It's been a minute... Life Update!

Hi! I know it's been a hot minute since we've talked on this blog, but as many of you are probably already aware if you follow me on my other platforms- I've been a little busy the last year planning a wedding. On March 25th, 2023, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Terrance and I said "I do!" and started our journey together as husband and wife. I plan to do a full blog recap on that when we get our sneak peaks back, as well as the planning process, and some of my favorite plus size bridal & wedding vendors who helped make that process as stress free as possible- so stay tuned for that in the weeks to come.

It's wild to me that I'm a wife to the man of my dreams now, and that I'm officially Mrs. Raymond, but I am loving every minute of that. Terrance and I have lived together since January of 2021 so this was just the next step in our life journey together but it's awakened other goals for us too. Homeownership being a large objective for us, and hurdle to tackle because HELLO the housing market has not been so kind, but it looks promising that interest rates may be where we need them to be when we're ready. We've been living in the same 2 bedroom apartment since I relocated to Gainesville- and truth be told we've just outgrown the space. We've always wanted to have a back yard for the dogs, but now with our future family in mind some day we definitely need more space.

Which brings me to our next goal and a large reason for me reactivating the blog. I'm going to link a video below that I recorded yesterday and shared on Instagram & Tiktok because it really encompasses what I feel I need to say but also just what's on my heart. You guys have always known me to be candid with my emotions & how I am feeling so let's not stop that now.

My content will be changing in the next year as we're transitioning away from wedding planning and into more lifestyle focused content. Part of that lifestyle is going to be a major health change & lifestyle change for me. I want to preface this by saying that I love being plus size, and I do envision that my life moving forward will be some degree of plus size, curvy, thick, whatever you label me as is fine, I don't have any goals for what I want to look like because I do truly love myself now- but I do have aspirations of being a mother, and being able to enjoy motherhood without health concerns and pain and the truth of the matter is my blood pressure is not safe for a pregnancy right now and my back and foot pain will only get worse if I don't address the root causes.

So, while I don't want to go into the full details of the journey I'm embarking on too soon, I want to be very transparent that this is happening, my body will be changing, and why it's so important to be me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLUeSBRmbhU

I know this is a lot to say a little, but I feel there is no right or easy way to share this when you’ve built a platform in this fashion. I do believe that you all know my intent has always been loving my body at any size, and any phase of my journey, and that I hope I’m doing right by you all in being transparent that this will be a focus for me in the next few months and even year to come. Ultimately I know and believe I am do everything I need to do to set myself up and my family up for success going into our new chapter together and to focus on my own health needs. I hope to never do or cause harm in sharing my experiences, just as I have previously shared content for movement goals & mental health but I know that intentional weight loss is a sensitive subject among the plus size community. I have always been an advocate for self love, confidence, and body positivity, at any size, and I have no clue what, how or where I will end up, but I know I’m ready to make changes to feel better then I've been feeling, and to ease into a new lifestyle, and one step closer towards my dreams of being a momma and creating a family with my husband someday. If this will be triggering for you please know I understand and support you & what works best for YOU just like I hope you’ll support Terrance & I in how we try to achieve what we want to achieve for our family & this next chapter of our lives together. You are just as entitled to curating your feed for your needs as I am to choose to share my journey 🤍 I love you all & thank you for being here.