First, thank you all so very much for being a part of our journey at Sweet Southern Soul. It doesn’t seem possible that we have come this far and yet everyday I realize how faithful God has been to allow me this opportunity for my family.
For those who may not know me or even how we got here I wanted to take a minute to recount it for you. For those that are new my name is Heather and I am from Pomeroy, Ohio. I am Happily Married to My best friend Joshua and we have two beautiful Girls. Adaline who is 5 and Arabella who is 2. They are my whole world.
About 2.5 years ago, our world was turned upside down. I was rushed to the hospital due to complications with my blood pressure, which required an emergency C-section to deliver Arabella. I ended up having her at 3:00 in the morning. It was definitely quite the night. The next day, I received devastating news when my husband suffered a severe seizure at the hospital, resulting in his immediate transfer to the ICU. He was intubated due to a pulmonary embolism, double pneumonia, and a traumatic brain injury, among other serious conditions. I had no clue he was so sick. He just kept going as he usually does until he can’t. My husband has always suffered from epilepsy and it has gotten continuously worse over the years. I just thought it was like normal a normal seizure and he would be back to himself in a few minutes but I was wrong. I was definitely in shock.
Long story short, Joshua remained in the hospital for nearly 2 weeks before I could communicate with him. The doctors were not optimistic about his recovery, and if he did pull through, they warned me that he would not be the same. But today, I’m here to tell you that he is nothing short of a miracle and God is still working on him and within our Family.
Before I had Bella, I had found a love for fashion and I loved working for M&Z Boutique and meeting all of the wonderful people there. My original plan was to return to work because I absolutely loved it. However, circumstances took a different turn and I was unable to return because my Husband needed me more and I couldn’t leave him alone in his current condition. So, we decided since my love is fashion I should just do it online and I did; but as time went on, the demand grew, and soon enough, we found ourselves in need of physical space. That's when our current space presented itself to us at the perfect moment.
In the first year, the boutique was a much smaller version of what you see today. However, at our one-year anniversary, we broke down the walls and expanded the space to its current size. I am still in awe of everything that has unfolded in just the first two years. But above all else, I am immensely grateful to have my family by my side. Though Joshua cannot always be here due to his ongoing health challenges, he cherishes every opportunity he gets to connect with all of you and has become an unexpected part of this dream. Each and every one of you has become a cherished member of the Sweet Southern Soul family, and your presence means more to us than you can possibly imagine.
My mission has remained the same, though, and that it is to empower you, no matter your shape or size, and to make each and every one of you feel beautiful and loved in the skin that God has given you.
