Sweet Cayenne Welcomes New Contributors!

Friends! Wow have I got some big news for you today! While most big blog announcements have to do with getting engaged (check), having a baby (yikes!), or signing a cookbook deal (I wish...), my news has to do with a new adventure in the life of Sweet Cayenne. Today I'm taking the plunge with full-on pursuit of an idea I've had stewing in my mind for the past 3 months or so. So let me give you a little glimpse into how this all started....

As most of you know, I've lived quite a ways (read: 1000+ miles) from my beloved family for the past 6 years. I never intended for it to be that way, but obviously God had other plans when He led me to Dallas for the beginning of my career. That first move to TX eventually led to me being introduced to my husband at work, marriage 2 ½ years later, and most recently a move to NE for Ryan's job. While these events have been joyfully and gratefully welcome in my life, I've silently been quite remorseful that I may never live close to my family again. While that's always a dream that Ryan and I will pursue and pray about, we have to face the realization that we may never live close because of the nature of Ryan's job. Basically, you move where the job opportunity is.

I know it's like that for a lot of people. Distance. Being homesick. Feeling like you miss out on significant life events or just the inability to live life with the people you love most close by. This homesickness of mine was morphing into a mild depression for me once we moved to NE; almost a year ago now. But I'm grateful and more than happy to tell you today that I've found a balm for the homesickness and yearning to share life with my family. What's the solution? This blog.

Today marks the beginning of a journey I've decided to take with mom and 3 sisters, whom you will meet individually throughout this week. These ladies are my best friends and my greatest source of creative inspiration. Each one of them has a uniquely appointed personality, sense of style, and creativity that excites and inspires me every time we are together. Having such a deep appreciation for our individuality wasn't something that really happened for me until I moved away - the distance helped me form a vision that one day we could create something special together through the sharing of our thoughts, ideas, and motivations through a single outlet. So why not start with a blog?

While Sweet Cayenne has primarily been developed and grown under the "food blog" category, my goal is to expand the variety of content offered here through the expertise of my mom and sisters. While I will continue to be the main author and post my favorite recipe creations each week, I can't wait to see what the girls come up with to share as they start out blogging for the first time! Our first hope is to foster a sense of connection between each other as we share our thoughts and ideas through blogging. But we also hope to broaden the Sweet Cayenne community through sharing posts on fashion, beauty, DIY for the home, fitness, and of course ramblings about our lives in NE and VA...and wherever we end up next!

I hope you will continue to be a part of the Sweet Cayenne community as we start this new journey together - we can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for our venture to connect, grow, and be inspired. Never hesitate to let us know what you'd like to read about and, of course, share your thoughts and ideas with us!