Queen Bees: Shelly

So remember last week when I said that I was more excited than the time Radley found out we were going to Disneyland? Well, multiply that up a notch because today is our very first Queen Bees link-up!!

(I'm actually a little nervous. Like that first party we threw in college when we were scared no one would show up and we wouldn't be able to get rid of the keg. But that worked out, so...)

(Kidding, Dad. We were totally gonna float that keg!)

(I seriously just made myself laugh.)

(But seriously link-up!)

Ok - back to the point.

Today I want to talk about my amazing co-host,  Shelly.

Let's pause and reflect on how gorgeous she is. Y'all - she's pretty much put together all the time. And I still like her. ;)

I met Shelly for about two seconds last December during the annual Munson/King food-drive donation and dinner night. She was volunteering at the event and we were dropping off goodies and all of a sudden I heard, "OH MY GOSH! Are you a Merry Momma?!" Cindy squealed even louder, "Yes!! And Katy's here, too!"

We had found her. Our one fan.

So I started following along with Shelly and just adored her from the beginning. My love was solidified when I discovered this post about mustard yellow.  But more than her flawless skin, impeccable style, and ridiculous ability to take a selfie....

I really appreciate her honesty in her writing. This has been one of my favorite posts - LOVE their story. Love that she adores his dimples so much. And LOVE and appreciate her vulnerability and openness with her readers. I feel like I have learned so much from her, as she invites us all along through her journey.

Shelly is a wife, a mom of 4 (2 grown kids, 2 school-aged kids so I feel like that gets extra points), a financial guru, a friend, a follower of Him, and an amazing fashionista. She really does cover all the in-betweens.

She is thoughtful and caring. She is devoted and strong. She adores her family. She is faithful to her friends. She operates on this crazy time spectrum where she seems to get everything done in-between the chaos and chorus of life. I have been lucky enough to be the recipient of her kindness - she had met me in real life, maybe 3 times and brought us dinner the first week of Ryan's new job. Y'all - that's amazing.

And did I mention that she has 4 kids? Her oldest son, Riley, just finished an epic season of baseball at TCU and we all got to follow along in the excitement with Shelly. And if that's wasn't enough, she invited us all in when his LITERAL dreams came true as he signed with the Astros. Go ahead and grab some tissues before you read that post.

As I was reading this story, I couldn't help but think of Radley (and the girls) and all the dreams that we will get to watch come true. Shelly had this moment, that I can't even being to imagine...

Just thinking of that moment when I see Radley as a man - I can't even deal with it. I pray that I handle these moments and all the in-betweens with as much grace and strength as she does. 

I asked her what is the one thing that has surprised her the most about her fairy tale...

Ahhh...my fairy tale. I think what has surprised me the most is that it is nothing like I would have dreamed about as a child. Mostly is has been a not so fairy tale, or least that how it would appear to most. What has surprised me the most is looking back at all the tough times I have been faced with and being able to see the joy that came after the rain. Every single time I have been faced with a not-so-perfect situation, I can look back see I came through stronger on the other side; more thankful and more willing to recognize the daily blessings in my life. What stands out the most is finally realizing that I can choose to find joy. I may not always find happiness in every situation and it may not always turn out the way I may have hoped but I get to choose how I respond to every situation. Even in the darkest of times I can find some joy and hope.

To end my mush-fest on Shelly, I leave you with one of my favorite things she has ever written...

Isn't that what our fairy tales are about? Shelly is the perfect example of why I am so excited about highlighting women and being inspired by what others share. Blogging is such a great community. We have all been given such a wonderful gift in sharing this journey with other women. Women we know and see and love and talk to every day and women we may never meet but give us the gift of opening up and sharing their lives. I'm so grateful for this small community within this giant internet and I'm sure you are, too!

Now it's your turn to join the fun!  

A little linkup etiquette:  

We want you to post about women who inspire you so feel free to post old posts - new posts... it's up to you!  Please link to your specific post URL and not to your blog home page.

Please place a link back to this link-up in either your post or on your party page so that others can link up too. 

Use the hashtag #beaqueenbee on other social media

It's a party, try to visit at least 2 other posts and show them some love!  This is the fun part! Be inspired, inspire someone else - don't just link and run!  

We would love, love, love for you to follow us on some form of social media but it is not required. 

Follow Shelly: {Instagram} {Bloglovin} {Pinterest} {Facebook}

Follow Katy: {Instagram} {Bloglovin} {Pinterest} {Facebook}

Grab our button and add your link: 

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<a href="http://katy-thequeenofthekings.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" title="The Queen of the Kings"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/sjanac69/QueenBees4_zpsmsisppdn.png" alt="The Queen of the Kings" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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