NYFW 2017 | RECAP - Pure Joy Home

romper / bag / hat / mules / bag

Ahhh, I don’t even know where to begin for my recap of #NYFW2017. New York Fashion Week was amazing, like so, SO amazing. It was my first time staying in the city and really doing it. By doing it I mean going 24/7 to presentations and shows, meeting with brands, going to cocktail parties, dinners, brunches, the “whole nine”. I stayed with 2 other bloggers, Ashlee from Little Lovelies and Jen of The Sister Studio Blog. Laura of Walking in Memphis in High Heels and Sandy of Sandy a la Mode were across the hall and I seriously LOVE those girls. We all have this amazing connection and I feel like I’ve known them my whole life, we just “get each other” you know?? Ahh so much love for them, and I miss them like crazy. It’s like being back at college, you know when you asked your roommate about which shoes to wear, wanna just chill instead? talking until the wee hours of the morning, ordering room service, ahh so fun.

Jen / Laura / Me / Ashlee

SO I’ve been going back and forth about what I really wanted to cover in my recap but I the longer I sat on it, the more I just wanted to tell you all what is in my heart. The fashion was SO great, obviously, but for me fashion week was so much more than that. You know I’ve been hustling at this game for a while, and to be in the same room as all of these much bigger fashion people (like bloggers with HUGE followings, all the fashion PR people, designers, models) was inspirational and exhilarating. As much as I felt like I had no place being there, I also felt a sense of pride like, “Hey, I’m here! I think (I hope) I’m going in the right direction!”. To be honest, some days I feel like the fashion piece of Pure Joy Home is the most shallow part…like I’m showing you another sweater I hope you will love, but at the end of that same day, I can see how many people purchased that piece, and then a few days later, I get messages from people thanking me for pointing them in the right direction on how to dress, and believe me, I know I’m not curing cancer and saving lives, BUT maybe I’m making that woman, that mom, that career girl just a little more comfortable in her own skin, and that’s really all that matters to me. I’m here to spread positivity, make you smile, make you feel less alone on your bad days, and cheer you on on your good ones, or at least I try! And if that might be in the form of a new dress, an instagram story of me b*tching about how bad my kids were at McDonalds, a tip on an easy weeknight dinner, I accomplished something in my day other than keeping my two kids alive, lol.

My three days in NYC was also A LOT about being with my friends and making that human connection with the girls I go back and forth with on my iPhone every single day. We are kind of like a sisterhood and I’m SO incredibly grateful for that. Honestly, all of the bloggers I met and connected with were sweet, not competitive, and legitimately wanted to share things to raise one another up. I came home feeling like I gained 2o new girls in my life that I can call on…like how amazing is that??

Another take away (motherhood related) :: the whole time while I was there, I did feel a sense of …okay, I’m here doing this which is awesome, but I’m also a mom of two young children at home who are probably wondering where the eff their mom went. The entire time I was there, I couldn’t shake the feeling of wishing I could be two places at once. I know moms go to work every day, full time, and lots of moms who travel for work, and let me tell you, no matter who you are, how many hours you put in, it’s a damn struggle and a game your heart plays on you 24/7. Do you know how many times I thought to myself, ‘is being here worth it? Did I make the right decision to stay overnight? I probably could have gone home and skipped the parties. Will Brian and Grace think of their mom as the one who worked all the time or worse, put work before them? Should I skip this show to be home for Brian’s first soccer practice?’. One morning, my poor sweet roommate burst into tears while talking to her hubby because she missed her babies so much. I guess when I’m at these things I realize that I am a working mom as much as I try and play the stay-at-home mom card while they are awake, it’s a lot on the heart and on the mind, and I guess that’s what motherhood brings to the game, every game no matter who you are or what you do. #struggleisreal

SO what does that mean for me? I’m doing my gosh darn best. I’m doing my best at motherhood, I’m doing my best at blogging, I’m doing my best at being a good wife, friend, daughter and sister. And Grace, remember to give myself some Grace. I’m not going to be #1, I’m not going to grow at a rapid pace, I’m not going to be in the top 10, heck even top 1000 of my network, but it’s okay because my heart is full. I was SO happy to get on that 2:05 train out of Grand Central and come home to my sweet family. I missed out on a lot that was happening in New York after I left and of course had FOMO seeing my friends at the big liketoknow.it party but I was happy to be back at my happy place, home. I have so much contentment here with what I have with all of you, and in my personal life. It’s a really great place to be and I’m just so happy.

WOW. I bet that was NOT what you expected out of a fashion week recap but I wrote it from the heart and I think that might be why you got this far…SO thank you!!

my mules, jen’s over-the-knee boots, ashley’s cute pumps

Always amazed at the beauty of Grand Central

top / black jeans / bag