Hello! I have a lot to say today so hopefully you all can keep up!…. I have mentioned over the past few days that my name will be changing to So Then They Say. I am not sure this has been met with as much enthusiasm has I had hoped. To be honest, people are completely confused by the change and I feel the need to explain myself.

I first started blogging in 2010 with my best friend, Amanda. Both of us were stuck in un-creative jobs that were never going to be our “forever.” I decided one day, I was going to start this blog and asked if she was in or out? She was (thankfully) in! It was such a magical experience getting to be creative with your absolute best friend and soul sister. I swear to this day she should  be the blogger and not me, but life didn’t happen like that and she found her self in another path – psychology. Knowing that was her absolute passion, we parted ways on the blog as I wanted to take it more seriously and she just didn’t have the time. Being a few years later, I could have never imagined where this crazy journey would take me. Amanda has since graduated with her masters from SMU and I am doing this full-time. Seems crazy looking back four years to now and where we both are! Life is just so amazing!

So, why the name change? When I originally started blogging by myself I wanted a name that represented me – the reason I chose M.A.S. (my initials). I wanted to blog about all things fashion. It was, after all, my number one passion. However, as we get older, passions change. You grow as an individual and start to realize what is important to you and your growth as a human being. While I still love fashion and couldn’t imagine not writing about it, it isn’t my only passion anymore. I personally love a brand that encompasses a lifestyle and not so much just one avenue. The older I get the more I realize just how much travel means to me. It isn’t just something I think we should all do because “everyone needs a vacation.” It is something my veins crave. Something my entire being needs. And something that has become extremely important to me.

I have always been the kind of person who gets extremely antsy or anxious staying in one place. I always thought it was the “small town” I grew up in. The fact that everyone was okay with staying there and raising a family. That mentality always made me feel so confined and something I never found myself relating to. I think this idea of living is where my need for travel came from. But my love for travel came when my parents first sent me abroad in high school. Seeing the different architecture, cultures, people, and fashion made me realize just how much there is to see and learn and so much opportunity to grow as a person. So again, why the name change?

To be 100% honest, I don’t want to be or be-known as “just” a fashion blogger anymore. Not that there is anything wrong with that but for me I feel like I am not being 100% honest with people when I tell them I am a fashion blogger. I always feel like I am holding back when I categorize myself so one-dimensionally. I absolutely love fashion but I love so many other things just as much, and I find myself researching those other things more and more. Calling myself M.A.S. FASHION seems so limiting and I am starting to feel that feeling of “confinement” I felt growing up. Like my growth as a person is being stunted, and that scares me! I want to move away from the “fashion only” site and into an overall lifestyle site. I want to share my passion for travel and photography, and be able to share new discoveries with you – all while feeling like I am staying true to my “brand.” With M.A.S. FASHION I felt a duty to post about fashion and always felt guilty when I would go outside those “boundaries.” Like I was cheating on my original brand. So a fresh start is something I am really looking forward to. A new name, a new brand, a new boost of inspiration, and a new outlook on this entire idea of blogging!

Since I find myself looking up international designers, fashion, and destinations on my free-time, you will be seeing a lot more of that on the new site, so then they say. I can’t wait to share the new layout! There were a few things that were important to me when myself and (the amazing) Hannah from Gadabout were designing the site – one being a place that I call, “mini post.” These are a quick way for me to introduce you to new products without having to write a large and long-winded post on it. They will be updated daily and you can check them whenever you have spare time! The idea for them is to inspire you, be it travel, fashion, or a new product! Another thing that was important to me was to make the new site more “shoppable.” I always find such great pieces or unique destinations but never felt like I had the right forum to tell you all about them – now I will! I can’t wait for you to see the new shop and hopefully you can always use STTS as a place to find everything you are looking for!

I hope you bare with me over the next few days as we figure out the new site and what will surely be a few glitches. I can’t wait to reveal it and hope you love it just as much as I do!!! Thanks for sticking with me this long (and through this long post) and I hope so then they say will be as much fun as M.A.S. fashion has been!

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