Launching 12.31 | Shine & Soar

.......I stepped off the plane in Birmingham, trying to pull my very nervous, very scared self together for the ten girls I knew I was about to meet at SHINE..... As I waited for the group to arrive, I prayed... Hoping that Christ would use the next five days in my life to mold and shape me and my business.....

Little did I know when I stepped off that plane and introduced myself, that Christ was manifesting in my life dreams and relationships that would forever change me. The incredible thing is, this was just the beginning of an adventure. An adventure that would lead Bethany Aleshire, Ciera Chante, Sarah Delanie and I to launch a magazine.....


       Shine & Soar


  Shine & Soar began with Bethany's vision to encourage girls to be authentic, to be bold in their dreams, and to carry out those dreams with a passion. Back in September, after Shine, Bethany shared her vision for S&S with Ciera, Sarah, and I.  Christ had been laying a similar vision in my own heart for months, and I literally screamed the second I read the email from Bethany. I'm amazed at the fact that Christ so perfectly timed it all, and I am so excited to embark on this journey!

Our dreams, desires, and talents are an incredible gift, and a direct reflection of Christs amazing grace and love for all of us. Each and every one of us have been given unique gifts that are meant to glorify God and be shared with this world. Our deepest desire is to encourage young women to glorify Christ in every aspect of their lives, and to realize that they are beautiful, treasured, and precious in Gods eyes... Our gifts, our businesses, and our dreams are merely tools that we've been given to make a difference in peoples lives by glorify Christ. We want to empower and encourage young entrepreneurs to take their God-given talents, capitalize on what makes them different, and use that  in their business to make a difference in this world. Our hope if to create a community of young leaders and entrepreneurs who can love and encourage each other, and simply do life together.

We are turning the page.... And as we reach this first chapter, we realize that Shine & Soar is truly Christ's. The gifts we are given, the inspiration, is not our own, it is merely a gift. We love that God is using us to glorify Him in and through Shine and Soar, because that is what we are in this earth to do..... Simply to glorify Christ in all that we do.... And to live lives that are worthy of the calling Christ has placed on us....

We are so unbelievably excited about this adventure, and we want you all to be a part of it. We will be launching our very first intro issues for Shine & Soar on New Years Ever, and can't wait to share and celebrate it with y'all! 

....Because I love pretty things, and I know you all do too, I wanted to share our manifesto...Enjoy!

These are the incredible girls I'm sharing this adventure with! Can't wait to start sharing with you all!

Shine & Soar | Launching 12.31.12

-MACKENZIE

Her Magazine Shoot | Melissa

I've had the incredible opportunity to work with my favorite local magazine on some of their recent covers! They are so, so fun to work with, so when they contacted me about shooting for their January cover of course I said yes!

 Melissa, who is currently a student at ECU, was our fabulous model. I had so much fun working together and exploring downtown! I'm absolutely in love with her hair, and she also made her super cute cream and purple scarves(how fun is that?!)

Melissa- You are an absolute joy to work with! Thank you so much for being an amazing model!

If you all are ever in eastern North Carolina over the next moth, be sure to pick up a copy of the magazine!

-MACKENZIE

A Change | Be All There....

   Life is changing.... God is working in ways that I did not plan for, and doing things I did not expect. As I prepare for what is ahead, I am struck by the absolute grace Christ lays over us continually!

  We are moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota this coming summer! As many of you know, this will be our 6th move in my 16 wonderful years of life. Though I did not plan for, nor expect this, God has completely flooded my heart with a joy and excitement for what is ahead. Our move is another incredible reminder to enjoy this chapter of life, to let go of my plans (that's always the hardest part), and to love the adventures here and now.

   The past five years we've had here, in North Carolina, have been incredible. I am so unbelievably thankful for the opportunities I've had, and the wonderful people we have met. Had we not moved here, I would not have launched either of my businesses and experienced all that I have. Thank you so, so much to each and every person who has touched my life while we have been here.

  We have decided that we are going to enjoy the amazing cities around us while we are still in North Carolina! So, you will be seeing a heck of a LOT of our adventures as we travel all the way from Charleston to New York. I will keep updating you all as we prepare for what is ahead!

  I so love this quote by Jim Elliot and how relevant it is for me right now.....

