EMBROIDERY
Stephanie Sjoberg
Flower Power
#sherpa
#OVER50
 
I wanted to share some photos from my fabulous 5oth birthday bash! I did decide to keep guests photos from being posted however, next time I would like to create a photo booth and that way people can have fun and I would feel more comfortable sharing their pictures! What if I do post pictures, but leave some people out? I don’t want to deal with all of that so decided to keep it clear of my party-goers. I did learn that I should have gone ahead with the photo backdrop idea…it would have been helpful. I already have all the lighting so i really wish I had done that!
I can say this much…everyone did enjoy themselves and I learned a lot! My biggest takeaway was that for a large group, it is worth it to pay someone to help out with serving. I had tried to find a bartender, but food service was where I found it would have been super helpful!
It was such a great time, but I feel I missed out on a lot of opportunity to visit with people because of running around trying to get food to people, or find a fork, beer, wine or coke for their Jack Daniels or whatever they needed. I waited way too late to prepare the food because I wanted it to be fresh – BIG MISTAKE!
I feel like I tried my best to set up everything ahead of time, with fireplace vibes on the televisions…we had a room set up with singing…so imagine my horror when some of the men found the television remotes and we ended up with football on? I got over it. My husband keep changing up my strategic lighting – even after I told him before hand, that he was not allowed to touch light switches, tv remotes, ceiling fans, opening windows, everything was off limits to him. He did it anyway. I was going for a dark, candlelit event…yet he managed to switch on every light in the house, move my ice bucket set up to (of all things) a camping Igloo thing…(I wanted to implode) AND he was 30 minutes late because he needed to do his stretches after his shower (some people are a wee bit ritualistic, other wise known as OCD no matter what is going on.) Either way, I survived it all and had fun!
We had taken special care to have the music set up on our revamped patio…however due to the extremely colder than normal weather…only a few people ended up outside throughout the night and we moved the music indoors.
I was so appreciative for everyone who showed up! (Even those damn husbands and their damn football.) Here’s the tea;
After a close friend expressed her anger at me, for not being present over the past two years, I’d realized that nobody realized why I have mostly kept to myself. I decided to have a party for my friends. An event for them to meet up and have a nice time during the holidays. I also happened to be turning 50. It’s in the rule book of life that we all most have a party for turning 50.
I had decided to tell everyone the extent of my neck pain, and that was why I had been missing in action for so many months. I had worked so hard at hiding my neck injury and trying to laugh it off when people would make fun of my stiff demeanor, so most really didn’t get how much pain I was in. The pain caused sleep problems. Sleep problems cause other health problems. The next thing you know, you are not going anywhere that requires additional energy! I had a work friend that knew, but pretty much I think people just thought I was lazy and didn’t care about them! I felt so much relief when I told people why I wasn’t very present in their lives. My focus was getting though each day on a few hours sleep, not letting it affect my job and trying to get better. There was nothing left of me to go sip wine and hang out with friends. At my worst, I had an amazing Assistant Manager at work and my husband was very understanding. Without these two, my little world would have fallen apart. I mention all of this to point out that this party was a big deal for a lot of reasons. People are everything. People are life and are what matters most. I had shut people out to save them the grief of hearing about my woes but really I appeared shallow and self centered by not expressing the extent of my struggle.
Another thing that I didn’t plan on…was receiving wonderful gifts! Had I realized that there would be gifts…I surely would have scrounged up more people to invite!
Did I mention that cake is everything to me? I found a great baker in my local area @afrostedmemorymaker in The Woodlands. I am not a very social person, so it was hard for me to commit to throwing a party, but once i ordered and paid for the cake – it was on!
Next came proper digital invitations so that people knew that I was serious about my party plans and I made sure that the invitation set the tone.
The thing about planning a home event is that it can be used as a huge motivator to work on things around the house! It was a plan of mine to have the patio completed before the year’s end, so having a party pushed me to get the curtain rods put up, finally choose an outdoor curtain and hang my bistro lights. (Blog post coming, but here’s a sneek peek on my Instagram…)
I also revamped the media room as well and now there’s just some furniture to recover here or there. I am still waiting on a really cool custom dog kennel end table to come in as well for the master bedroom… But I digress.
I am finally 50 and I am very happy with where my life is. What I notice in people, is that as long as they are content with their current situation, age does not bother them. It’s relative. If you’re 29 but have not yet finished college, most would be upset to be 29 although it’s still relatively young.
There is something liberating about realizing your life is more than half over and what difference does a lot of the past make? What matters is what you are going to do with what time and opportunity that you have left, how can you positively impact others while finding peace and inner joy in each day. Life is not about things and overboard consumerism. It’s about using your time wisely and love. Well, and loving wisely. If you talk to any woman over 50, that is probably at the forefront of what they have learned. If you really want astounding womanly advise, talk to a very old woman!
My next home party will probably be a casual girl party with a summer pool theme. I’m not a huge fan of walking around half naked in front of other people’s husbands so they probably won’t be invited! I guess I am old school but it just seems disrespectful so I try to hide my fabulousness (Google doesn’t seem to think this is a word, but it most definitely is) these days. Or I’m crazy. there’s always that. My new thinking is that if my husband sees less naked women these days, he will think the one he has is just fine. It seems to be working because he really, really likes me.
It’s a small thing for most, but throwing a party by someone who is a shy loner at heart, was a big step!
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
#PEACOCK
TOP 12 SHOTS OF 2018
- Â BIRDWATCHER
Birds are my jam! My husband loves bird watching as well so it’s a joy we share. I absolutely love how this bird flew into our blog post set up and gracefully walked across my frame. Nature is everything. Click to see more!
