“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”
- Walt Disney
What is a dream? By definition it is an aspiration, ambition or idea that is cherished. My mind always goes to the beloved Disney classic Cinderella when I think about dreams..."no matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." We are The Tootles - a husband and wife team with big dreams.
Kyle has always been a go-getter with an entrepreneurial spirit. Many years ago he came to me with the news he felt led to start his own business. My first reaction was "NO, that's not the plan". You see, as some of you might know, we've been an 'item' for quite some time, and the plan was for Kyle to become a successful Civil Engineer, we would have children and live happily ever after. Boy does God sure know how to throw a curve ball when we least expect it. I'm not a risk taker, comfort is my thing. Being adventurous, taking leaps of faith, etc. etc. etc. - not so much! If you follow the Enneagram you'll know what being a type 9 means. I'll share more on the Enneagram in a later post. Owning our own business was a huge risk that I fought hard against for awhile. It wasn't until I let go of my own insecurities and fears and learned to trust my husband and trust that God had a plan. My friends, a wise man once said that the canvas God is painting is so much larger than what we can actually see. I saw fears, hardships, and failures. What I didn't see was the abundance of joy this new venture would provide for our little family!
So, here we are 6 years into marriage, over 12 years in a relationship, and with the Lord's guidance and blessings The Tootles are making our dreams a reality. Kyle is a successful business owner who gets to make dreams become a reality for his customers everyday. {Want to swoon over his houses? Take a look here} I recently left the comfort of my corporate job to spend more time with our new little girl, Ellie Davis, and jump on board alongside Kyle. I started Design Social - a full service interior design & event planning business. I'll share more on that in the days to come, but you can check out a sneak peek here!
Are the days and future scary? YES! But, we are choosing to press on confidently toward our goals - with God leading the way.
Which leads me to this blog. Our hope is that we can use this platform to share our experiences, struggles, and even some funny stories with you as we navigate this new season of being on our own. Having a blog has always been at the back of my mind. I think of it like a diary - an open invitation to share thoughts. It takes courage to invite others into your life, but my hope is that our story will be an encouragement to others. "Today with the Tootles" was merely an idea walking the streets of NYC last summer. Talk shows are my jam!! One of my fondest childhood memories is watching the morning talk shows with my momma girl every weekday morning during the summer months. I even for a short time wanted to become a journalist after meeting Robin Roberts on the streets outside of Good Morning America. At that moment I wanted to be the host of my own talk show! Clearly, the Lord had other plans!!
We can't wait to share the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. We'll spare you the videos (for now)! Follow us on this journey of Today with the Tootles!
xoxo,
Stephanie