Strawberry Festival 2018

Howdy, Islanders!

I visited Plant City, FL for an afternoon a few weeks back.  I found an awesome boutique called A PEACE of Plant City.

It was super cute and so full of cute decor, yummy teas, and accessories.

I loved the light fixtures and posted several highlights on my Instagram story.

I even shared a pic with Strawbuddy who was also located in the shop!

We stopped in a few of the awesome antique shops and I got some Wakanda collectibles and decor inspiration.

How awesome would these planters look with cool plants inside the hats?

... on a book shelf??!! OMG! I have an idea for some shelving solutions in the new place and I can't wait to execute and share it!  Anyhoo, we had a great time in the cute town.  I remember saying I couldn't wait to visit again.

I didn't realize that my photo with Strawbuddy would be chosen as the 2018 Strawberry Festival Selfie Challenge winner!  OMG!

I won tickets!  It was announced on Instagram and I was super excited.  We arrived on the final day to pick up my concert tickets!  Munch and the man weren't as excited as I was; they assumed the festival would be boring.  They were pleasantly surprised.

There was great food.  

There were fun rides.  There were performances.  

There were strawberry treats.  

... AMAZING strawberry treats at that!

We had a great time.  I knew it was a successful day when, on the way home, the man and Munch were talking about what we're going to do next year at the Strawberry Festival.

To top it off, the sunset warmed our faces and the time warmed our hearts; Strawberry Festival 2018 was an awesome time!

Meet The New Pup.

Well, if you follow me on Instagram, you already e-met our new dog. 

That ball of naps and fat rolls photographed above chose his own name and, while I would normally share the video of his name choice, I'm going to direct you to my Instagram story for behind the scenes footage of our island happenings.  You won't catch this update but there's always something to see; I try to post on the IG stories everyday.

Look at that face.  Seriously?!  Islanders, I would like to formally introduce my new furbaby, Diesel.

He is everything puppy dreams of this breed are made of - fat rolls, five-minute play sessions, lots of naps and a sweet little face.

We stopped at Petsmart and purchased everything from the Ellen Degeneres lifestyle brand collection, ED. 

His toys, his collar, his leash, his bed-- we got everything.  I love the chic colors, preppy prints and timeless design.

More importantly, I'm really growing to love our new furbaby, Diesel.

I'm sure I'll have lots of updates because this fella is just as full of personality as he is cute.  

Until next time, 

The Pup.

After my experience with the puppies at the dog show, we started to discuss the possibility to, and my willingness to, purchase a new furbaby.  When Nuke died, I felt no dog would ever fill the void; I told myself there would be no point trying with another dog.  I decided a dog wasn't in my future.

Yet, here I was... considering another dog.  To think, it all started with a snuggle.  A former co-worker contacted me to say his dog was expecting puppies.  Get this. They were the same breed and would most likely be the same color/look as Nuke.

Be still my heart!  What are the frikkin' odds?

Randomly on Thanksgiving, Hubbs received a phone call from a friend... the same friend who got us access to the dog show.  He had a litter weeks prior, scheduled a delivery of a puppy to its new home in the same city where we live.  He offered to bring a puppy to us and sent us a pic of one that was still available.  The pup was beautiful.

While everyone else was Black Friday shopping, we were shopping for our furbaby on the way.  Later that night, we drove to the airport and we picked up our new family member.  We hurried home and started to settle into a new groove.  We had several name options but, until we chose, he was Puppy NoName.  The list of names included:

Toogie (pronounced 2G)
Diesel
Pumbaa
Otto
Nas

It took a few days.  It took a few rounds of voting.  It took eye rolls.  It took a lot.  We voted and narrowed the names down to two:

Diesel and Nas

We balled the small pieces of paper up and placed them on the floor with a treat by each one.  We let Puppy NoName choose.  If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw the process, saw his face and you already know his name...  Stay tuned for his formal Island introduction tomorrow!

