Lauren Wakefield

I have been blown away by how this series has taken off.  How many women have contacted me sharing their story and relating so much to the amazing women that write these posts.  Thanking me (when really it has nothing to do with me) for putting something truly authentic on the internet.  Women have emailed me telling me how they wrote their own post as a way to just get it all out.  Which I think is so amazing.  And what I really find to be so cool…is sometimes women contact me asking to write a post.  That they have been touched somehow by this series and want to do the same for others.  Jessica is one of those people.  I don’t know her personally but she is friend with one of my other amazing #wcw’s, Nicole…and when she emailed me I was so excited.  Because this is what this series is all about.  It’s not just about my best friends doing me a favor and guest blogging (even though that has definitely happened…lol)….it’s about you.  Women everywhere.  And finding a place where we can connect together on what life really looks like.  Enough from me…internet, meet Jessica… (who’s birthday is today so leave her a little love!!!)

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JESSICA BOYDA

I met Jen a few years ago when she came to my house for a little photo get together I used to host.  I liked her immediately but what really sealed the deal was when everyone left and she stayed for just a few more drinks.  First impression…my kind of girl.  Over the years we got to know each other better and better and as I sit here today she is someone that I am not only so grateful to have in my life…but someone I look up to more than she will ever know.  Jen is an amazing photographer…a wife…a daughter…a friend…and a truly incredible mom.  When you meet her it’s honestly like a breath of fresh air.  She’s genuine and kind and hilarious…not to mention it’s impossible not to have a blast when you’re with her.  We recently spent a few a days together in Mexico and what a time we had.  😉  She is so unbelievably strong and watching her this last year take every stride with such grace and courage…there is no doubt in my mind that she is one hell of a difference maker.  And I, for one, am proud to know her.

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JEN SEXTON

This girl…where do I even start.  Sara is more than my friend…she is my sister.  In the scheme of things I haven’t known Sara that long…but in the last few years she has become one of the most important people in my life.  Between wedding planning together and discovering what marriage really means side by side…she has become the person who can honestly get me though anything.  She is one of the strongest people I know and proves it every single day.  When she loves you…she really loves you.  And if someone tries to hurt someone she loves…you better look out.  Her marriage is something I look up to.  The way she loves Brandon and the way they get through everything…together.  They are an unbeatable team and watching them build a life together is so inspiring.  Sara is the type of person that you can sit and talk to for days because she listens…and I mean really listens.  She is funny and witty (Sara I would have said that without reading below, lol)…thoughtful and has a laugh that will make any bad day disappear.  Every time I visit the Moody’s I leave feeling a million times better than when I got there.  Because that’s Sara.  She fills you up and lifts you higher and in a world where so much is against you…she is always on your side.  I could write about 18 more paragraphs but just know that Sara is a person you want to know…and hopefully this post will give you a little insight into just how amazing she really is.  (I love you doughnut!)

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SARA MOODY

I am incredibly sensitive.  If you haven’t seen me cry we must not know each other very well.  Happy tears, sad tears.  They are all just waiting to come out at any given moment.  I wear my heart on my sleeve for sure.  Pisces problems.

As sensitive as I am, I have come to (try) to not really care what people think.  I spent way too much time doing that and it just confuses your brain – you forget who you are.  If you don’t like me, well that’s a shame.  For you.

I’m an over-analyzer.  That tiny comment you made to me years ago, I still think about it.  That time I said the wrong thing, I still regret it.

I’m a pretty good judge of phony.  Much better now than I used to be.

I moved away from Chicago and it was, and sometimes still is, terrifying.

I change my mind, a lot.  I was between two wedding gowns and switched them an hour after buying one.

I went through some very unhappy times in my life.  When people say they love seeing how happy I am now, instead of feeling good it makes me so sad for the time I wasted being miserable.

I am absolutely obsessed with eyebrows.  Sometimes I see a picture and instead of commenting on the obvious, like a girlfriends new puppy in the photo, I’m like, “Wow, her eyebrows look fantastic!”  I don’t know that this is necessarily a bad trait, but it’s weird.

It’s hard for me to take compliments.  I wish I was more gracious about receiving them.

I hate surprises.  They make me uncomfortable.

I wish I didn’t delete every picture of myself that I don’t like (which is most of them).  I have two best friends that are photographers who I make life very hard for.  😁

I am always hot.

I get scatterbrained and hate that it makes me seem flaky.

I love my smile but don’t love my teeth, if that makes sense.

I had braces in high school but insisted on clear.  My mom told me years later that my Grandma had paid the extra cost, and it broke my heart.  I was so selfish.  Braces are ugly silver or clear.  Sorry Gram.

Nothing makes me feel pride more than when my brothers think something I said was funny.  They are both hysterical so it’s a big compliment.  It doesn’t happen often.  😑

I’m jealous of people’s natural abilities.  Each of my siblings is incredibly artistic, it must have skipped me.  I often feel inadequate not having a talent.

My dad died when I was young.  It was a tragic, horrible situation and instead of getting easier each year it gets harder because he is missing more of my life.

My life would make an EXCELLENT lifetime movie.

I block out things in my memory that are painful.  I used to think this was a problem, then I realized it doesn’t benefit me to think about those things.  I read something that said, “You don’t always have to forgive and forget, sometimes it’s OK to just forget and move on.”

I pride myself on having a very good vocabulary, but resort to the F-word to myself 100 times a day.

I can read a book in a day.  Sometimes I wish I could drag them out but I can’t.

My mom always thought I would be a newscaster.  I have never wanted to be a newscaster.  I think it’s the suits, she was always offering to buy me a suit.

I’m embarrassingly bad at math. I ‘m talking “grown woman using her fingers to count” bad.  I make up for it by using big words.

I’m critical of others.  I always want to interject a better way to do something.  In my mind, my way is always right.

I’m bossy.

I roll my eyes too much.

When I argue, I yell.  It’s hard to get my point across because I get so mad.  Irish temper maybe.

Being a mom is all I’ve really ever wanted to be.  I have had three heartbreaking miscarriages, but I will not give up.  I hate that it’s this secret thing no one talks about.

I used to bottle things up and have learned to ask for help when I need it.  Recently, a friend of a friend opened up a whole new world of support for me.  Family and friends are amazing, and try to be helpful – but sometimes it’s only other women who are facing the same battles trying to conceive that can help.  They know what to say, they know what not to say.  So thank you Christy T.

I have such good intentions and such poor follow through.  A simple card or gift that I mean to send and don’t guilts me for months.  I am trying so hard to let people know how much I appreciate them.

I have a lot of pet peeves.  Some are very petty.  One is when people don’t return their cart in parking lots.  What kind of emergency situation are you in that you can’t put it back?

I have a high strung mind.  It’s just always moving too fast and it’s hard for me to calm my thoughts.  One thing that helps:

I love baking, it makes me happy.  I like that everything has to be measured just so.  No grey area.  Which I realize makes me sound like a perfectionist and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  That leads me to tell you….

I am messy.  Clothes, everywhere.  It annoys my husband, and I am scared one day he is really going to follow through on his threat to bring it all to Goodwill.  The procrastinator in me says I’ll clean it up “tomorrow“.

I have realized I am a bit of an introvert.  I don’t know if I didn’t used to be or just didn’t know it.  There are plenty of times and plenty of people I am an extrovert with – like family…but I’m not as comfortable in large social situations as I used to be.

I will talk your head off.  I just get so excited and I tell every detail in a story.  I must be exhausting to talk to.

I spent many years just beating myself up, being insecure and in unhealthy situations and relationships that drained me of the happy person I was.  I made a conscious decision to try to be more positive.  So, on that note, I’ll tell you some things I really like about myself!

I like my laugh.  It’s loud and ridiculous but it feels so good.

I love my eye color.  I am the only one who got green eyes in my family.

I have chosen amazing friends.  The ones I’ve had for 20 years and the ones I’ve had for 10.  They are irreplaceable.  I have the friends who you can go two months without talking and you pick up right where you left off.

I know more about pop culture than most people.  Although I probably shouldn’t brag about that.

I think I have a good marriage.  I am proud of the relationship I have and the family we are building.

I apply mascara with the precision of a heart surgeon.

I can be funny.  Humor is very important to me.  I have a lot of respect for funny, successful women.  I feel proud when someone tells me I’m witty.

