Let’s be honest: last year was one of the most difficult years of my life. For those of you who don’t know, Max and I took in my three younger sisters and raised them while my mother worked on a few issues in her life. They moved in with us on the morning that our new brand launched. All of you were seeing “celebration” from the outside, while my life was quietly falling apart behind the scenes. I spent more moments crying on my bathroom floor than I care to admit, consumed far too many pints of ice cream and drowned my sorrows in good bottles of red wine with friends. I clung to my God and my Max, and somehow, the end came. A couple of weeks ago, my newly capable mother picked up the children, and drove them home….and then there were two. Two confused and heartbroken children left. My babies watched “their girls” drive away…that’s when the tears came. The only thing we could do was make pancakes for dinner….pancakes make everything seem just a little bit better.

After a long sleep and strong coffee, we faced the day with renewed enthusiasm for life. On June 30, 2012, I turned 28. It feels so very right, fresh, and untarnished. I have my sweet family of four back, and sooner or later, the house will be in decent shape again. We celebrated with an intimate dinner with the closest of friends, and my peeps know exactly how to put a smile on my face. Lingerie and Coach’s “Poppy” perfume from Max, Martha Stewart glitter and a gorgeous statement necklace…sweet cards…lady like earrings…lipgloss…all things girlie and a fruity martini or two. We chatted about brides, babies and business strategy…a perfect start to a new year of life.

A couple of weeks after my birthday, the Hubby took me out to the desert to take my pretty picture. In all honesty, being alone in front of the camera is VERY difficult for me. I don’t know where to look and what to do with my arms. I do, however, feel that it’s very important to be on the other side of the camera from time to time, so that I get to see what our clients feel like. The only thing that kept a smile on my face was knowing that sushi was in my very near future, and that Max was on the other side of the camera. Let’s do this, 28!

(Girl On Fire…no?)

(Melissa O…I love my birthday outfit. You nailed it.)

Goodnight, Palm Springs.