I was 16 years old and on stage for the Miss Jr. Teen Georgia pageant. I wore a borrowed white evening gown in front of hundreds of people.

I don’t remember what my question was during the interview portion of the pageant, I don’t even remember what the judging categories were. But I do remember the emcee saying something that changed everything for me.

He presented the reigning queen and spoke of her accomplishments. Among them was she had earned enough scholarships to pay for her entire college education.

I stood awestruck. I had recently discovered that my parents didn’t have a secret nest egg they were waiting to give me upon graduation. No, they told me they expected to me to go to college but I’d have to get loans to pay for it.

Here I was, watching a girl who had accomplished something HUGE. I had just one thought…

I am going to do that.

Hadn’t a clue how, but I set my sights on earning a full scholarship. Or cumulative scholarships to pay for all of my tuition.

A couple of years later I went to college and did that. It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t come on its own. In fact, in the beginning I did have to take out some loans. But I quickly paid them off with scholarships. And by my junior year I was awarded enough scholarship money to pay for all of my college tuition, my books, and even living expenses.

That experience taught me that there are no limits as to what I can achieve. So why should I put any on myself?

Earlier this year I had to remind myself of this realization as I’d been shoving another dream aside.

I dreamed of having a huge yard my kids could play in, trees they could climb, and a place we could explore. Any time this vision came to my mind I’d make excuses for why it would never happen: It would be too expensive, I’d never get my husband to agree to move, I should just be happy where we are.

And I WAS happy, and grateful, and totally fine staying put. But I wanted to allow myself to dream bigger.

I made my husband an offer he couldn’t refuse. A seemingly impossible offer.

“If I save enough money to put 50% down on my dream house, can we do it?”

He knew better than to just laugh and brush me off. We’ve been married nearly 14 years and he knows how unstoppable I can be when I put my mind to something. So he thought for a moment about what he was agreeing to.

“If you save enough to put half down, we sell our condo, and we have a three car garage,” he said.

Done.

I got to work putting calls in to find a realtor who could help sell our condo in Utah. We bought 11 years ago, right before the housing market crash. And held on to it because we had to. It had been draining our energy and money for years.

Within a month and a half I had given our tenants notice, had them moved out and had it sold to a cash buyer. Our realtor had it under contract and off our hands in about 11 days.

By this time I had already been searching for the perfect house. Four bedrooms, an office and a playroom upstairs. Trees, and lots of space in the backyard. I went to bed picturing it. Woke up dreaming about it. And prayed to be led to the right home for us.

We didn’t see any exactly right so we decided to build one.

We are getting an acre more than I imagined, a few extra perks inside and the three car garage I promised my husband.

The final piece of the puzzle was the savings. I hired new people on to my business this year which was at first terrifying, but wound up being the most brilliant thing I’ve done in a long time. We buckled down on budget, cut back where we could, and I worked my tail off. I secluded myself a bit so I could stay focused. I turned off my Facebook news feed, put groups on silent and really centered myself around my family, my business and my goals. It was important not to get distracted by what other people were doing or what people thought I should be doing.

I also made a point to tell this goal to a couple of close friends. People who wouldn’t laugh and shrug it off, or try to stomp on my dreams. But would smile, cheer me on and fuel me with more of their own motivation.

As promised I’ve finally, just barely, but still… definitely have, saved enough to pay for half of my dream house up front. Before selling our current house. Two months out from closing we are still discussing IF that’s what we want to do, or if we will allocate some of those funds in other ways. But I still held up my end of the bargain. Made it happen. I told myself I could do it, worked  my tail off. And I’ve done it.

Don’t squander your own dreams. Don’t get in your own way. Go after that thing you’ve been putting off. You can do it.

I woke up about four hours before we were scheduled to leave for our interviews with the cast of A Wrinkle in Time. Four hours before we were to meet and interview The Oprah Winfrey.

I ordered room service so I could have breakfast in bed and gather my thoughts, but I had no appetite for food. It was all getting to me, and I was losing it. I FaceTimed with my husband and talked through my questions for two hours. Yes, two hours of writing and re-writing with a side of sudden crying fits.

“What’s going on?” He’d ask during an episode. “Are you ok?”

“I’m just so nervous,” I told him. “And probably hormonal.”

I’ve mentioned how this moment had been on my dream board for years, but I didn’t explain all it took to make this happen.

