While this website has been up for years, some of you may be brand new to the site! And, as 2016 is my year of sharing a little more of myself with you I thought it was time to do a little “get to know me” post! Read on to find out more about me, and make sure you read all the way to the bottom so you have the chance to win a surprise!
Here’s a little bit about me from A-Z
Aunt. I’m an aunt to two sweet boys in Oklahoma and one sweet girl in Michigan!
Brothers. I have two brothers, Lucas and Marcus. (I’m in the middle.) They’re both insanely talented and all the time I spent as a kid holding the video camera for a home-made production seems to be paying off for both of them! Lucas is known for his on-air talent, while Marcus is known more for behind-the-scenes production work (and his amazing hair). Both have Emmy awards, both will probably win more, along with an Oscar or something.
Chips and salsa. My favorite food of ALL TIME. I don’t know much about cooking or fine dining, but I KNOW SALSA.
Design. I’ve dabbled in fashion design over the years and while I haven’t been on a sewing kick in a long time I still don’t think I’m done with that part of my life. Project Runway always helps me get back in the mood!
Entrepreneurship. It’s probably got a lot to do with the fact that my parents are small business owners, but I’ve wanted to be my own boss, well, forever. I graduated college, rented an office space (which wasn’t needed) and started advertising myself as a personal shopper and image consultant. Somehow or another people took me seriously and now eleven years later I’m still taking on the occasional client! I’ve gone in and out of working JK Style full time over the years and while I now want Splendry to be my “full-time” job, I don’t think I’ll ever give up JK Style!
Funeral singing. Not something I’d really consider a hobby, but I’ve sung at a LOT of funerals. I’m not even entirely sure how this became part of my life, but I probably sing at at least 2-3 funerals a year. A rather bizarre (and morbid) thing to have on your resume, right?
Ghana, Africa.
My amazing sister-in-law set up a non-profit organization, Heartbeat for Hope several years ago that I think you should know about!
Honey. I grew up in the honey business. My parents were commercial beekeepers and we still have the BEST honey you’ve ever tasted!
In the middle.
If I ever take one of those Left Brain/Right Brain personality tests I always come out right down the middle. I think most people would assume I’m more of a left-brain girl, but in reality, my brain is always in conflict with itself! I’m part structure, part chaos, ALL THE TIME.
Jesus. The most important thing in my life is that I’m a Christian. I tend to keep this site pretty much fashion and style-based, but being a Christian influences every aspect of my life, including how I feel about clothes!
Kate Spade bag.
I’ve mentioned this before on here but my black Kate Spade bag was my first big fashion purchase. I bought it (on sale) to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was purchased on a whim but it was a really really good investment. It’s in amazing shape still and I know I’ll have it for years to come!
Legal Studies. I have a Bachelor of Science in Governmental and Legal Studies from Oklahoma Christian University, because that’s what all girls who end up blogging about fashion do! I initially had intentions of working in politics or going to law school but (obviously) moved in another direction. Whether they actually think I’m crazy or not, my parents have never said a word about it. (Bless them.)
Marriage. I’m approaching eight years of marriage with Brent and I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast! Or, as Brent likes to say, “It feels like five minutes! Under water.” What a comedian. :) He’s the funniest person I know and if you meet anyone with a quicker wit, I’d like to meet them.
Neat. Something I am not. If you look at me and think I seem like someone with a perfectly tidy home and dinner on the table by 6, well, NO. In reality, I am currently sitting at a dining room table surrounded by stacks of magazines (research, of course), forms for taxes, and two different planners because that’s how unorganized I really am! I only work on a minimum of four projects at once and Brent frequently jokes that I build a nest around me wherever I am with all kinds of things.
Occupation. I get asked a lot what I do all day since I don’t work. Nothing bums me out more than when I hear that! I actually work full time, just for myself! Between this site, Splendry, and the occasional eight projects I take on, I work harder than I’ve ever worked before! The only thing missing is regular paychecks. :)
Paris. My favorite city! If you haven’t been, it’s worth it. Save up, plan, and go. You won’t regret it! I’m no expert but if you have any questions on planning a trip I’m happy to help!
Questions. I might be the most curious person in the world! If I know you there’s a good chance I’ve Googled you, seen all your photos on Facebook and remember weird details about your life that you might have told me in passing. I promise I’m not a stalker, I just really like learning about people (and have a bizarrely good memory)! If we meet for the first time just know that I want to know everything about you! That’s why when I pose questions to you on the Facebook page or ask a question at the end of a post, I really want to know!
Research. Ask me to find some information and I’m on it! While I don’t claim to be good at many things, research is definitely right up my alley! No joke, my main extracurricular activity in middle school and high school was the National History Day program which is essentially a huge research project you work on for months and finally exhibit in some form (performance, media presentation, story board, etc.) along with a thirty page annotated bibliography. And I loved every minute of it. Parents, just a note, the National History Day program was BY FAR, the BEST college prep I could have ever participated in. Those are skills I still use today!
