Monday morning, I’m back. A changed woman… a mother. The past six weeks have been the most unbelievably life changing, eye opening, heart widening weeks of my life. Our sweet baby boy, whom we worried about for months on end, was born on February 16 – perfectly beautiful, perfectly sweet and perfectly healthy. Yes, he keeps me awake at night and yes he fusses sometimes – but he’s perfectly ours. My pregnancy was rough for a thousand reasons – perpetual morning sickness for 36 weeks, high risk worries, abnormal tests… but in the end God blessed us with Brady Ley. I’d do it all over again. in. a. heartbeat. (ok, maybe a few heartbeats – second baby Ley is a while down the road). For six weeks, we played. We had tummy time. We went for walks and saw ducks and turtles. We met many new friends. We learned what it meant to be a Mommy and a Daddy and a son. I cried many tears of happiness – and maybe a few mybabyiscryingwhatdoido tears -but not very many. More than anything, Brady has cracked my heart wide open. Life is different. The world is different. My home is different. My marriage is different. I am different.

So Monday I marry my passions together – my passion for my marriage, my friends and family, my family’s home and the work that sets my heart on fire. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have these things. And for that reason – you’ll find my blog evolving into something new in the coming weeks. This realization came to me when I received a thoughtful gift from the very talented Ashley Brooke Quintana – of Ashley Brooke Designs – a sweet silver plate (which holds my jewelry in my bathroom and stands as a daily reminder…) that reads “SIMPLIFY”

In order for me to marry my loves together, I’ve had to simplify in a big way – my processes, my thoughts, my daily routine, my home, my diet, my life…

My “Simplified” series is my favorite to write… and will grow to take over this blog and encompass all the categories mentioned above – business, family, health, home, inspiration, self… including posts on my personal journey. As I embark on a small avalanch of work waiting for me Monday morning, I want to thank you all so much for giving me what I was afraid to take – a six week maternity leave to spend the priceless first days of my son’s life with him. I’m so ready to give that love back to my clients. Lara and I are bursting at the seams with excitement over our Making Brands Happen clients – over 25 luxury wedding brands are launching this summer.

So here we go… three more days of just me and sweet Bman. Coming soon – details on Gina Zeidler’s Live In Newborn Session with Brady and I (photo above from one of her last days with us). Pure goodness. The greatest gift I’ve ever received.