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Kristy Roney

February 2, 2019 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

Justin Timberlake: Man of the Woods Tour Review

My take on Justin Timberlake’s latest tour performance

Justin Timberlake, Tour Review

A couple days ago one of my childhood dreams came true and I went to the Justin Timberlake concert in St. Paul, MN! Twenty years ago I was dancing in my bedroom to *NSYNC songs and staring at my Justin Timberlake poster above my bed.  I remember watching their concerts on a VHS tape almost every day and making my mom dance with me.  It was only fitting that she went with me to this concert too!

The doors opened at 6:30 and we were there waiting outside.  We made our way through security and headed right to the merchandise booth.  They had t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts available to purchase.  I would have loved a sweatshirt but $65 seemed like too much money at the time, so I settled for the $40 t-shirt.  Pretty outrageous I know but It was part of the experience!

After the merchandise booth we walked around the Xcel Energy Center because we had never been there before.  That had tons of food vendors all the way around the building. We settled for mini donuts, pizza, and a pop.  The donuts were delicious and I didn’t think $6 was too bad.  The pizza wasn’t bad but nothing special and it was $8 a slice, they were a decent size though. We each got a fountain drink and those were $6 a piece.  It would have been smarter to eat before the concert but we didn’t think we had time.  They had plenty of places serving beer and cocktails but those were $12-$15 each.

After getting our food we made it to our seats and waited for the show to start at 7:30.  Right on time, DJ Freestyle Steve came out and started playing a mix of different songs to get the crowd hyped up.  I was thinking he would play for around 30 minutes but he stayed up there for an hour.  My favorite part was when he had the crowd sing “Bye, Bye, Bye”, of course! At 8:30 the DJ introduced Francesco Yates. Francesco wasn’t really my cup of tea.  I don’t know if it was because I was getting pretty impatient waiting for Justin to start or if his music wasn’t really great.  He had a pretty good voice but I was just ready for the show to get started.

Finally, around 9:00 it was show time!!  Everything went dark and suddenly one bright light was shining from the center of the stage.  The Tennessee Kids (Justin Timberlake’s band)  came out one by one and finally Justin arrived!! He came out singing Filthy.  It’s hard to describe my joy at this moment.  It might sound crazy to some of you but I literally had tears of pure happiness.  My heart was so full.  In a matter of seconds,  every moment of listening to *NSYNC as a preteen, jamming out to his first solo album, Justified, and every album since flooded my mind.  20 years of waiting and he was RIGHT THERE!  I was completely in awe.

Once the concert started, every moment was non-stop.  Justin only took two VERY short breaks, otherwise he was singing back to back songs.  The special effects during the show were AMAZING!  The laser light show during “Suit and Tie” was completely mesmerizing.  During “Cry Me A River” the entire stage was covered in fog that looked like water and the lights on the crowed also looked like a water effect.  Incredible!  At one point he had a gas fire, with real flames, on the stage with him – fitting very will with his “Man of the Woods” theme. There really was not a bad seat in the house.  Hi entire stage took up the whole stadium and he constantly moved from one end to the other so everyone could see him.  The stage had fake trees to fit the theme and at certain points there was even long grass that showed up next to the sides of the stage.

I later read some reviews of the show that stated that Justin himself got lost within all of the special effects.  They felt that the effects took over the show but I disagree.  It was exactly what I would have expected and I may have been disappointed without all the added extras. I would completely recommend seeing Justin in concert if you have the opportunity! You won’t regret it!

Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods, Tour Review Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods, Tour Review Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods, Tour Review

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: Justin Timberlake, Music, Product Review

September 24, 2018 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

How Secondary Infertility Feels

Secondary, Infertility

Open thoughts from someone facing secondary infertility

Today was the first day ever where I actually felt the need to avoid social media.  Normally I am perfectly fine scrolling past all the stuff I don’t want to engage with, like politics or useless drama.  Today, however, I just couldn’t deal with the posts.  They weren’t the drama posts though, they were happy posts.  Adorable baby posts.  I’m so blessed to have one of my own but I’m struggling to have another.  Somehow I’ve developed infertility issues. Secondary infertility is the correct term for it. My suspicion is PCOS but I haven’t been officially diagnosed with it yet.  You would think that if pregnancy happened once it would happen again, right? Apparently not; not for the last year and a half anyway.  Don’t get me wrong,  I love my friends and family that have had babies and I’m so over the moon happy for them.  It’s hard to explain how it feels.  I can also tell when they aren’t sure if they should discuss it with me, since they know how badly I want it for myself.  Most days I do want to hear all about it but not always.

Lately, all I see are pregnancy announcements or newborns.  This might be because I focus so much more on them at the moment.  It’s such an odd feeling to feel so happy for someone else but so sad at the same time.  It’s also hard to feel sad about not getting pregnant when you actually do have a wonderful son already.  I know there are SO many people that can’t have children at all.  Had I gone through my first pregnancy thinking it would be my one and only maybe I wouldn’t be so upset about it not happening again, but that just wasn’t the plan.  The thought of never being able to go through it again or not being able to feel those feelings again is indescribable.  I’m also not giving up, there are many options that we haven’t explored yet and we still have plenty of time, but the idea that it just isn’t happening after trying for so long is disheartening.  I’m beyond grateful to have the child that I have but that doesn’t take away the longing to have another baby.  The constant negative pregnancy tests are so hard, especially when you think that THIS time might actually be THE time.

