and Kristy slightly changed the pigment color for a warmer look and enhanced the shape a bit as well. Afterwards, I seriously couldn't believe how amazing they turned out! I've struggled a lot with self image, especially after getting Bell's Palsy, and getting my eyebrows microbladed has been such a help with that for me.

Kristy offered to help even out my eyebrows, but we decided to to just follow my hairline instead because I am still recovering from Bell's Palsy, so that side of my face should continue to relax more and even out as time goes on.

To answer a few questions I've received, microblading is semi-permanent, meaning it will last 12-18 months, and following the aftercare can help make it last longer. You can choose for it to be darker than your natural hair color (this is what I did), but may want to tint your brow hair for upkeep after it has healed (Ashlin Hiatt @a.lashandbrow is my favorite esthetician to go to for that!). You can still get your eyebrows microbladed even if you have sensitive skin as long as there are no medical contradictions. The current pricing to get your eyebrows microbladed by Kristy is $250, which also includes the touch up appointment at 6 weeks. If you've had your eyebrows microbladed before, you can still get a touch up from Kristy and prices will be on a case by case basis depending on how much is still left from your work before and if any corrective work needs to be done. Kristy is located in Northern Utah but does come down to St. George every so often for appointments as well. You can contact her at 801-309-6391 to book an appointment!

I am in LOVE with my eyebrows now (am I allowed to say that?) and am so glad I got them done by Kristy. It looks so natural and is so practical, especially as a mom. You can find Kristy on Instagram @kristyjostudio to see some amazing before and after pictures of her clients.

I want things to be perfect. I want to have a perfectly clean home with a perfectly clean baby who wears perfect outfits and plays with perfect toys. But that isn't my reality. And that bothered me for a long time.

The thought of letting my son wear a mismatched outfit bothered me. The thought of his hair not being done bothered me. And the thought of my baby putting a toy in his mouth BOTHERED ME. That is, until I had a conversation with my mom. We both have a similar drive for perfection, but the lesson she taught me about motherhood really put things into perspective for me.

My mom told me that one of her regrets after my brother died was that she didn't let him chew on his books. She went on to talk about wishing that she would have just let the little things go and enjoy each stage of childhood as it came. Her words hit me especially hard because I had spent that entire afternoon grabbing Conrad's books from him the second they got near his mouth because I wanted the books to stay perfect.

But why? Mama, you have to let it go.

It's just a book. It's just a thing.

How often do we let ourselves become distracted by the things of this world? Things that really don't matter when it all comes down to it.

It's just a shirt. It's just a toy. It's just a thing. Mama, you have to let it go.

I've spent a lot of time these past few days trying to recenter and refocus. Seeking out balance in myself and in my life. And it's been so beneficial for me to take a step back and think about what really matters.

Of all the things that matter in life, however, a chewed up book is not one of them - and as silly as it sounds, I didn't fully understand that even a week ago. What matters is connection. What matters is joy. Because we only have this short amount of time here in this life, so if we aren't happy, then what are we even doing? What is the point in wasting our days worrying about things that just. don't. matter. 

Today, instead of picking up each toy the second my baby finished playing with it, I sat on the floor with him. And we played in the mess, and he chewed on his books, and it was the happiest I've felt in quite some time.

So let them chew on their books. Let them play in the mud. Let them explore, let them be messy, let them be little. Mama, you can let it go.