Welcome to my upgraded site 2.0. Although it's more like 4.0, it's so beautiful and I'm proud to finally be able to share it. I'll give you the story of how this redesign came about.
After my mom passed in 2014, life was a mad blur. I had to get right back to studying for my pharmacy licensing exams, which gratefully I passed. After that, stress caught up with me. What began as a 1-night spot of hives culminated in a widespread and almost 2-year long condition on which I was on prednisone most of that time. It was pretty damn awful. When I wasn't mourning my mom, trying to be a good mom myself, and settling into a new job, I thought "what about my beloved site? What about my dream?" Yet, I found I couldn't do anything about it.
Then last December, I reached out to Carrie Williams whose personal branding workshop I took a few years a go. Very helpful if you've ever been thinking of what branding could mean for you. Of course I needed to cut myself some slack, she said. It didn't mean that I wouldn't bounce back - which was my exact fear. How many people find themselves in hole they struggle to get a grip on? Because one rip in your life can sometimes lead to a gaping hole if not tended. I'm still saddened by the loss of Bourdain - did he have a rip that went unaddressed?
So I did just what was advised. I spent time with Taylor. I traveled a bit. Not a full walkabout, which I still fully intend on doing and writing about! I bonded with my Dad and talked endlessly with my sister and best friend. I focused on the mundane. On one such ordinary day, I drove by Miele, a company I did culinary work for when I lived in Canada. More to come on that later. But that was when I realized I was ready to be creative again.
In addition to contacting Miele, I also reached out to La'Chris Jordan. La'Chris is a powerhouse of a woman, who wears many fabulous hats, one of which is brand strategy.
I didn't want to just be creative again, I wanted to do it with intention.
This I knew La'Chris could help with. She did me one better: to kickstart my new direction, she made-over my entire site. I've had some great partnerships over the years but I have to say, this has been one of my absolute favorites.
So there you have it, the full story. It's taken almost 4 months to get the new site up and running. There's still work to be done, including migrating all the posts from the previous site (unfortunately it has to be done manually). But you're more than welcome to enjoy what we have so far, which is a lot. Finally, I have a proper recipe section!
Thanks for all your support. I'm excited to have you on this exciting journey!