About two years ago I set a goal to do a Disney movie event. I originally had my sights set on Moana but a month after attending the premiere of The BFG, The Variety announced Oprah was cast for A Wrinkle in Time. I knew this would be my moment.

In actuality I didn’t really know FOR SURE she’d be an interview at this event. My husband guessed she was too big. But I knew I wanted to get in that room.

Let me tell you something. One thing you’ll hear Oprah explain a lot is her belief in “luck”. Luck doesn’t usually just come out of no where. It is the crossroads where preparation meets opportunity. You set a goal and do what you can. You work, prepare, get ready for the moment of opportunity to step in. And then you let go and be ready to receive it.

For two years, I worked toward this goal. I wrote movie reviews, attended specific events and wrote lots and lots of interviews and preview posts about TV shows and movies. It didn’t take over my blog or anything, but if you do a search you can see these sprinkled in here and there.–All with the hope that the chips would fall right where they should. And that I would get invited to this particular event, and that Oprah would decide to be a part of it.

Today was the day preparation was meeting an opportunity. It was all finally coming together. Yet I couldn’t keep my emotions together.

I cried and cried in my hotel room. I’m not really not one to cry much, but I couldn’t seem to turn off the water works. Would this be how it was when Oprah walked in the room?

Fast forward a few hours. We were at the W hotel, waiting for her to come in the room. I’d visualized this moment countless times. From the exact place I’d be sitting (front and center), down to when I’d ask a question.

I about jumped out of my skin when our Disney rep picked me to ask the first question, and at that point all I had to do was let everything come together and be present.

Ok, so I’ve been going on and on about Mama Oprah, but the interview was also with Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling. Two additional superstars in their own right. They play the three Mrs. (if you you’re familiar with the book) or guardian-angel-like characters of the film. I framed my question to be addressed to the three of them.

I told them how inspiring they were, and I asked the three of them how they hope this movie and their roles in the film inspires the next generation of girls.

“We’ve grown up watching you–,” I directed the next part of my question toward Oprah.

“I RAISED Ya’ll!” She interjected.

“Yes! You did! You raised us!,” I said. “And my daughter was like ‘You’re meeting Oprah? Cool! Who is she?'” I explained how I had to introduce my 7-year-old to her amazingness. “So how do you hope this movie will inspire the next generation of girls?”

Photo: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Oprah turned to Reese Witherspoon to answer first.

Reese Witherspoon on Empowering Women

“Well I think that’s a great question,” She said. “Part of what I loved about making the movie that I think is also in the movie, and you really feel it, is the power when women are together.”

She said there’s strength in numbers.–When we are not the only woman in a movie, or the only woman in a board room, or the only woman who’s a manager at her company.

“We’re not against each other. When we get together, we create abundance,” Reese said. “That’s been a driving part of my career. The more I collaborate with women, the more we create for each other. So I think that’s a concept that we need to put into our little girls’ brains.”

We rise by lifting others. 

Oprah and Reese both turned to Mindy Kaling to hear her response next.

Mindy Kaling on Representation

“I think just that the cast is so inclusive,” Mindy started. “I’ve never seen anything like that and I think that as a young woman I would have felt so much joy from watching it.”

She said she would have felt so much happiness. And I pictured all the little girls who will feel the same as they see themselves represented.

“And as a dreamer, as I was, I wouldn’t have to dream quite so hard to picture myself on screen,” Mindy said.

Time for Mama Oprah’s response. She looked me dead in the eyes and gave it to me.

Oprah Winfrey on Inspiring the Next Generation

“Well you know, what I do know for sure is that everybody’s goal, whether they can articulate it as such or not, is to live a life that matters and a life that has meaning,” she said.

Photo: Marshall Weinbaum

She said she thinks of her little hand and heart prints all over the Oprah show for all those years is a magnificent purpose.

“But I also knew when we were doing this film that there would be young girls like your daughter” [IMAGINE MY FACE HERE TRYING NOT TO FALL APART] “who would come along and they would see the Mrs., and they would see me and they would say, ‘what do you mean she had a talk show?’ And the imprint, the heart print that you eventually will leave in this world will come from what is said in this movie. And so for your generation that I helped to raise there will be generations to come that will be raised on this story.”

Oprah said our children will get to know her through Ava DuVernay’s vision, and they may only know her through that.

“I could feel that when I was doing it,” she said. “That wow! There’ll be kids who’ll say, ‘What? You used to be on television?’ And pretty soon they’ll be saying ‘what’s that? What’s television?'”