-MACKENZIE

Texas | Jesus, Best Friends, and a Boat Load of Coffee

My heart is overflowing…with joy, excitement, courage, and hope. I spent this past weekend in Fort Worth, Texas with the most incredible young woman I have ever met. We spent three God-filled days talking, laughing, planning, and simply doing life.….  Back in August, I met Ciera, Sarah, and Bethany at the Shine retreat. Afterwards, we hit it off and kept in touch.


 Long story short, I did not think I would be able to make it to Ft. Worth for my amazing friend Sarah's surprise birthday bash, until late Wednesday night. After deciding last minute, Wednesday and Thursday were spent planning and prepping to leave. On Friday I hopped out of bed at 3am to prep for flying to Fort Worth that day. We spent the next three days talking, dreaming, and practically living in Starbucks!

///P.S. We have an extremely exciting project under wraps right now. It is absolutely fantastic AND it's launching on New Years Eve.  That is all for now, but we will be sharing more on it soon\\\

You will be seeing more of these girls in the future, but for now, introductions.....

 Bethany | Love this girls Sass!

 Sarah | She has the most breathtakingly beautiful smile and laugh! I also want to borrow her entire closet....

 Ciera | Her eyes are so striking...Love, love her sweet sense of humor!

Our driver and navigator!

We also decided to flood instagram with our sweet faces! Several of the photos below were snatched from Sarah and Ciera, and are all of our wild moments captured in between our semi-prepared-ness (Yes, in my world that is a word). 

My special, extra sparkly travel day shoes

We stopped for a quick lunch after I landed Friday.

Our fun shopping day!

We also got to visit my favorite store........Yes, Anthropologie 

We needed Starbucks to keep us alive on our last night. Yes, two of the drinks below were mine, one of them being ultra caffeinated!

 Each of these girls bless me with a greater friendship than I could ever imagine. It is hard to believe how short of a time we have known each other, yet we have become best friends. I cannot wait to continue to grow and pursue Jesus with theses incredible young women!

-MACKENZIE

Weekend Life | Blowing Rock, North Carolina

  My lovely weekend was spent with family! We traveled to Blowing Rock, a quaint town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.... It was an incredible weekend, which involved Kilwins fudge. Need I say more? Obviously, Kilwins was our downfall. 

  We also may have seen Ray from Remember the Titans! Yes, I was the one who discovered this. And can I just say that celebrity spotting has been my specialty on our last few trips. Why yes, yes I do pride myself on my knowledge of movie stars and random facts in general. 

  Really though, Blowing Rock is a beautiful place, and the people are amazing. Here's a peek into our trip!

Our gps may not have been the most reliable!

The colors were stunning! We spent Saturday Hiking and discovering.  

One of the only photos I'm in, and of course, it's perfect...

Love these mountains and the fact that God blesses us with this incredible beauty!

Weekend Life

I can't wait to start sharing some personal posts called weekend life. They'll be filled with lots of fun info on what I've been up to along with sharing some of my hopes, dreams, and desires ahead!

I have practically lived half of my life on the water with family! For as long as I can remember we've been taking our boat everywhere, traveling for family trips at lakes up north, and making memories along the way.

This past weekend we packed up the boat and the fam and headed out on the water! We had a gorgeous day filled with skiing, swimming, and even a little bit of rain....Yes, the rain was not in our plans! 

  P.S. All of the photos where shot on my iphone. I have fallen in love with my VSCO app so, I opted to leave my gear at home and instead make use of my phone while we were on the water! Here's a peek into the fun day......

Shine 2012

Refreshing. That is the only way I can possibly describe this last week.

   In May I discovered Shine (which is sponsored by Pursuit 31!) through Elizabeth Ann King and quickly knew God was calling me to attend this workshop/retreat.

   I signed up thinking I would learn and grow in business and meet some sweet girls....It was so much more! God touched my heart and led me into the most amazing group of woman I have ever met. I spent 4 days growing in Christ and meeting girls who are driven in business and in faith. They have challenged me in so many ways. I have been so blessed by this retreat, and I know God will continue to use these girls in my life!

Worship on Wednesday night at Highlands Church

My Sweet Canadian friend, Raquel!

P.S. Did I mention I love gifts?! We received the sweetest Organic Bloom Frames and a hand stamped, custom necklace. You most definitely need to check them out!