Celebrate Good Times Come On!

I received so many compliments in this dress I had to share it with you all.
I found it at my local thrift store over the summer and a Black Tie Ball to celebrate the New Year was the perfect venue! My entire outfit including accessories was under $100. Here are some tips to use when shopping for a party/wedding outfit.

* When perusing a thrift shop, look through the formal dress rack very carefully. Although it looks like a bunch of bridesmaid and prom dresses, you never know what's hidden in between. I found this blouse, see below, for my girlfriend Rho.

* Have patience while shopping. I purchased these shoes during the after Christmas sale at Saks. The price was missing and I patiently waited for a sales person to check with a manager, who checked with another manager, to find a ticket. Payoff: $39.99 original price $200.00 Ha!

Sequin dresses are my fave thing to find while thrifting. You can look like a million bucks for next to nothing but don't forget to cut out the 80's era shoulder pads. Also, a few beads will most likely be missing but don't worry- no one will notice :)

Sequins-- Timeless!

Old Passions and New Beginnings

This weekend I planned a farewell event for one of my Pastors. It turned out beautifully so I was pleased, but it caused me to reflect on the last decade of my life.

My husband and I have a side hustle catering business and I am a formally trained floral designer. I left my corporate job in 2003 to pursue my passion for flowers, ran a floral studio for several years and walked away from it in 2011 to take our Events business to the next level... or so I thought. Two months later my Mom died and my desire for florals and events went with her. I was completely lost, walking the streets of New York, sitting for hours in the park, overwhelmed with grief and worried about where my career was headed. But as I dug into my relationship with God, he spoke to me through many "strange coincidences". The gift of my mother's passing was that it forced me to be still and listen to the revealed will of God for my life.

It's still hard for me to believe, but in a couple of weeks I'll be attending graduate school to pursue my new goal of Christian Counselor. I'd been receiving hints that this is God's plan for me for years but he needed my character to grow so that I'd be healthy enough to help others. Tackling a new career and meeting tons of challenges matured me and taught me to trust and obey God no matter what. So my career path from journalism (my undergraduate degree) to telecommunications to floral design to seminary graduate student, all with a love of fashion mixed in doesn't perplex me. God will use everything that I am to bring him glory and bless me in the process.

So I salute Old Passions and New Beginnings!! Allow God to do a new thing in your life. Never let people box you into your past. Expand your territory no matter what your age.

Blessings,
Roe

P.S. Enjoy of couple of pics from the event.