Winter Blues!

I am so over winter, it was so festive in December especially being able to enjoy Christmas time in NYC and at the beginning of January it was pretty with a dusting of snow.  After two pretty big blizzards, an ice storm, falling on ice, bitter winds, and negative windchill weather though I'm so ready for winter to get the hell out of Dodge and for spring to come.

Spring's probably my favorite season because everything is new and we start to see green again and have longer days and get to be outside and go for a run and...well you get the picture.  It's also when some beautiful flowers begin to bloom in yards and add color to the day.  Being on Long Island this past summer was great because I got to experience garden flowers I've never seen in the Midwest such as hybrids of hydrangeas of crazy shapes and colors.  At the same time though it made me miss my native Sunflower and it's boldness.

Seeing into the Future

I wish I could see into the future and know what life has in store for me.  I think as humans this is when the idea of patience is a virtue is the hardest to practice.

My husband Matt and I have been on quite a journey over the past couple of years pursuing his dream of being a hospital pharmacist.  Over the course of our almost eight year relationship/ four year marriage we've lived in Lawrence, Kansas while he finished up college then Kansas City with family and now we are all the way East on Long Island, New York because he is in his pharmacy residency program at a hospital here.

If you would've told us five years ago we'd be living in New York we'd laughed in your face.  Now this is our reality and over the next month we will once again be patiently waiting to see what next year has in store for us.  My husband Matt is smart and kind and very passionate at what he does.  It is because of these things he has decided to try to pursue a residency in emergency pharmacy.  He has had two out of three interviews and they are all in places I once again can't believe we might end up such as Salt Lake City, upstate NY by the Canada border, and Brooklyn which is considered NYC!!! At the same time we also know he might not get a residency next year and will have to prepare for a move back to the Midwest and setting up some roots.

  

I think we're still shocked from the cross country move we did this past summer away from everything and everyone we know and love to a place that's been full of ups and downs for us both. We are ready to get to the next step whether it be another move or a move back to the Midwest.  

Patience is such a hard thing for us to practice right now because we want to know what's going on in our lives and plan for it, but at the same time we know their is a plan for us and that it will all work out.  It's just so hard to give this control to a higher being at times and practice patience when we know we need to go thru all the steps in order to succeed.  At the same time new obstacles both good and bad will arise and we need to slow down and enjoy this time in our lives.  This is our big adventure (for now) as we say because years from now we will realize all these sacrifices, hard work, and yes patience will have paid off and served as an amazing life experience. 

So for the next month I will try my best to practice patience.

Valentines Day

Valentines Day is just a couple of days away so don't forget to get flowers for your special someone.  Flowers send a message of love and that you're thinking of them.  Here's some flower bouquet designs that I've done.  They all have different elements within them to create a unique style.

 The above bouquet has red roses, hypericum, lily grass, white poms, boxwood, and snapdragons.  It's based on a classic design based on complimentary colors of red and green with white mixed in.

The above design is fun, flirty, and has pops of bright colors.  It includes hot pink roses, green hypericum, pittosporum, victorian hydrangeas, football mums, cushion mums, and a fun decorative heart.  Lots of different textures that compliment one another.

This is a design with lillies, red roses, white carnations, heather (the purple bursts of color), and leather leaf.  It's a bold, big design that makes a big statement with such powerful flowers.

Love designing and enjoy every minute of it!

Shower me in Flowers

I love creating floral designs for any type of event whether it be a wedding, holiday, or just because.  One event I love to create for are baby and wedding showers.  It's a great way to welcome guests to the party and set the tone for them with certain colors and style.  This is also a great idea if you have games at a shower and would like to make the centerpieces prizes or gifts for your guests.  My friend Drea had me do a couple of these such designs for her in the past and one of my favorite was for her nieces wedding shower.  The look was a mix of classic Victorian withe subtle pops of blue.  The flowers included hydrangeas, babies breath, ranunclus, alstromeria, and roses.

 

The Story of the Lotus Flower

The Lotus is a beautiful flower that truly makes a statement of awe.  The beginnings of this flower are not as beautiful as many images we have in our minds.  It begins to sprout underwater usually in lakes and ponds and is surrounded by fish, insects, mud, and muck.  Despite these conditions and obstacles it maintains its strength and perseverance.  The stem slowly grows up through this to expose its pod to the sunny surface.  Then it opens each petal to finally let the inside of it experience the world in a pure bright nature and bask in all it's beautiful glory within the world.  The lotus flower might look fragile but it is secured under the surface of water which helps to keep its strength.

This flower is the perfect embodiment to me of overcoming the dark and muck of obstacles in ones life to reach the beauty, strength, and happiness one needs in their day to day life.  We all face challenges in many stages of our lives and it is up to us whether we stay below in the dark or rise above the surface to bloom.

Lotus Floral Design is the embodiment of the story of the lotus flower.  While I'm still in the early stages of growing my business and meet obstacles daily, I'm confident and committed to my goals as a floral designer and know I will reach them  As a designer, being able to work with flowers and creating customers visions that exceed their expectation makes me feel successful.  I'm ready to continue on this journey and see what life has in store for me.