Okay, bear with me — this is a few stories in one. 😊 Last year, before I opened the store — honestly, before my walls were even built — I drove to Houston for a closeout sale at one of my favorite stores, Nadeau. (We have one in Austin, but the sale was in Houston… so of course I rented a U-Haul because I was fully convinced I would find treasure.) Well… I did find treasure. But between the U-Haul cost, food, gas, and the “sale” that didn’t exactly feel like a sale… let’s just say nothing was really on sale by the time the math settled. 😂 But I digress. One of the first things I saw was this gorgeous marble-top bar cart. I knew immediately I wanted it — but I absolutely did not need it. Hours later, near the end of wandering that warehouse, I bought it anyway. $350, after discount. Irrational? Probably. But I’m so glad I did. When the store opened, that bar cart became a beautiful display piece for my crystal and elixirs. But later, when I stopped selling those items, the cart lost its purpose. For months, it has been pushed around the store holding random mannequins — a fancy misfit, waiting for belonging. Fast forward to now. The store has had beautiful days and really hard days. This first year has stretched me. I’ve wondered more than once if I misunderstood God’s calling or direction. I am surrounded by strong prayer warriors — daily. Meanwhile, I am what I jokingly (but honestly) call a warm-weather prayer warrior: - When things are great → I forget to pray. - When things are fine → I gripe. - When things are good → I praise, but doubt it will last. That’s my flesh. But the women around me have shown me what relentless prayer looks like — including prayer at 3AM. Prayers over my business, finances, family, the future — asking for angels to go before me and fight battles I don’t see. So last Friday night, I decided to start my own 3AM prayer journey. (Except it was actually 6AM… not 3. Baby steps. 😅) In that prayer, I was very specific: