New Building ~ New Logo, New everything!

This process has been an interesting one.  It's revealed things about me that I probably would have preferred stay hidden yet our Heavenly Father loves me too much to let me remain there.  He definitely wants me to be more like Him and I've pushed back on much of that for the last 5-6 months or so.  However, I think He's finally getting through.  Heaven help me, I hope I get it this go round.  We know He never lets us keep a failing grade but will allow us to retake the test until we pass 😬  This is one test I don't ever want to take again, lol!

Have you ever felt like all the things you envisioned hit a stone wall before coming to fruition and you just can't seem to get past them to the other side called "completion"?  Completion to me (that heavily detailed side that REALLY wants it to be like I think it should be) is exactly that.  Finalized projects that end the way you planned them in the beginning.  Ha!  If a single plumbing project can tell us anything about this "plan" it's a no brainer that we will run into issues and have to change things a bit.  Potentially making a few extra runs to the hardware store than we originally anticipated.

Yesterday, when I saw the parking lot begin to take shape I could have jumped for JOY!!!  The negative Nellie side kept telling me to not get too happy in case there are more hold ups.  I mean who wants to get excited when there always seem to be another setback, right?  Well, to HECK with that!  I'm gonna do my hooting and hollering and praise Him for every little bit that gets done!  We are incredibly grateful to Steven Luke of Hill Country Paving out of Burnet.  We know this rain has been kicking his butt like it has ours and he's doing the best he can to make this happen for us.  If you need any paving done, call him!

It's really like a dream come true.  Seeing this shows me that there is a final end to this construction and I WILL be able to move into my new space and God's got it all!

New space, new website...  I started a new website about a year ago.  However, I knew my style had changed and with it, came the idea of a new logo (and a new space) so starting on the logo seemed the most logical place to begin.  I mean, why not launch all of it at the same time, right?  We were supposed to be in the building in three months, the logo shouldn't be that hard, the website.... a breeze.... right? 😏  The new space is finally ALMOST done (over six months in) and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that there is an end in sight!  It's been a long and difficult process but with God's grace, He's been showing me that I need to chose joy and focus on the positive things that are happening.  The logo journey has been very similar to the building journey.  Hmmm, think God has been working on certain things behind the scenes at all?  Um, yah.  I think so, lol!!!

New space, new website, new logo, new body?  Huh?  Gimme a sec, I promise they connect.  I have been contemplating getting a tattoo for a long time.  Me?  Yep, me!  Where did this come from and what does it have to do with my business, building, logo, website, etc.?  Well, most of you know the Lord gave me the name of my business based on the scripture in Matthew 10:29-31.  Greg and I had already been through so much and I had finally come to know Jesus as my true savior (even though I grew up in church all my life, hit the aisle at three, baptized twice, etc.).  He had been showing me bits of who I was and who He was calling me to be and how much He loved me.  As you can tell, I'm still learning. 😜

I've never quite figured out what He wants for all this, I'm sure it will be a continual journey of discovery but I do know He's got it.  While looking on Instagram at sparrow tattoos (ahha, yes, that's where the tatt idea comes from) I found one that BLEW MY MIND!  It had a heart in the breast feathers and I KNEW without a doubt, something like this was supposed to be my new logo (and potentially a tattoo).  I tried to reach out to several tattoo artists but didn't really get much of a response except that they are artists, not logo designers and they don't really digitize.

I then sought out someone that designs logos but it wasn't really his style so that was a dead end.  I finally found a graphic artist (her style was very similar to what I was looking for) and started the journey with her.  She's out of BC so all correspondence was via email.  I am very detailed (been told I can be too wordy in my emails even) so I figured, I'd be able to relay what I wanted no problem.  I found images of ideas, told her my vision, etc.  I have discovered that being able to meet in person is CRITICAL.  I can be as detailed in my descriptions as possible but there is just something about hearing a person's heart in... well, in person that drives the vision home.  I had to wait five weeks before she could start, we had numerous revisions but in the end, it just wasn't what I had seen in my mind.  Par for the course it seemed.  Trying my best to explain what I envision, excitement in having it happen, disappointment when it doesn't, time frames stretching endlessly in front of me, hitting brick walls (and wanting to physically hit a brick wall) has been my life the last 7 months or so.  Amazing how God can take situations like this and use them for His glory and our good.  During them, we struggle to see it but He's there, working on our behalf in the background.  Even if it doesn't look like it in our time.

Here's the wild thing about all this (and the final logo).  My daughter has gotten a few tattoos and has a vision for a very special one, detailed, gorgeous and has been on the lookout for a great tattoo artist and found one.  Here. In MARBLE FALLS!  Her name is Oliva and she owns Astral View Studios.  I went with Hannah to get her most recent tattoo and visited with Oliva, sharing my story and struggle.  She totally got my vision and loved the symbolism behind what I wanted.  We decided to go through the process of "getting a tattoo" and she drew it for me.  She is allowing me to use it as my logo as well (I just had to figure out the digitizing part).  It will end up on my calf, at such a time as I get the guts to do so, lol!

She did a spectacular job!  Only one revision on the bird and one on the entire tattoo!  Incredible!  If you want a tattoo, she is not only talented, kind and personable, she cares about her work and wants to make sure you are happy with the end result.

I'll be sharing the breakdown of the logo design next week (I've discovered that I can be too wordy.  Sorry, lol!).  I'm sure you've got other things to do than read an entire book today.  I'm super excited to share the details of why this is soooo special to me though!  It makes me cry every time I start to talk about it!!!

For now, a big shout out to Oliva for making it happen and an even BIGGER shout out to my Jesus that lead me in this direction!

Until next week, Happy #fixerupperfriday to you!!!

Seek out the joys He's given you and live IN them!

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He is watching over me.   ♥   Matthew 10:29-31