this was one of the craziest, most terrifying, absolutely exhilarating & surreal things i have ever done. this was a very yaya-womanhood-hear me roar sorta move. but this was something that i needed to do. something i needed to do, for myself.
the backstory
if you're not familiar with elizabeth suzann, she's a clothing designer in nashville, tennessee. read more about her vision & story here. i've been following her journey on instagram for a while now. so long, in fact, that i can't even remember how or when i came across her ig account. i loved her design aesthetic. i loved all the linen. the cut of the fabrics seemed so flattering, yet comfortable & easily transitional for the seasons. finally, for christmas last year, i decided i was long overdue for one of her pieces. best decision ever. i had been working with a capsule wardrobe for a while then & the harper tunic was the perfect addition to my closet. i found myself wearing it all.the.time.
i know some worry about the expense of her pieces but here's what i found to be true: every time i would go into target, i would pick up a new top, cardigan, purse & shoes. every time i would walk past a sale rack at old navy, i'd grab a few tees. i would plan shopping trips to the biggest malls so i could walk to every store & just see what there might be out there for me to buy. and then buy it. not really ever loving it. not really sure if it fit. but it was a "good deal" so i did it. cha-ching, cha-ching. but when i started consciously buying clothes, i downsized, A LOT. spending definitely decreased, too. and now i buy more purposefully & with long-term in mind.
the harper tunic was a dream & in february i was featured in my harper tunic on ES's instagram & received a $250 gift card because of it!
i used that gift card to buy their linen diane trench which was just like the ones i have had pinned on my pinterest for years! so super pumped at this point, guys!!
then on july 10, ES announced they were looking for real ES customers & women from all shapes, sizes, ages & backgrounds to come to nashville & be photographed in every one of their signature garments so that customers can confidently envision a garment future in her own wardrobe. i read & liked the post on ig & quickly got a notification that liz, herself, had mentioned me on her comment feed saying, "@hellolittlenest Thought you may be interested! :)" GAH. she called me out. WHY. WHAT. HUH. i may have freaked a bit. thankfully my 13 year old daughter was there to share in my enthusiasm & quickly told me to APPLY ALREADY. so emma took my body & headshot (lol) & i emailed them right away with the answers to their questionnaire & then crossed my fingers & toes. on july 15, while out of town in a hotel room with my in-laws, i got the email. i definitely stopped breathing & then started jumping around shouting. again, thank goodness emma was there to appreciate & participate in my enthusiasm.
the campaign was to be shot august 12-13, so for the next month i obsessively thought about numbers. measurements, sizes, weights, dates, gates, oh my. hubs finally slapped some sense into me & told me to quit worrying & dreading everything & just enjoy this process & opportunity.
did i mention that i'd never travelled alone before? or flown at all before? or even been to an airport before? or even really knew what an airbnb was? or ever actually seen an uber? or ever been to nashville? sure, i'll stop worrying. right now. now.
we each got one of these nifty information folders & things got really real.
the flight
it's thursday night & i'm packing. i received an email from ES saying we needed to have our hair basically done when we arrive to the photoshoot on saturday. it is then that i realize emma took the only straightener we have with her to her grandma's because she had sports pictures the next morning. i started texting aunts, friends, neighbors, anyone who at 9 pm could lend me a straightener for the weekend. thankfully, i have the best neighbors in the world & one of them delivered theirs to my door in the middle of the night. just call us mayberry.
my flight was at 7:10 a.m. out of port columbus, 2.5 hours away. here's how friday went:
2 a.m. i wake up. "what the heck am i doing??!" (2 a.m.-maybe not the most coherent time to deliberate semi-big life decisions).
2:30 we leave our house & i remember our van is out of gas. and there aren't any 24 gas stations near us. WHO KNEW. well, i do now. i live life on a learning curve.
2:40 i'm checking on all my cash/funds & we realize our direct deposit for pay day hasn't went through yet. super awesome.
3:00 we come upon an overturned tractor trailer, ems workers, police, the likes. it is blocking the highway but we manage to get through one lane.
3:02 no joke. another car accident on the highway. flares, first responders & emergency personnel everywhere. IS THIS A SIGN???
3:46 i can't believe i'm doing this. this is ridiculous. who am i???
5:04 we're at the airport. dang, airports are so cool. (i can't stop smiling.)
5:05 i'm not as nervous as i thought i'd be.
5:06 i go to the bathroom & i see people who live the next street over from us IN THE AIRPORT BATHROOM & it makes me so weirdly happy.
5:09 we say goodbye.
5:30 tsa are not as scary or mean as i thought they'd be! actually super helpful!
6:30 waiting at my gate & hardcore people watching. who needs a book to read??!
6:35 start to think about who would survive if we crashed & found ourselves on a deserted island.
6:36 i've watched too much LOST this summer.
6:37 i'd totally be kate austen.
6:41 LOADING the plane through one of those tunnel things that you always see on movies.
7:00 found my seat on the plane next to a very interesting mom/daughter duo (think dog the bounty hunter meets laguna beach).
7:10 we are flying & i LOVE it. seriously beautiful & incredibly peaceful.
8:27 (ohio time) / 7:27 (nashville time) i land in nashville!! just when i was getting settled into the flight, we were descending. i'm not ready, southwest! gimme more!
7:30 (nashville time) i can't check into my airbnb until 12 so i spend the next 4 HOURS hanging out at the airport a la tom hanks in terminal.
9:30 after checking out all the shops, i grab breakfast: my first auntie anne's pretzel that i didn't have to share with someone! big things happening on this trip, friends.
10:37 i hit the bar. the massage bar that is. is it weird to get a massage from strange people while other strange people are walking by & watching?? maybe. it was worth it.
11:15 feeling relaxed from the massage that i got. so relaxed, in fact, that i fell asleep during it...3 times.
11:28 o'charley's for lunch: chicken tenders with honey mustard, sweet potato fries & a house salad with ranch & a sweet tea. yummo.
12:50 meet my first uber, greg! who kept asking me which way was the right way. greg, i do not know. i'm paying you to get me where i need to go. check your gps, greg. good ole, greg.
1:02 got to my airbnb safely! in one piece! i made it! it was seriously the most relieving feeling. cue "miss independent" track! (i love you, kelly clarkson.)
well, there it is! how this trip/opportunity came to be & how i got there. i will pick up with arriving to my airbnb on the next post...along with our behind-the-scenes tour of ES studio/living room/offices, our team dinner, behind the scenes at our photoshoot & the teensy bit of sightseeing i did in nashville! stay tuned, friends!
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