The interview went on for another fifteen minutes or so and the three women had us laughing about everything from conversations about admiration for J Lo’s butt, to sperm, eggs and positions to make an exact person. And then we were near or in tears comparing favorite quotes from the film. You can find more bits of our interview by searching on Twitter or Facebook using the #WrinkleInTimeEvent hashtag. But I wanted to share the moment that really touched me, and give a little more insight to how it all came together.

After the interview we took a group photo and Oprah stayed behind to shake hands, give hugs, and allow us to soak in her aura. She even walked back in during lunch to see what we were eating. For the next several hours I was stuck in a serene reverence. It seriously took me all day to process what had happened. And more than a week later I’m still coming down from that high.

Before, I asked if you’d had a vision board. Now that you’ve (hopefully) made one I hope you’ll look it over and ask yourself how you’re preparing for those opportunities that are coming to you. There’s been more than one occasion this week where I’ve thought or said “I met Oprah, I can do anything.” The opportunity didn’t just fall in my lap. It took action, work, and preparation. And in the moment I felt like the luckiest women alive.

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Over the next few days I’ll have more interviews from the cast including Ava DuVernay and Storm Reid, as well as a movie review! Don’t forget A Wrinkle in Time hits theaters everywhere this Friday March 9th!

“What are you doing in California?” My daughter asked me. “You go there a lot, it’s like your other home!”

It’s true. Business does seem to keep taking me to the golden state. But this time, it’ll be for something extra special.

We just finished reading a Wrinkle in Time together. I read it a year and a half ago, and wasn’t sure she’d understand it, but she ate it up. I told her I’m going to Los Angeles to watch the new Disney adaptation and walk the red carpet.

“And I’ll get to interview Oprah,” I told her.

She thought for a moment. “Is that the lady on your dream board where it says ‘MEET?'”

My daughter knows a bit about Oprah, I definitely have a lot more to teach her. But she listens to her Super Soul podcasts with me, and we discuss her new audiobook: The Wisdom of Sundays. But she knows Oprah best as the woman staring at me on my vision board.

“Yep, that’s the one!” I said.

A huge grin spread across her face. “Were you SO excited when you got the text? Did you jump up and down?”

Well, first of all it was an email from Disney, not a text, but… details. Yes, I was thrilled. Completely over the moon excited. But honestly, not surprised. It IS on my vision board after all. And I’m a full believer in their power. I knew it was only a matter of time. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, but I finally got brave enough to put it on my vision board two years ago.

Last month I flew to California for a shoot with the Oprah Winfrey Network (more on that later). I didn’t get to meet her then, but I felt the moment growing close.

(Side note… I put the words “Cherish 365” on my vision board a YEAR before I considered it as a new blog name)

“Who is she acting like?” My daughter asked next.

I told her Mrs. Which and she proceeded to do her best impersonation of the slow speaking character.

If you haven’t read the book yet, put it on your list (here’s my affiliate link to take you straight there). We used it as a part of our fiction curriculum… Well, sorta. We mostly read it for fun, but I printed some 5th grade comprehension questions from Teachers Pay Teachers and we used those to quiz and dive more in depth about the story. She was completely into it. And we read the ending half a dozen times because she loved it so much. It brings me to tears almost every time.

 

Ok, so back to the trip… Or back to Oprah… I don’t know where to start. She’s one of several people we’ll be interviewing from the cast. Others worth noting: Director Ava DuVernay, as well as actresses Mindy Kaling and Reese Whitherspoon.

I’m also excited to meet Storm Reed who plays Meg in the film. Want to know something that’ll melt your heart? I saw this picture on Instagram and showed it to my daughter. She looked and right away said “Meg looks like ME!” Friends, this doesn’t happen often enough. She loves heroes like Annabeth from Percy Jackson and cute pop stars on the Disney Channel. But very few look like my daughter. Representation matters my friends.

I bought a new top for interview day, a bangin maternity dress for the red carpet, I have a dozen questions I’d love to ask Oprah and Ava that I need to narrow down (if you have questions let me know too and I’ll see if I can squeeze some in) I’m so ready.

We tell our kids to dream big. We tell them they can do anything. Do we believe the same for is possible for us? We may be preoccupied with parenthood but that doesn’t mean we need to give up on dreaming for ourselves.

