All posts by Pamela Stephens

The Best Advice I Got During Divorce.

Here’s what I learned about upsetting people. It’s going to happen. They’ll be upset and confused and they might even rage for a bit or call you ugly names. But then in a matter of moments, someone else will do something even more
disruptive and they move on. There will be a new story to spread around the block. There will be something new to be mad about.

When it was time to tell people about my divorce, I was torn up inside. What would people think? No one would have seen it coming. What will they say? What will they think of us? Of me.

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WHEN YOU WEAR A LOT OF HATS

I could feel the burn of hot tears lingering in my eyes, waiting to spill out onto my cheeks. Waiting to flow as soon as the gates were opened and they were free from where they’ve been trapped for months, waiting for the time to fall.

My husband had just gone to the ER again, this time while I was in another state. It was the third time in 45 days. I’d just worked nonstop for several days, doing a job that I didn’t even know I’d taken.

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Married on a Monday

Wedding at Magnolia Ridge
Wedding at Magnolia Ridge
Wedding at Magnolia Ridge

March 23, 2020 — I got married. On a Monday. In the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Without actually being engaged first. 

On a Monday afternoon, Zach and I got married by our pond with just the kids, a photographer, and an officiant. Only a handful of people actually knew it was happening beforehand. 

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3 Tips for Making Decisions

I’m known for overthinking things and obsessing over making the right decision when there’s a choice to be made. That’s why I snatched up Anne Bogel’s new book Don’t Overthink It as soon as I saw it. If I learn just one thing to help ease my decision-making process, it would be worth it. 

Here’s what I’m learning though. No matter how much we obsess, there is no “right decision” in most cases. Sure, there are a few things that are more black and white than others. Most of the decisions we face, though, aren’t that way. We put ourselves through so much turmoil to choose correctly and there simply isn’t a right or wrong choice.

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Heartbreak and Hurricanes

Two weekends ago, we had the best weekend full of memorable family moments. From Friday-Sunday, the weekend was packed with great things like the first time to climb a tree and going back to church for the first time since Corona. We’d had special desserts and sat outside in the cooler temps. It was simply lovely. 

The weekend was rocking and rolling right along, and then it stopped rolling and mainly rocked. We woke up Monday morning and found one of our pups dead and rushed another to the vet. All bets were off for the productive Monday we had planned.

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The Book that Changed How I See My Home

This post is for all of you who want a nice, pretty home but you feel like you can never get there and the idea consumes you. It’s for those of you who buy too many figurines and throw pillows from the Target sale aisle and then cuss them when you get home because your house still isn’t quite right.

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Regroup and Reimagine

Pamela at Rise

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the routines and good habits I’d formed pre-pandemic and just how many of those have fallen to the wayside. I’ve been thinking about which ones I need to get back to so that I feel like my old self again. Some of them, no matter how bad I want them, seem impossible. Some of them feel pretentious in times like these, like launching my podcast. Some things, like building a cool cabin on our new property, seem rather daunting when I’m still not organized here at #magnoliaridgeLA.

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My Favorite Productivity Tip

to do notebook

It’s no secret that I don’t “let any grass grow beneath my feet” and this means I have no time for extra clutter and things have to stay mostly in order for me to be as productive as I am. As a matter of a fact, one of the main questions I get from other people working to do big things is — “how do you do it all?”

This is a big question. There are hundreds of big and small things that help me do so much and today’s little tip is an easy one to implement that makes a big difference. The mantra is — touch it once.

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Heroes & Heart Attacks

Nashville

I had ideas about what I might share here on the blog this week. As a matter of fact, I have a backlog of so many posts that I’ve not pushed live out into the world yet. There’s no shortage of words saved safely on my computer right now. 

Then, the week blows right past us and it’s Thursday and I’ve not set anything in motion for the week. Not to mention, it’s been one of those weeks that truly blows your mind. 

It all started with a spontaneous trip to Nashville this past weekend. This alone was exciting enough. I thought I might write about our fun, impromptu trip and post our seflies and food pics. Because most of our trips revolve around cool restaurants, to be honest. 

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