Hello! Sincerely, Madi

The women in my family have always been pioneers, survivors, and trailblazers. They’ve stared down adversity and their victories are hard-won. From my great-great-grandmother, Netty, who braved the 1889 Oklahoma Land Grab, riding across the Wild West in a wooden buggy, to my great-grandmother, Francis, who was widowed early in the great depression and managed to raise two sons completely on her own, the women in my family are fighters.

Both of my grandmothers, Jennifer and Carole, navigated a man's world in their own ways. One became a jazz musician and broke barriers as the first female financial advisor in the state of Florida at a major firm. The other raised three daughters, often on her own, while moving between countries.

My mom carved out her place in a male-dominated field, rising to become one of the top-performing advisors in her region. At the same time, she was always there for us - every chorus concert, soccer game, and late-night heart-to-heart. She made it look easy.

With such a legacy of resilience behind me, you can imagine how I felt when I got FIRED from my job just a week before my wedding. It was as if I’d let down generations of women who had fought for my place in the world. 

The truth is, I hated most aspects of that job, even though it was considered cushy. I was a professional brown-noser. I got to plan extravagant galas for good causes and hobnob with people who made my salary in a single week. I saw the uglier side of non-profit and decided not to drink the kool-aid.

I’ve always struggled to find fulfillment in traditional jobs. Waking up before the sun, meticulously piecing together a girl boss outfit, just so you can go speak corporate kiss-ass to everyone - no thanks. Even in college while friends in my major were excited about interning for huge ad agencies, I was reading Jane Austen novels wishing Mr. Darcy would whisk me away to the Halls of Pemberley.

I genuinely think I was made to run a household and raise children—and while I really can’t cook, I can at least try to provide for my family at home. Now, I don’t have children yet, and I saw firsthand how hard my mom worked when we were young. I know that mothering and wife-ing are not cushy jobs either - there is no punching out, sick days, or weekends, ever. But everything that I enjoy and am good at… is at home. 

Admitting that I want to be a stay-at-home wife feels almost rebellious in today’s world. In a society that celebrates grind-culture and career achievements, choosing a quieter, home-centered life feels like a betrayal of progress. Especially when almost all of the women in my family have all found ease in what I struggle with. I am left feeling like my secret desire to be a stay-at home-wife is unacceptable, antiquated, and silly.

So, immediately after losing my job, I did the sensible thing and started applying to others. After all, I was a college-educated woman with a solid background and strong interviewing skills. After about 200+ unanswered job applications and 150 emails that read “Unfortunately we are going in a different direction” I lost hope.

Eventually I found an under the table, part-time, minimum wage job at a shabby little flower shop down the road. I work exclusively with women I can’t communicate with due to a language barrier, many of whom likely aren’t here legally. The work is often lonely and humbling.

With all the extra quiet time at work while making flower arrangements, I’ve been trying to get closer to God. I started The Bible Recap plan by Tara Leigh Cobble, listening to a few chapters of the Bible everyday. With this new habit, I really felt like I was meeting God for the first time, even though I had called myself a Christian for 20 of my 28 years. It continues to be deeply transformative.

I’m not done yet, but I do feel like I know God, His personality, motivations, and (some of) His reasoning so much better than I have in the past two decades of my faith. Turns out, reading the Bible really does help you understand God better. Shocking, I know. While trudging through the Old Testament, I supplemented my reading with suggested books from friends and family, one book and one man in particular I will recommend until my dying day: Living Fearless by Jamie Winship.  

Living Fearless was a lifeline. It taught me how to hear God’s voice and rediscover my identity—not in my career or achievements, but in Him. At a time when I felt completely lost, this book gave me the clarity and courage to start over. When I lost my job, I lost my identity completely. The career I’d worked so hard to build in the nonprofit sector was gone in an instant. It felt like even my parents’ investment in my education was wasted.

On top of everything else, I had just entered a marriage. I struggled with the fear that if I wasn’t contributing financially to our partnership, I was instantly a burden to my husband. My husband has never made me feel that way, he’s always supported my desire to be a stay-at-home-whatever. Still, I had never been without an income as an adult woman. More on that in a future post — it’s a whole thing

Jamie Winship’s book is a roadmap to discovering who you were created to be, and at a time when the floor had dropped out from under me, that was exactly what I needed. God gave me a total of 18 names, which maybe I’ll share further down the line, but one of them was “Sincere”. That meant so much to me because, even when I wasn’t sure I was doing it right, I was pursuing God sincerely.

It’s similar to how I feel about starting this blog. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I have a bunch of little ideas, and I know I can write well. I love leaving detailed reviews in hopes they’ll help the next curious buyer. I love supporting my friends’ businesses and ideas. My husband is a fantastic cook and is determined to teach me a few staple recipes. I daydream about discovering hidden-gem thrift stores, and local hangouts. And I love gardening and have a bright green thumb! 

So yeah! I’m a college-educated corporate dropout, currently working part-time as a floral designer and kickstarting a blog to make life prettier on a budget. I want to write about things to do and hidden gems in the local area, recipes my husband and I make at home to save money, gardening tips I swear by, and so much more! I may not know exactly what I’m doing, but I’m going to pursue this sincerely - and I’d love for you to join me. Whether you’re here for the book recommendations, cooking tips, thrift store finds, or just a good long read, let’s make life prettier together.

Sincerely, Madi 

Author’s Note:

This post reflects a personal season of transition — one filled with questions, growth, and quiet clarity. Everything here is written with love and sincerity, and any mention of others comes from a place of deep respect. My intention is not to judge or blame, but to share honestly, in hopes that someone else might feel less alone in their own journey.