Gesphania

Around this time last year my husband wined me & dined me at the most romantic city view dinner for two, celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. This year, two increased to three as our newborn baby boy joined our anniversary celebration. 

I wore one of my boutique’s new releases, the Leaf Woven Puff Sleeve Maxi. Being only 3 weeks post pregnancy, this maxi dress was so perfect! I’m on the conservative side so I pinned the V-Neck collar slightly to control my even more noticeable cleavage. This new mommy body makes me feel like a black Monroe. I loved the flow of the maxi and the sexiness of the double split.

For year 2, because our baby was so new, we decided not to travel far. We still wanted to go someplace that we’ve never been that is baby friendly and somewhere that doesn’t expose him to the cold. The place that we found was perfect. A local indoor botanical garden. We had a beautiful lunch and took a stroll inside the 80 degree indoor garden facility. This location in particular is the largest indoor botanical garden in the northeast. For those moments, though it was chilly outside, the garden weather made us feel like we were on a tropical vacation. I loved every minute of our nature walk. We learned more about exotic flowers & other plants, enjoyed small exhibits of tropical animals, & took lots of photos of course. Though he’s only 3 weeks into the world, his father still did a few “look at this son”, when we saw something we deemed as cool. It made me look forward to going to many more places when our son is old enough to walk. I want to travel the world with him. It was a great experience and we plan on going back again soon. 

We then hit up the shopping center. Since COVID began, I have not been to any shopping center. I felt like I was in a foreign land. Everyone wore a mask, there were lines to get into every store and wellness stations checked the temperature of each incoming customer. The foreign feeling didn’t stop our exploration of the center. There was a particular item that caught my eye as we visited each store. I kept going back to it with my eyes but I had no expectation of purchase because it was a bit pricey. Next thing I know, my husband is pulling out his wallet and signaling me to take it to the register. In the girliest squeal, I obliged. 

As we headed back home with our baby boy fast asleep, I sat in the car in reflection. Reflection from the moment my husband and I met until now. There is no way I could have predicted any of this. I had no clue this man who gave me this beautiful child would be part of my life story. Now that they are, I can’t picture any future chapter without them in it.

I’m so grateful. Cheers to year two!

-Love & Light 

The moment I saw those two pink lines my priorities shifted. My hopes transformed into determination. I have to win. My husband and I have to succeed in all we do. No more selling myself short or undervaluing my work. There is now a life on the line. A life that we are responsible for. Since that moment, I have been brainstorming, rearranging, planning, gathering and creating a timeline for all the steps of my multi entrepreneurial journey. 

 The 1st step I took is deciding to showcase my personally selected clothing, jewelry & accessories on my website via social media live sales once this precious bundle of joy is born. This is something I’m very excited about because it embodies the message of my online store, “My Style & Story Shared With You”. I’ll be able to connect with my clientele on a more personal level and share myself with them deeper than a webpage. PLUS I’m designating days to also exclusively showcase the fabulously known $5 PAPARAZZI JEWELRY as an independent Consultant for my clientele that love to sparkle and shine on a more fixed budget. I’ve been shopping with my chosen consultant for a year now and decided to join her team after being satisfied with every piece I received. So I’m ecstatic that I get to showcase my own selected paparazzi pieces! 

Daily I’d go through my vendor list and pre order inventory for both stores in every category that I plan on showcasing in the fall. All the while I have this little nugget in the forefront of my mind as he rolls and kicks waiting for his debut. I want him to have everything I didn’t. I want to give him the time and love that he deserves. I want to be the very best version of myself so he can have the space to grow into who he needs to be. 

Though I’ve been determined in business, I admit the knowledge of our baby boy has elevated my hustle. As I write this I’m laying in my hospital bed in Labor & Delivery. Each sentence quickly being expressed between contractions. MY GOODNESS THESE CONTRACTIONS! With each burst of unimaginable pain all I think to myself is he has to come out and this is the process of making that happen. My husband is coaching me like it’s the NBA Championship game. He’s so focused. Reminding me to breathe, telling me how great I’m doing & rubbing back. I look forward to when this epidural kicks in! 7cm in, I’m almost there! It’s good to have a support system. He hasn’t left my side for even a second. My mind keeps toggling between the here and now, and all I’m planning to secure his future. 

I just want him out so I can walk out the door with him and execute our plans. I know it’s not necessarily going to go exactly that way as healing, recovery and getting into a solid routine has to happen first. Plus I have to get my body back. Actually more so embrace the new mommy body I am about to receive and sculpt it the way I desire it to be. I’m up for the challenge. As I evolve and transition into a new season, my clothing pieces will reflect that as well. I look forward to going through the journey with you all. 

Our baby boy will be out soon I hope. It’s time to push. I have to focus. Time for me to sign off until then. Stay tuned and keep a look out for my live social media sales on Facebook and Instagram plus my other projects to follow in the next few weeks (or month lol I know I’m pushing the timeline. I’m just eager to get started). Until then, shop my websites!:

Boutique: www.shopgesphania.com

Paparazzi $5 Jewelry: www.shopgessjewels.com

Love & Light,

Gesphania (New Mommy) 

Update: After 30 minutes of pushing later... I’m officially a mommy. He’s so perfect! The most amazing feeling 💙

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I find that people recognize me by my professional title. “Oh you’re that wedding planner right?”.  I reply, “Yes I am that and a few other things”. My response usually sparks the conversation of what else do I do. In this new age, millennials dibble and dabble in multiple avenues. Opposite from the Boomer and Generation X era who most likely have stuck to one profession, my generation is interested and focused on generating multiple streams of income.

Why do you ask? Well my reason is because I have more than one passion and I don’t feel I should settle on just one. Over time, I’ve added my eggs to a few different baskets. Let’s see... there’s wedding planning, event decor, photography, editing, retail fashion curation, personal styling, writing (of course) and a couple others that I haven’t revealed publicly as of yet. I find that it’s healthy to spread your wings and fly in all the directions that you are passionate about. I’ve witnessed that "one basket person" have it all and lose it all because they relied solely on that great career without ever exploring anything else they might be equally amazing at. If one egg breaks, I have comfort in knowing that I have other options.

My greatest example would be my mom. She opened a retail bridal store over 25 years ago that’s still alive and kicking while so many stores have closed around her. But it’s not only because she sells retail bridal & evening gowns. She’s also a seamstress, alteration specialist, interior designer, florist and decor expert. So if a client walks in looking for a gown but hasn’t made up her mind just yet, my mother can easily offer her other services so she wins either way. Being multitalented also gives her the option of switching her storefront to a solely online business in the future if she chooses.

Not just in business, but in life always have a back up plan for your back up plan. We as humans can do so much more than we think we’re capable of. Continue to explore, experience and execute all beneficial things that drive you. As many states are advised to be indoors during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and more people have increased time on their hands, now is the time to embark on the something that you've always wanted to try (within the confines of your home of course). There are plenty of online tutorials, classes and "how-to" videos of your preference. Hopefully once the dust settles my hope is to see a lot more entrepreneurs emerging from the ashes and ready to take on the world.

Love & Light ✨