The Box That Changed It All

I was telling you yesterday that I made a tough decision to cancel the party. It was a difficult decision to make but I felt strong.  Then, the doorbell rang.   I heard a delivery truck zoom off into the distance and, as I opened the front door, I saw it.  On the porch, there it was. The box.

I wasn't sure which box was delivered but I assumed it was something for the party (that would never happen).  I opened it.

A knot swelled in my throat.

The personalized cookies arrived.  They were designed to fit the theme perfectly.

They were beautiful.  They were also a hard dose of reality.  This party.  These crafts.  This vision was going to be trapped inside of my head for the rest of my life.  This would be the party that never happened.  It was official.  I was no longer okay.  I didn't feel strong.  I was a squishy blob of emotions.  What was a mom to do?

I did what every mom does.

5 Lessons for Surviving A Big Move

Hi and bye, beloved Islanders.

That's right.  Hi because we haven't chatted in quite awhile.  Bye because, well, I am coming to you from our new place... in a new state... NOT where you're used to seeing me.

I know.  My family.  My littles.  My friends.  My businesses.  Home staging.  Event planning.  Graphics.  Moves.  Tabitha, you were making moves.

No, seriously.  You guys probably didn't go all the way there but, dammit.  I did!  I didn't want to move.  I avoided it for over a year.  He got a new job.  He went away for training.  He received an assigned location.  It was nearly 1,000 miles away from home.  Home.  What good is home if you're not with the ones you love?  He hoped we would relocate.  I refused.  We stayed, the kid and I that is.  The kid completed fifth grade with bi-monthly visits from him.  We rented out the big house.  We continued to rent the investment townhouse.  I moved into another townhouse and there, I made a beautiful home while also staging the home for sale.  After a year of consideration and emotional reconstruction (and begging and pleading from him), I agreed to relocate.

I decided to move.  Away.  From everyone I loved.

I decided to move.  Away.  To do what I believed to be best for my family.  Most importantly, best for me.

Of course a move wouldn't be complete without a marathon of events.  We'll cover those in the next few posts.  Today, let's just recover from the news of the big move (as we like to call it). I had to purge about 75% of my belongings.  I loaded my garage with everything I thought I could part with... then, I opened my doors and allowed neighbors to come and take things off of my walls and to drag furniture out my home... at no cost.  It was a lot.  It was stressful.  It was bitter... burned like shots of hot sauce.  It was bitter alright... but it was sweet.  I was parting with things I bought to furnish our 'forever home' and I loved every piece - the uniqueness, the beauty, the story behind the hunt to find it.  I was stressed.  I was scared.  I was worried.  I was also learning important lessons.

1.  Never say forever.  Things come and go.  You never know where life will take you.  NEVER say forever.  In reference to a person, place, or thing.

2.  There's great reward in the art of removal.  For me, clutter removal was freeing.  If I didn't use it in a year, I wouldn't miss it.  I could always buy new if/when I needed an item.

3.  Learn to accept help.  I tried to do it all alone.  I realized I needed my support.  They knew it and they didn't judge me for waiting until the last minute to ask for it.  Y'all are the real MVPs.

4.  Appreciate your circle.  Members of my inner circle were worth their weight in gold. No, platinum; they were worth their weight in platinum.  I cried, I shut down, I disappeared, I bought new stuff when I was downsizing.  My circle rode the crazy train with me no matter the stop at which I needed them to meet me.

5.  Good coffee is critical.  Yep, coffee is a requirement.  Food... eh, I guess.  Coffee?! I will snatch your eyeball from its socket and use it to play jacks if you THINK of coming between me and my coffee.

There were other lessons... hard lessons.  I said goodbye to my beloved fur baby on the journey.  We'll have that moment too.  I just can't bring myself to open those emotions yet.  Soon... but not yet.  For now, if you know me, you know my BIG move was a marathon of busy, mixed with a bit of LOL, some heartfelt moments, drama, and more.  I'll share the Instagram story from the journey, complete with all 10 emotional stops on the farewell tour.

Stay tuned,

WW: First Splash of 2017