I like my family.  And I don’t tell them enough.  My mom is strong and stoic.  My sister is caring and kind.  My older brother is the best dad and so so funny.  My younger brother is funnier than all of us put together, and he has the biggest heart.  My sister-in-law is determined and driven.  And my soon to be sister-in-law is sweet and generous.  And they are all far away from me and I miss them.

I love my niece and nephews.  When my oldest nephew started to talk, I told my sister in law that “Sara” might be hard to say.  I said that “P‘s and T’s are easier for kids” and suggested that he call me “Pretty.”  He is now 8 and they all still call me Pretty.  Mail is even addressed to Pretty. Sometimes they forget my real name is Sara.  I think it’s hilarious but am also terrified that one day they will say…who decided you’re Pretty?!

You can’t go back in time and change the past.  I would love to tell Sara in her 20’s to be more confident, be more assertive, to appreciate her family more, and to be pickier about who she dates.  But that Sara lead to this one, and I finally like this one.  She’s come a long way.

When I first met Libby…I felt instantly connected to her.  Her smile…hour southern twang ;)…her contagious laugh…the way she would make you feel so comfortable even if you had never met her.  It was at our Turning Tides retreat and I knew within minutes we would be friends.  But there was also something else.  I felt like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Like behind that beautiful smile there was a sadness that she so desperately wanted to let out.  Fast forward a few years and I saw her again in Mexico at the What If conference.  She doesn’t even know this but as we were checking in I saw her walking through the lobby and from several feet away I could see it.  She had this glow about her…like each step was a little lighter.  And before I could put my finger on it she was gone…but I realized…she was happy.

Libby is the perfect example of someone that makes you better by knowing them.  Even in the little time I’ve physically spent with her…she is someone that I am so grateful to have in my life.  She is brave and fearless (even if she thinks otherwise).  She fills up the room with so much happiness when she is in it…and builds people up without even trying.  She is so incredibly inspiring because she took a time in her life when most people would just settle…and decided to make it everything she ever wanted it to be.  She inspires me just by knowing her and is without a doubt a woman that I am so proud to call a friend.

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LIBBY MCGOWEN

I want to travel the world.

I want to fall in love, like head over heels/best friend kinda love and I’m scared that’s never going to happen.

Crossfit has changed the way I view myself, I never ever thought I was this strong or could do any of this.

I am an emotional eater.  I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m sad.

I wish I could have been a better sister.

I am coming to accept that at 44, I will never be a “Mom.”  I always hated babysitting anyways.

I only ever wanted my father’s approval, pride and unconditional love and never had it.

I am tired of taking care of every man that comes into my life.

By the time I was 17 we’d moved as a family 15 times.  Not military.  We lived in West Virginia for thirty days.  It snowed every single day and I hated it.

I am horrible with a budget but when I have to I can save like crazy.

I tell people all the time that “You are beautiful” but I can’t even tell it to myself.

I love to cook but hate cleaning house.  I would be a horrible homemaker.

I cry during The Biggest Loser episodes.  I can relate to so many of their stories.

Music feeds my soul.

I think I was a mermaid in a past life, I can sleep in the bathtub and feel completely relaxed in water.

My animals are my children.

I am working on transforming my body and soul after years of self abuse.

I am a wedding photographer and am so inspired by how my couples love each other.  It just reiterated how bad my own relationship was.

I’m really good at leaving relationships.

I’ve never felt truly loved by a partner, unconditionally.  I wonder sometimes if I’ve ever given that back.

I have a paralyzing fear of failure.

I’m funny, at least people tell me I am.  🙂

I’m so incredibly sensitive and have mastered the art of masking it with a smile.  I smile A LOT.

44 when you feel 24 is invigorating and frustrating.  I totally love when people guess my age as much younger.

I procrastinate so much I bought a mug telling me “don’t fucking procrastinate.”  It doesn’t work but I love drinking out of it!

Working for Apple was the turning point in my career.  I would never be here without my 4 year experience at Apple Retail.

My mom told me just today “I’m so glad you’re finally taking care of yourself instead of everyone else.”  She took out the “finally” part but I put it right back in.  Finally.  Finally it’s my turn.