Splendry. This website has my heart and soul poured into it! For years I dreamed and planned a positive women’s website that only lifted you up and didn’t make you feel worse about life. It’s definitely not “finished” in terms of where I want it to go, but I think it’s off to a great start!
Teeth. I had braces from the age of 15 to the age of 19. Because every girl wants to experience high school and start college with braces, right? Just livin’ the dream! Do I still feel like the shy, awkward girl with braces? Only every day!
Useful. I’m not an expert at anything, but like to think I know a tiny bit about a lot of things. My interests are varied (think C-SPAN to Fashion Week) and I love learning about anything and everything. Once Brent walks in the door each day I start my sentence with “So today I read”, and tell him whatever interesting (to me, anyway), information I found out that day! (He’s always polite and listens.) Part of the reason I wanted to start Splendry was so that I could curate a “library” of useful information! I’m also really helpful in trivia games and am a really good guesser!
Vienna.
I spent a semester in Europe during college and it completely changed me style-wise. (And lots of other ways too!) For the first time I felt like I didn’t have to fit a certain “type” to dress how I wanted. I loved clothing before but experimenting with fashion really started after my semester in Europe. (Shout out to my fellow Vienna Studies 2002 friends!)
Wedges. My shoe nemesis. I just can’t get on board, but I do fully support your right to wear them!
X-rays. On my nose (twice) and my arm (once) and foot (once). Only one broken nose out of the four!
You! One of the things I love most about this site is that I can get to know some of you! Nothing brightens my day more than when someone tells me this site is something they enjoy or something that helps them. I live for your blog comments and Facebook “likes” and comments just letting me know you’re around and that you’re getting something out of it! I always want to hear from you and want to know how I can make this site better! (You can help by answering my survey here!)
Zara. One of my favorite shopping spots! Some of my favorite pieces in my closet are from Zara!
Now it’s your turn! Pick a letter and tell me one thing about yourself! I’ll choose a comment at random and that person will get a fun surprise in the mail!
Comment by 3/7/2016 at 11:59 PM (CST) to enter. Winner will be chosen at random and announced by 3/11/2016. Must be in the continental US to enter.
R = Rescue
We have an adorable 7 year old Maltese mix dog that we adopted 3 1/2 years ago. She was in 2 other homes before she was in her foster home. In the last home she sustained some sort of an injury that led to the loss of her back left leg. Our little tripod runs so fast that I have to tell people that she is missing a leg. Her groomer wants to have her ride on a float this summer that will be entitled Dogs of all Colors which will feature rescue animals. BUT we are still not sure who rescued who as she is our little sweetie.
L for Love
I love your A-Z!! It makes me want to do one of my own.
I Love my life. I have a great fiancé, family, doggy and school is going really well. My doggy’s birthday (that I made up) is Feb. 28th and my anniversary is March 1st. Lots of love in our house right now. :)
E-easily overwhelmed when it comes to fashion. I absolutely hate shopping because there are so. Many. Things. And I always end up with a ton of things, but almost never what I actually went looking for! This also applies to makeup.
C – cleaning out the closet is one thing I hate doing but need to. I have a hard time letting go but you have a very helpful article on doing it!
I agree, cleaning out the closet is not my favorite either! Hopefully I can help make it a tiny bit easier for you!!
I’m choosing V for vintage. I love all things Mid-Century and have spent the last 20 years searching for fun items to add to my collection. Thank you so much for offering such a fun giveaway.
Very fun! Vintage shopping is a hobby I’m always tempted to get into! Maybe this will be the year!
I: I love that you’re getting more personal on the site!! You’re the only fashion page I follow so I rely on you to keep me up to date!!
I: I’m completely oblivious to the latest trends and fashion. I’m a visual person, a busy mommy and full- time physician who needs good examples like you for easy fashion tips!
Thank you dear friend!! I
I’ll do my best to not lead you astray! Miss you, friend!
F: Fur Baby mommie….I never thought I would be one of “those” people, but well I am! We weren’t blessed with babies of our own her on earth, so we adopted our fur baby, Lucy. We think she is smarter than us since she seems to train us to give her treats for tricks she does! No job but to look cute…she has our hearts!
I love that! Lucy sounds very special!
Lips-Whether it is a lip balm, gloss, or stick, you’ll never catch me without one (or five!) in my bag at once.
Same here!
I picked letter L– L is the first letter to a lot of my favorite things but one of those is Learning! I love learning new things and going to classes, workshops, conferences, etc. The last few years I have picked out classes or workshops I wanted to attend and asked for those as birthday presents from my parents. Last year I went to a workshop by Sheradee Hurst and this year I am taking a floral design class!!
I love those things too! I think a floral design class sounds really cool!
C – China
I’ve been on 3 mission trips to Yunnan Province, China. I love the wonderful people there! Hope to go back in the near future.
Wow, that’s amazing! I’ve never been to that part of the world!
Q: quiet aka shy aka introvert. Thanks for the giveaway.
You’re very welcome! I’m an introvert too!