My friends, if you haven’t made a vision board yet, what’s stopping you? Not sure what to put on it? How to organize it? Check out this post I wrote about creating a vision board with kids. Or this post about throwing a vision board party and go for it.

This weekend I’m heading off on another adventure and I’ll be fulfilling a HUGE dream. Now I’m thinking I may need to add another extension to my board because more and more I’m realizing anything is possible.

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Wrinkle in Time will be in theaters everywhere March 9th, 2018. I’ll of course have an honest family-friendly review after I see it, and again once my kids see it.

While in LA the group of bloggers and I will also get a behind the scenes look at multiple ABC shows. Click the link to see their trailers and checkout the image below for their upcoming air dates and hashtags to follow: Alex Inc, Scandal, For the People, Splitting Up Together and Deception.

You can follow along on my Instagram stories and Twitter.

I’ve mentioned before how much I was dreading turning 30. Well, I found the perfect way to ring in a new decade, with a new vision board! Start Your 30’s The Right Way and learn how to host a vision board party!

A vision board (also known as a dream board) is a tool used to help you achieve your goals by having them displayed in front of you daily.

Vision Board Party

I made my first one years ago, in my early 20s. My husband and I printed out goals of ours: To buy a house, pay off our car, him to finish college and start a new job, have two kids, get a new computer, a new bed, living room furniture etc etc:

We had the board set on our dresser to look at every day. The idea is the more you see and visualize your goals, the more likely they are to become a reality because you’re focused on them more often.

Our first dream board is basically complete. Everything except the Lexus came to fruition. So I decided I’d kickoff my 30s with a new vision board and making some memories with friends and loved ones.

I asked my mom if we could use her house so I could have a night out without the kiddos, and she went ALL out with the party planning: Balloons, decor, food, everything! I just planned to bring a few magazines and some glue! So remember this lady right here is responsible as you look at all of these photos! haha.

So in this post I’ll explain how to plan a vision board party and how to make a vision board.

How to host a vision board party:

Make a guest list

It’s a good idea to keep the group relatively small. You’re going to be working on piecing together your dreams and you’ll want to make sure you’re with people you’re close enough to feel comfortable sharing that with. Whether it’s just family members, your spouse, or your closest friends.

Plan some snacks

It can take a while to piece together a work of art from the heart and you’ll want some brain fuel. We ordered some catered food from our local grocer and had more than enough food to last us through the evening (That went close to 5 hours). We had sparkling cider in champagne glasses, which I thought was a nice touch.

Gather supplies

Of course you’ll want to remember foam boards, scissors, glue sticks, and lots and lots of magazines. I went to Savers and got magazines for $.29 each (buy 4 get 1 free). You can also ask your guests to bring magazines to share. Also consider having a vision board example out on a display for people to look at to grasp the concept. I forgot my first one at home but I brought it up on an iPad and had my sister’s on display.

Set up a printing station

Not all of our dreams are printed in that magazine we’re thumbing through. Have a laptop or tablet setup for guests to browse and print from. You may also want to stock up on an extra ink cartridge, just to be safe!

Now that you have everything you need for an awesome vision board party.

Let’s talk about how to make a vision board!

You’ll want to list out your goals. Either mentally, or written down someplace, then search for images that speak to these for you. These are your big items. Then flip through the magazines and find words, images, quotes, whatever, that go along, or add on to your goals.

Line up all of your images the way you want them to be. Keep in mind that we naturally read from left to right. So your eye will most likely be drawn to the top left corner most often. Put some of your biggest dreams there!

My first one had everything randomly attached all over, but this time I tried to make room for lots of dreams and thoughts so I lined quite a bit up to fit it all in. It’s worth noting that if you overlap too much some of your images may get lost.

A lot of people have asked me what the timeframe should be for this board. I say whatever you want! Think both short-term, and long-term. My first board I thought would take a lifetime to complete, but we achieved most of it in under a decade. My new board is focused specifically on my 30s.

Easy enough right? The first time our board was very specific with the “things/items” we wanted. Now it’s more of experiences I want and skills I’d like to develop.

I’ll just show it to you!

I love these because they’re a way to keep track of dreams you’ve had and see all that you’ve accomplished. Lil’ J even made her own vision board and I’m so proud of her! The party is a great way to make some fun memories, but the board is a great keepsake in and of itself, even if you just take a picture of it before you begin to work on another.

Have you ever made a vision board? What would be on it?