Hi, it's Grace Chandler!

Welcome to my first blog post! It's bound to be a wild ride here. Desperate for a new creative venture, I've created this page to chronicle my life and memorialize this special chapter of motherhood. Most of y'all know me but I'll give you the rundown in a nutshell for those who don't.

Let's start at the beginning: I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have an extremely supportive family: an older sister --- who is like an appendage --- I don't know who or where I'd be without her; a mother who has become my closest best friend; and a father who would literally do anything for his family! I attended North Carolina State University, where I majored in Business Administration and picked up a handful of minors after my long, yet fun, 5 year run. I worked in marketing in Raleigh for years after school until deciding to make a career change into the medical field. Raleigh will always hold a special place in my heart because it's where I met my husband, Clinton. One night out in my early 20's, I literally walked into a bar and my life changed forever. We met in 2013... were engaged a year later... and married a year after that!

Throughout our engagement and first year of marriage, I went back to school and studied Diagnostic Medical Sonography. I worked as an Ultrasound Tech for years, until 2020, my greatest job started as I became a mother to a little girl named Jane. A few months later, with a tiny baby and a crazy-busy job working in a hospital during a pandemic, I opened an embroidery business with my best friend! (are you motion sick yet? --- it gets crazier, trust me). All of these stories are one for a different day... so I'll move along to December of 2022 when I welcomed our second baby girl, Lucy. After Lucy, it was almost impossible for me to maintain working at the hospital for several reasons. One being the success of the little embroidery business I co-opened a few years before. At this time, I had moved fully to focusing on embroidering and raising the girls.

Life seemed really fun. Really comfortable. Really predictable. I could see my life unfolding before me. As a planner, this was a very satisfying feeling. I was blessed with 2 beautiful girls, a successful side-hustle that turned full-time, and a husband who made every single day so fun. Life must have been running too smoothly for my little planner heart because in 2024, I received the greatest surprise ever... an unexpected positive pregnancy test! After digesting the shock, I am overjoyed to have the chance to have and hold another baby.

That brings us to today, just an ordinary Tuesday. I started the day as I always do: rushed the girls to school, and came home to begin my work day embroidering. However, when I opened my computer today, I opened up this web browser and began designing and writing. I realized that I want a space to write my life... and to share it. And for whatever reason you're here, welcome! Whether it's one reader or one hundred... or even zero... I'm grateful to have this space.