Do you have any regrets? I know I sure do.

We all have regrets. It's best not to dwell on them (which is very hard to do).  Instead, I'm trying to conquer my fears and regrets every day.  Maybe our regrets can be used as a blueprint for our future endeavors.

I have a few regrets from my childhood.  When I was five years old I took a dance/ballet class and quit only after a few lessons.  When we were dancing across the room the teacher saw I wasn't doing a dance move properly so she took me back across the room numerous times until I did it right.  I was extremely humiliated and honestly during a moment of humiliation my learning retention is very low.  I'm the type of person who prefers to make my mistakes privately and practice until I get it right.  My mom was really frustrated and disappointed I never went back.  I loved the dance/ballet clothing more than anything.  I was upset at myself for years because I never got to experience that magical world (I know it's not all pretty shoes and tutus, but I missed out on an experience).

Another regret was when I turned down the opportunity to be in a fashion show when I was a little girl.  My mom put on the fashion show for our church.  Right before I was supposed to go on the runway I decided not to.  I let the fear take over and once again I missed out.  I regret these experiences, but in another way I don't because turning them down taught me a few lessons.  Sometimes we need to do things that may make us a bit scared.  The temporary discomfort will soon pass and after we'll be filled with joy.  I DID IT!  I DID IT! 

My mom regretted not getting her art degree when she was younger, but in 2006 she graduated from college.  She has been accepted into numerous juried art shows and was the designer for a fashion show Runway 3.0. 

Throughout middle and high school I went to every single dance, I took every art class(which isn't easy exposing your emotions and getting critiques...believe it or not you get used to it), and studied art in college (I also inherited the love of art).  Recently I attended a salsa class AND I was one of the models in the Runway 3.0 Show.  It felt amazing to fix these mistakes by dealing with them in a new way today.  It definitely isn't easy to do things that scare us, but I just think back on the pain and disappointment I endured of not trying and it helps me to push myself harder and further.

By working on my business Rice Rafferty with my mom we're conquering our fears and we want to encourage other women to find their inner strength and conquer their fears too.  The dreamy vintage look of dance wear is a huge influence on Rice Rafferty accessories.

The photo at the top of this blog entry is of me.  I'm wearing a tulle trapeze dress with fiber optic lights and a feather hair accessory with ribbon and real pearls.  The hair accessory is great for bridal parties.  We can make custom items to match your color scheme.

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