I was interviewed by Robert Burton of ABC 7 (WJLA) in DC. During the interview, I shared the inspiration behind Affirmation ABCs for Little Ladies, my insecurities in writing and illustrating the book, and encouraged women and young readers.

As the year comes to a close, I recently had a conversation about my perspective on 2023. For the first five minutes of the conversation, I spewed off the top negative things that I’ve experienced this year. One by one I allowed the hardest moments of this year to roll off my tongue. Even as I spoke, I said, “I am not trying to be negative, but….”

I woke up this morning with a brief thought. Who would I be if I didn’t experience domestic violence from my ex? It was a random thought. But I allowed my mind to stew on it a bit.

Having children often reminds me of walking through the cafeteria in high school, it felt like all eyes were on me (at least in my head). Daily I am on center stage while three little humans study my every move. Talk about pressure!

I decided to bring a little vacation back into my everyday reality. Opting for less screen time, more silence, focusing on less, and allowing special mundane moments to linger longer. 

I am learning to have “loose plans” and be okay if the wind blows in a different direction.

New video alert! I must admit I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for getting this video out for various reasons!

I ran out of storage on my laptop. I tried to export this video at least 10 times to no avail. I wanted to give up, but I persisted.

I document my real life all of the time. I have over 100K videos and photos on my phone right now. That doesn’t include the thousands back up on my external drives. I am ready to start sharing pieces of my creative life with the world. I am confident these vlogs will get better over time, but I am proud of myself for starting.

This month felt like it took forever to arrive and then with a blink of an eye, it’s gone. Here are a few highlights:

I wrote this poem as a reminder to myself to slow down and focus on what truly matters.

The year hasn’t officially started and I already felt the first wave of being overwhelmed. The feelings can come, but I don’t want them to stay. This poem reminds me to keep the right perspective as I enter a new year and new season.

What if the last year of your life was turned into a silent movie displayed for the world? No words, no explanations, no filters… just your actions. What would people think of you? What would you think about yourself? I know there are a couple scenes that I wouldn't want aired publicly.

Exploring different art forms throughout the years has been a journey I love to embrace. At times I wish I focused on one and perfected every aspect, but the world is so creative. God is creative and His spirit within me is creative. So why not explore?

How did I find my way back after utter heartbreak? Honest answer, I didn’t. I let God take the rubble, expose the fallacies of my heart and build something new. From the inside out transformation has been a daily process of chipping away old thoughts, overcoming current challenges, and holding onto future hopes.

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m going through some of the photos on my phone to clear space. I was so disappointed earlier today when I went to take a picture and received the ugly iPhone message that my storage was full. How? I pay additional monthly for storage and even that was full. I guess with 99,000+ pictures, I may have used the phone and cloud to their absolute max.

I just spent the past hour and a half combing through my personal Instagram followers. I removed hundreds of people whom I either did not know or no longer felt the need to share what “little” I share on that platform with. When I started, I felt bad, felt like I would be offending some people, and ultimately wanted to stop.

Today, I lost someone near and dear to my heart, my Great Aunt Mae. Her wisdom, support, and love have nourished my soul in some of the lowest points of my life. The initial notice of the news sent my heart into a pit only momentarily and then I went into full support mode for my family members. I purposefully didn’t give myself space to feel. I wasn’t ready.

As a photographer, I am accustomed to taking tons of pictures in a setting. Since cameras have changed so much since I started photography I no longer have to be super selective about my images.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen my community show up for me in such an incredible way. As soon as I begin releasing the pride that has settled in my mind, I was able to be more transparent with those in my circle. In my opinion, HEALTHY relationships require deposits and withdrawals. Previously, I would primarily deposit and seldom take withdraws even when offered. In this season of my life when I needed the withdrawals my community showed up!

I wish I could say I’ve always been mindful with the words I’ve spoken, but if you were only a fly on the wall years ago (you already know that’s not true.) Recently my husband, Stephen and I received some disappointing news. We knew it was a possibility of this, but when the call came in it was a wave of emotions.

I’ve wrestled with this idea of vulnerability for decades. What does it look like and is it even necessary? Recently, I’ve been challenged to show up raw to the utmost degree not because I really want to, but because I felt called in that moment.