“Ain’t gonna hang my hat
Ain’t gonna take off my boots
Ain’t nothing gonna stop me in my pursuit
My stage, time to rehearse
Gonna see all the wonders of the universe”
~Imani Coppola
Don’t think that just because we all blogged here for 5 months, our lives are magically just amazeballs. This is not the end of a romantic comedy (unfortunately – I honestly have the worst bedhead EVA and dream of waking up all shiny and coiffed!) I still procrastinate, over-think most dilemmas, am trying to get the ball rolling faster on my business, and freak out when Mr. Paul Child says “I have an idea…” or “I think this model car would look great over here with your ::fill in the blank::” (Seriously, when will the plethora of model cars end?! They multiply like flipping bunnies!) . My point is, that being apart of Stratejoy has been a blessing I never could have imagined, but it’s not a magic cure, it is a way of life.
Changing your thinking and getting out of the negative is hard. We all put up defenses and try to battle the anger and resentment, that we usually have for ourselves. We aren’t perfect, though, (I just heard my fellow type-A’s ever where sigh in pain) and trying to be is pointless.
Over the past few months we have lived this way of life because we had to come here, to you, our tribe, and report on how we were applying it. Good, bad and ugly. It’s hard sometimes to be positive and to show up every week. And my crying face is really ugly. But the good times, the moments when we have a revelation or something good happens, or we eat an awesome cookie and drink some wine with best friends, those are becoming more important, more cherished, and happily, more often.
With each week of writing here, I got stronger. I became a better version of myself, because I started to love myself and value my talents. My mother always tells me to “change my thought,” when there is something that I don’t want to do or if I’m stuck in a negative way of thinking. Every week, my thought started to change, coming here to a community of support and encouragement. All our readers are amazing and hopefully, we gave you something new to think about or a sister in QLC to relate to.
I would be nothing without the support of Mr. Paul Child, my friends & family, and my new family (my Stratejoy loves)!
Molly – I never dreamed when I first started reading Stratejoy, that I would be a Stratejoy alum. I love that this is a positive and inclusive site. We are beaten down every day with ideas and images that make us feel less and this is a place where we leave feeling whole and happy. I am so honored to have been selected to grow in front of the tribe and let them see everything that happened, even my terrible camping trip.
Katie- The right hand of Stratejoy. The lovely lady who has to edit my at the last minute posts and never once complained. THANK YOU! If we haven’t said it enough, you are amazeballs at what you do! Scrapple date soon?!
Arielle – The first person to post on everyone’s blog posts! Fedora wearing awesome cheerleader! I have a feeling that you are going to create your own career. I just see all the amazeballs-ness of your energy concentrating into a beautiful bang. And I’ll be there to celebrate with you, drinking wine and eating graham crackers.
Caiti – Your sweet honesty and hope made me weep with you, and want the world for you and your husband. I look forward to seeing you build your family and the career that you are so focused on creating, on your terms. Please smuggle Irish butter back for me. ;o)
Jill- You are so flipping funny. Love that you have talked about sex, your vagina, and picking your nose. It’s honest and truthful and we all can relate. I hope that your strength and humor will continue in a blog, so that I can laugh and nod and think “damn! I feel the same way!” Kick life in the nuts and be the brave biotch I know you are!
Camila – I want to sit and drink a cup of tea and talk about natural health with you so badly! I am so excited for you to have an incredible wedding and build an amazing life in Portland with your lovely new hubby! Will you be my doula someday?
Cassie- You are sunshine on a cloudy day! Your joy for life sparkles through your posts. I’m hope that I get to go to a Pixar movie someday that is inspired and/or written/drawn (I know it’s mostly computer now, but you could go retro and draw it!) by you! Please keep me up to date on the new boy and all your art/illustration/writing. ;o)
Sarah- Motherhood scares me, but you have taken a lot of my fear regarding it, away. All of the awesome steps you took for yourself, lets me know that being a mom, doesn’t mean you aren’t an incredible person who is still growing individually too.
I feel so blessed. I feel so strong. I feel so happy. And I thank you all for reading, supporting, commenting, laughing and loving with me.
I’ll be blogging on my own site, writing about food and living in a small town again, running a farm bakery, starting my own pastry business on the side, and traveling with my love Mr. Paul Child. Is it cheesy to write KIT on our yearbooks?
My coming soon pastry business
Twitter: @CroissantITC
**A Note From Katie: Rachel, you gorgeous, awesome, amazing woman, you! It started off to where I wanted to meet you because of what I’m sure are amazing cooking skills. But, as I got to know you more and more through your posts, I’m all but 100% certain that we’d be incredible friends. I mean, people who actually LIKE Scrapple? Come on. It’s a no brainer.
I’ve loved all of your posts this season. Seriously. Every. Single. One. I’ve loved hearing about your past, about what you’re going through now, and what you’re going to be planning on in the future. You’ve been completely honest, even when the honesty wasn’t pretty and glittery.
I adore every hair on your pretty head, and can’t wait for our Scrapple date.
-Katie