2. DOGLOVER
We adopted a new furry soul this past year! His name is Benji and he is wonderful! There is not a sweeter little guy. His jaw was shattered so his tongue hangs out, but Blanca loves him tremendously! Little Bella accepts him but he’s so hyper it freaks her out at times but truly she barely accepts any of us!
I started putting him on the float with the girls as a team building exercise in friendship. We also have the occasional swim sessions so we can make sure they all know how to get out at the stairs. Benji, BenBen, Benny, Benjamen Buttons…we call him everything! He is such a special little blessing in our lives!
3. NATURELOVER
This is me attempting to teach Blanca to observe nature and not interfere and bark at it. Don’t let the blond hair fool you… she is an Alpha female so she wants to chase and dominate everyone and everything.
4. ISLAND LOVER
If we had millions and didn’t work…we would have a small place in Maui to live part of the year. My soul belongs there. When it became evident that planning the perfect Italian vacation was a better idea for next year, we decided on Maui again at the last minute. This photo was taken at Mama’s Fish House just before a romantic seaside dinner!
This dress had come in at Johnny Was The Woodlands and I decided she would be perfect for Maui. Of course there was that moment when a woman in a black t-shirt and white jeans walked by and said, “…not every woman could pull that look off…” to which my husband and I laughed at her dis, and went on with our day! Last I checked it was an island and I was on vacation. Bitter unhappy people kill me sometimes. The #RESORT2018 post was my favorite this past year!
5. HAWAII LOVER
Visiting Maui again was a dream come true. I love Hana and have always wanted to go back. Some of the photos are here at Eight Shots for September.
6. RAINBOW CHASER
Anyone who thinks they know my husband, would be shocked to know that he adores rainbows and must pull over and take photos whenever her sees one! We had sort of a photo competition when trying to photograph this one on the way back from Hana on Maui! I think this is the best rainbow I’ve ever seen. God is good!
7. LASH BOSS
I did not take this photo, one of our customers of Bosscat Beauty did ! She had on #bosscatdays lashes and I absolutely love it! It’s better than any I’ve taken. If you love makeup you may want to follow this MUA @justineebella on Instagram!
8. INSTAGRAMMER
Check out either one of my Instagram accounts if you’d like to see more photos! @bosscatbeauty or @stephaniedawnsjoberg
9.  ECLECTICISM
I do what I want . I wear what I want. I am who I want to be. With fashion and styling…I have fun. Eclecticism is a natural state for me. Vince Camuto booties, with a silk kimono from #johnnywasthewoodlands , a Texas girl belt, Prada bag, leather cuffs, Quay sunglasses and probably no bra….that’s me. I have no box. Perfectly perfect is not my thing because that’s too hard. Perfectly fun makes more sense. It’s easier. Bold is good. The other day, I ran into a friend while getting something loaded into my trunk at Academy. She had on a sweat shirt, I had on velvet and heels…we looked at each other and laughed. I really am this person. I like that my friends and my husband let me be me.
10. BIRTHDAY GIRL
I turned 50 years old on December 28th! In the rule book of life, it says you are supposed to throw a party for anyone turning 50, so I did! It was so much fun! Even my dad came and remarked that it was the best party he had ever been to! I realized that it is so cool to have a house full of people who actually like you and you like them. In life, we deal all day with those we must tolerate. I have not posted a blog yet or shared photos, but I will!
For a couple of years, I kept to myself a lot and did not make time for people. I realized that most people didn’t know why.
One day, I was sitting in a parked car at the bank, and another car ran into me. When you are in a car that is locked up in park, the impact is not cushioned. It actually snaps twice. It lunges forward, yet snaps back harshly and your seat beat does not work. I had a headache for a solid 6 week period immediately following the impact and then it was downhill from there. I didn’t have the youngest, fittest neck to begin with since I was about 47 already when it happened. I had whiplash so bad that just getting to work and functioning was my primary priority.
I finally realized that I needed to really verbalize to people what I was dealing with, because I was told that my isolationist behavior was hurtful to others. I explained in detail the seriousness of my injury and I immediately felt so much relief. Friends appreciated knowing why I was not interested in doing a lot of extracurricular activities. Although some people at work knew, it’s not the kind of thing that you call up your corporate office and discuss. Actually, some people might…but that’s not me. The people I worked with knew I was suffering but I didn’t really make it super clear to a lot of people why I was MIA at certain events. Lack of sleep and neck pain was zapping my extra energy but after all of that suffering, I am starting to see light!
My party was a gift to friends, an opportunity for my husband to meet people that I’ve known for years and it was me re-inviting people into my life. As for my blog…. I never really explained the issue to any depth because I saw a blogger do that month after month and it became draining on me hearing about her lack of sleep over her health issue. It sucked the joy out of the blog. I didn’t want to be that. Blogs are supposed to be fun and uplifting damn it! People and love are the meaning are life so I want to work on that aspect of my life this year and be more present! My little party was the beginning of a new chapter and I am so happy with my little circle of friends!
11. MUA
I got to brush up on my MUA skills to snap shots of my cousin for Bosscat Beauty lashes! I love how she turned out! Beauty isn’t about just looks, but it’s about the person.
12. HOMEBODY
I was home a lot in my spare time this past year! I had different projects going on and I enjoy being a loner. My dogs are my heart and I suppose it’s possible that I spend too much time with them because I catch myself having conversations with them these days!
I had a skin cancer issue (thanks probably to the good old days when I hit the tanning bed after each trip to the gym)… so these days I try to cover up somewhat. Tan on young skin is hot, on older skin it just looks like leather, just sayin.
This cover up was from #johnnywasthewoodlands and I actually ended up buying two! I wear it as a swim cover or a top! The design is timeless and it’s flattering – what else is there?
I truly look forward to 2019…to blogging, working, growing, loving and spending time with people of good heart.Â
