"Everything is held together with stories"...

I love that quote.
It couldn't be more true about life.
That's what this blog has always been about for me...storytelling.
And through storytelling I share bits + pieces of my life...things that may inspire you, recipes that make me happy, things that add sunshine to my soul, and maybe even things that add a little sunshine to your own life.

My story today is about the beauty we can find in change.

Our move almost a year ago has certainly presented us with some tough days.
• tearful afternoon carline pickups with Ella missing her old school.
• getting lost + turned around a time or two trying to find our way around a new town.
• tearful prayers for me as a mom, missing my two older daughters who chose to stay behind.
• loneliness and disconnect at times.
• tearful tuck-ins at night with Ella missing friends and "home".

All of that is normal.
Those of you who have moved away from home know what I'm talking about.
You just miss the heck out of everything you ever knew and loved - people, places + familiar faces.

There's also soooo much beauty in change.
Although we've had some hard days and sad moments having moved away,
we have also thoroughly enjoyed the new experiences we've been able to have in our new town.
In fact, it truly has been an adventure of sorts.
There have been so many new places to see, restaurants to try, friends to make + meet, a beautiful neighborhood to explore and ultimately a new house to make into a home.

And then there was the daddy daughter dance this year.
If you've been following along for some time you know Ella's been enjoying this annual tradition at her old school since she was in pre-school.

This year, of course, was a much different experience for her...for us...since it brought with it a number of significant changes.

First of all, she didn't get to attend with her best friend Elise, like she has done every other year. (2016, 2015, 2014)

Second, her new school didn't end up hosting one, (even though it was on the schedule at the beginning of the school year).  When I found out they had changed the "Sweetheart Social" to a "Dance Party" for the entire school, I originally thought we just wouldn't even be able to continue our annual tradition.

However, here's the "beauty" part of things.
Our neighborhood made a surprise announcement it would be hosting an inaugural Daddy Daughter Dance  - right in our own neighborhood at one of our own beautiful amenity centers. Yes!!

So although Ella was missing her bestie, (and I was missing all of the usual traditions of the evening photographing Elise + Ella and their daddies together), she still had a very special night with her dad.

And they literally walked to the dance together, hand-in-hand, down the sidewalk and across a pretty grassy field.

Our neighborhood spares no expense in creating fantastic, memorable events and this one was no different. It was a small scale Daddy Daughter Dance compared to what we're used to but it actually turned out to be quite a magical night since it was more of an intimate setting; filled with sweet treats, photo booths, hula hoop competitions, daddy's on their knees holding their daughter's hands while exchanging daddy daughter promises to one another and of course dancing the night away.

I wouldn't change a thing about how the night turned out.
And I wouldn't change a thing about us moving either.

It's not been easy at times but there have been more than enough wonderful things that have happened since our move that have opened my eyes to the true beauty that can be found in change.
And for that, I am so grateful to be able to add this experience to our story.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
It also doesn't hurt that the area we have moved to right along the St. Johns River is so gorgeous.
The sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

PS - I kind-of-sort-of made Ella's wrist corsage this year.
J brought home a boutonnière from Publix instead of a corsage by accident so I deconstructed it a bit and turned it into something she could wear on her wrist. Ha!!
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LIFE | Daddy Daughter Dance 2016

Well let me just tell you, Miss Ella had some very specific requests this year for the Daddy Daughter Dance...gloves, tiara and shoes with a heel. *wink*

I guess with this being her third year attending, (1st dance and 2nd dance) she had a vision of exactly how she wanted to look. I wasn't sold on any of the extras but I'm really glad I listened to her on the tiara request because the week after we purchased one, I received the "official" invitation from the school stating it was a "Tiaras and Ties" themed dance this year. Perfect.

We kept the tradition of finding her dress at a long-time favorite shoppe in our charming little town of Mt. Dora called The Secret Garden. In fact, the dress, sweater, purse, barrette and tiara were all from there. (links to every little detail of her outfit are at the end of this post).

Ella chose a beautiful white, sleeveless dress after having tried on at least 20 different dresses while also rounding up a crowd of onlookers in the store who had become mesmerized each time she stepped out of the dressing room in something different. Although she was a bit embarrassed from all of the attention, she most certainly got a lot of helpful feedback in the form of "ooooh's and ahhhhh's" to help her make her final decision.  Since the white dress looked a little "wedding-ish" and I knew there was potential for the temperatures to be a little cool on the night of the dance, I took the opportunity to mix in some creamy white accents by adding the darling sweater and a purse she fell in love with. The sweater really added some vintage charm and is something she can now wear with jeans for a more casual look too. (I want one in my size). *wink*

Ella was exceptionally excited this year...not only requesting a dress rehearsal prior to the dance but also asking for a night of "practicing twirls and dancing" and most importantly, "walking" in her new little heels.  She really looks forward to this special night with her dad every year and it was even more fun this time around when she met up with her bestie to take photos together before they were whisked away by their handsome daddies for a night of fun.

  (one of the last photos taken right after Ella brushed the inside of her foot up against "stingin' nettle - 

we gave her a small ice pack for the car ride over to the dance and by the time she got there it wasn't hurting anymore). 

And these two...how cute are they?
Ella and Elise have been BEST FRIENDS since they were two years old and their friendship is just so adorable. Not only do they live in the same neighborhood, they've been lucky enough to have had the same teacher for both Kindergarten and 1st grade.
I look forward to continuing to watch them grow up together.

If you are in love with Ella's Vintage French Princess look, I've linked to the sources below.
And if you love her bestie's pink dress...you're out of luck...it's a one-of-a-kind made by her grandmother. *wink*

Sources: 
Dress, Tiara, Sweater, Purse - The Secret Garden
Rhinestone Barrette - used to help hold up Ella's bun in the back.
Satin Gloves - (ivory) - Amazon
Pearl Hosiery - (ivory) - Amazon
Shoes - (white) - Amazon

See THIS POST for a close-up of the accessories.

Love you guys! See you back here tomorrow for LTT!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I actually love the way Ella's hair looked in the messy bun for her "rehearsal" one afternoon (first two pics), compared to how I fixed it on the night of the dance. On the night of the dance, Ella had a gymnastics competition earlier in the day and by the time we got back from that and I finished making the corsage and boutonnière, I really just ran out of time. *blushing*

Tutorial coming on the boutonnière and corsage...promise.