So, when those three babies were born today and they flooded my timeline I had to look away.   Another day I’ll look at them and I’ll push all the like and love buttons because babies make me so happy. But for today I’m writing this with hope that anyone else struggling with secondary infertility can understand that it’s okay to look away if it’s too much.  It’s okay to be happy for someone else and be super disappointed at the same time.  I promise you that you’re not the only one smiling on the outside and tearful on the inside.

Filed Under: Secondary Infertility Tagged With: Infertility, Pregnancy, Secondary Infertility

July 30, 2018 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

Paisley Raye Lily Review

Paisley Raye Lily, Review

My Take on the Paisley Raye Lily Slip Dress!

The Paisley Raye Lily is a lightweight slip dress with pockets and adjustable straps!  I absolutely love how comfortable the Lily is and it’s a great dress for summer!  The material is really light and I prefer to wear a Criss Cross Cami under it.  It’s not totally see through and I have worn it without something under it and it’s perfectly fine. I just like the added amount of coverage.  Plus the detail of the criss cross on the Cami always adds a cute touch!  The Lily is a cami dress with thin straps so there is not a lot of arm coverage.  I’m not a huge fan of my arms so I usually put some sort of cover up on the top.  The Paisley Raye Cosmo is a nice option and I’m pictured below with that combo.  The straps are adjustable which is a really nice feature. There is nothing more annoying than a strap falling down on your shoulder all the time! The Paisley Raye Lily also features pockets!  Even though the material is lightweight the pockets don’t seem to weigh down the dress at all!  I’ll usually stick my cell phone in the pocket and it’s perfect!

I’ve worn the Paisley Raye Lily with leggings and Pixie Pants and I love it as a tunic! I think it would be perfect with jeans too! I haven’t worn it without pants just because of my own personal comfort level but you definitely could! It would also look super cute belted at the waist with a Cinch belt since it’s a very flowy dress! I love the versatility of the Lily and I know you will too!  If you want to check out the Lily for yourself here is where you’ll find them: Paisley Raye Lily Dress

Paisley Raye Lily, Review
Paisley Raye Lily, Cosmo, Criss Cross Cami, and Pixie Pants

Paisley Raye Lily, Review

Filed Under: Direct Sales, Paisley Raye, Product Reviews, Small Business Tagged With: Lily Slip Dress, Paisley Raye, Product Review

July 30, 2018 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

Paisley Raye Aster Review

Paisley Raye Aster, Review

My take on the Paisley Raye Aster!

The Paisley Raye Aster is one of my favorite dresses!  This dress features bishop sleeves, an adorable cutout on the back, and hidden pockets!  The Aster dress comes in three different materials; crepon, lace, and mesh.  The lace and mesh is super stretchy and the crepon is more fitting.  You would be fine with your true size with any of them (One of the main things I love about Paisley Raye!) or you can size up in the crepon and size down in the lace and mesh.  While wearing your true size the dress should hit right at or a little below the knee. In the photo below of my mom she is wearing her true size.  If you size down you can wear it as more of a tunic with leggings or Pixie Pants!  In the photos of me below I sized down to wear it in that way.  The cut out on the back is such an amazing added detail!

The bishop sleeves have elastic on the ends to create a really cute look!  My arms are a bit bigger so I was worried about the elastic cutting into me but even when sizing down this wasn’t an issue.  The sleeves are also nice and lightweight so even in warm temperatures the Paisley Raye Aster is a great choice!  It’s a great dress for work, weddings, or even a casual date!  I LOVE pockets in anything and Paisley Raye often features pockets in many of their items!  The pockets don’t make the dress bulky at all and they truly are a hidden amenity.  If you’re wanting to give the Paisley Raye Aster a try check them out here:  Paisley Raye Aster Dress Paisley Raye Aster, ReviewPaisley Raye Aster, Review

Paisley Raye Aster, Review
My Mom in her Aster

Filed Under: Direct Sales, Paisley Raye, Product Reviews, Small Business Tagged With: Aster Dress, Paisley Raye, Product Review

July 29, 2018 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

The Journey to Self Love

Self Love

Self love is hard.

I’m just going to start this article out by saying that I have not mastered self love by any means.  Not even close!  Self love is simply the ability to love yourself and to make sure that you take care of yourself enough to keep your sanity.  Everyone has heard the saying “you can’t love anyone else until you love yourself.” I do believe this to be true but I never acted on it until I had a baby.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my little boy for anything but I went through some major changes after becoming a mom.  Before I was pregnant I exercised twice a day, every morning and night.  I went to classes, I taught classes, I did it all.  Probably the most important point to make is that I wasn’t always like that.  It took a lot of work for that to be my normal routine.  I wasn’t in shape or athletic my entire childhood. Every year I made the same resolution to lose weight. So cliche, right? One year I actually stuck to it though.  I lost almost 70 pounds!  I had never felt better.

