Hey APW,
Remember back in April, when I was like, “I’m going to get better at practicing self care!” And then patted myself on the back for the changes I’d managed to sustain for, like, a week? I was all:
Well, let me just update you to tell you I’ve been doing a garbage job at it. This year we decided to take on a zillion projects at work, and I sort of forgot what that looks like. Whoops. On the upside, I am starting to see where having a small kid has actually been really good for maintaining a little balance amid the crazy.
Prior to having a kid, I used to push my body to the absolute brink to get things done. (I got that Virgo moon, y’all.) I would pull all-nighters several days in a row. I ate like garbage. I barely got dressed. I think I ended up with five cavities one year. And now? I mean, I can’t. My brain is just like NOPE. Will not compute. I think I managed to stay up until 2 a.m. once this year, and only because I took a nap at 11 p.m. And since I only get a few hours each day with my family, I am trying really hard not to squander those hours with anxieties about deadlines. So even though I’ve been mostly terrible about maintaining some work-life balance this summer, I have been trying to temper it with being really intentional with how I’m spending my free time and brain space: an early Sunday hike with the puppy and the tiny human instead of chores; making a pit stop with the work crew after a long week to enjoy the beach; actually going on a date night for once; taking a trip to the fruit stand at the end of the day instead of just hunkering down to make dinner (and I mean, how could you not, when there are coconuts to be had?).
But don’t get me wrong. I’m ultimately SO excited about what we’re bringing you guys over the next few months. Summer camp (aka The Compact) and our plus size wedding dress collaboration are dreams I’ve held for the better part of a decade, and I can’t believe they are coming to life right now. Speaking of, we sent out invites for our Lace & Liberty bridal panel the other week (it’s a private Facebook group where we’ll be prodding y’all for feedback and have chats about plus size bridal fashion in general). If you want in on that action, just send an email to team (at) apracticalwedding (dot) com. In the meantime, here’s a little peek at some of the lace that just landed in the design room this week. I’m low key obsessed. Now we’re just trying to figure out which color we should do for the lining. Thoughts?
And we’re also starting to get to the fun parts of the designs, aka the flair. Right now we’re considering a few different options for one of our corset tops. What do you think?
I can’t wait to show the rest of the collection as we continue to work on it. But for now, it’s Friday, I have a date with a coconut-loving baby, and it’s your Happy Hour, so get to it.
Cheers,
Maddie
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