During my pregnancy I still exercised twice a day up until a month before I was due.  Let me just tell you that I currently could not do a fraction of what I was doing then!  I didn’t gain my weight during my pregnancy. In fact, 2 weeks after giving birth I was in my pre-pregnancy jeans.  The funny thing is if you sit at home with your baby and just stare at his cuteness everyday for weeks you gain weight, lots of it!  That’s what I did.  I didn’t exercise anymore and breastfeeding made me more hungry than pregnancy ever did.  So…fast forward 3 years and 70 pounds later and here we are.  Self love is hard!

I do not love the way my body looks, the way my body feels, or the constant fear that my son is going to end up falling into these same bad habits too.  It’s all terrible.  I DO, however, love the reason I gained weight.  I wouldn’t trade those times with my little boy for anything and if I’m ever blessed enough to do it all again I’ll do the same thing, except with a few more walks!  I can’t change the past but I can work on the future.  I had the right mindset to lose weight before and I’m really hoping that I’ll find that mindset again.

Over time, I’ve been able to understand that self love isn’t all about body image.  If body image is important to you then there is no doubt that body image will be a part of your self love journey.  But only a PART! Self love is so much more.  Self love is taking care of your mental health just as much as your physical health. Here are some of the non-physical changes that I’m trying to make:

1. Limit mom guilt.  Every time I have to go to work I feel an extreme amount of guilt for leaving.  Especially on the days where he doesn’t want Mommy to go but there is no shame in working hard for your family.  I’m really working on not feeling the guilt and I know one day he will understand.  For now, I will cherish every single minute that I can with him!

2. Stop caring so much about what others think.  My whole life I have cared about what others thought about me, even more than what I have thought about myself.  This is SO hard to stop but I’m trying.  What other people think of you is none of your business!  Find your tribe of people and they will love you for exactly who you are!

3. Take time for myself. This also ties into number one.  I LOVE going to training to better myself and to learn everything I possibly can about the business that I run.  However, the mom guilt hits hard when I leave to do those things. I honestly believe that EVERY mom needs to take time for themselves.  It doesn’t need to be a trip away (those are good too, though!) but just find some time each week to focus on yourself.  I am perfectly fine just sitting in silence for a while!

I’m sure there are many more things but these few are enough to focus on right now.  I encourage you to find your focus as well and to start your journey to self love.  You will thank yourself for it and your family and friends will thank you too!

Filed Under: Body Image, Toddler Parenting Tagged With: Body Image, Mental Health, Self Love, Weight

July 27, 2018 By Kristy Roney Leave a Comment

How to Join Paisley Raye

Paisley Raye, Join Paisley Raye, Direct Sales, Small Business

If you find yourself asking “How do I Join Paisley Raye?” I’m here to help!

I’m going to lay out the easy steps it takes to join Paisley Raye and start your own business! Before you start this process you should be aware that running a small business isn’t easy!  You have to be consistent and you have to put in time and effort to be successful.  If you’re willing to do those things than you can build a wonderful business that is all your own!  When I started my small business I wanted to have more time to spend with my son. I absolutely love what I do now! The extra time with my son and the joy of helping other women feel confident is HUGE for me.  Before you make the decision I would love to chat with you about what it takes to run a business like this one and what you should expect!

Once you have decided that you’re ready to go for it you’ll complete the following steps:

  1. Choose a sponsor.  A sponsor will be your go-to person for any questions you have about your business.  They will be your first upline and will give you the best advice possible!
  2. After choosing a sponsor you will go to www.paisleyraye.com and fill out the form to Join Paisley Raye.  You will list your sponsor’s name on the form.
  3. Once you have your form completed you will be contacted by one of the founders of the company! This is one of the main things that got me excited about joining Paisley Raye.  They are a newer company so this is a ground floor opportunity! The ability to chat with the founder before I joined played a big part in my decision!
  4. After chatting with the founder they will email you the contract and guidelines to join!
  5. Once you have looked everything over you can send in your contract and that will officially put you in the queue!  As of right now the queue wait time is around 4-6 weeks.  This is subject to change if the demand gets higher.

There are right around 100 Paisley Raye stylist right now.  Only 100!!  This is your chance to join something brand new and to be one of the founding stylists!  I made the switch to Paisley Raye for a number of reasons, you can read about them here, but the idea of it being brand new really appealed to me.  Paisley Raye also provides all of your inventory pictures which saves a TON of time.  Once your inventory arrives you just download those photos to add to your website, super easy!

I would love to chat with you more about this opportunity!  Please send me a message on Facebook or send me an email at purpletophatboutique@gmail.com!

Filed Under: Direct Sales, Paisley Raye, Small Business Tagged With: Direct Sales, Opportunity, Paisley Raye, Small Business

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Recent Posts

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