Aviator Jayne

Here we are – at last! My first blog post! This is a little intimidating and incredibly thrilling and humbling to get to share some thoughts, stories, and some of my life with you. I’m grateful.

I should start by introducing myself…my name is Mandy and It’s wonderful to have you here. If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely familiar with our home goods shop Aviator Jayne. I’d love to tell you more about who we are, why we’re here, and why home is a big deal to us. In order to adequately portray the heart of Aviator Jayne, I’ll need to share a little of my heart and story first.

The short version: I’ve been married for two years to my best friend Nick, arguably the dreamiest and most wonderful man on the planet. I’m a mom to two amazing little ladies. Frankie is my sassy, strong, hilarious 15 month old, and Rooney is my sweet, snuggly 1 month old. I simply adore my little growing family.

The slightly longer version: After Nick and I got married in late 2016, I left a very full life in my hometown Midland, Michigan to start over in a charming little town called Owosso. Midland held my family, friends, the first house I bought on my own, my church, band, jobs, and a community I loved and was excited about. I was leaving behind everything, but I was most uneasy about leaving my friends and family. I’ve always considered myself fairly independent person, but I’m still a girl who needs her mom and dad in her life. My three brothers are some of my very best friends. I’d miss not having them near. This was an uncomfortable move. One filled with great clarity and peace, and still, uncomfortable. This move to Owosso was just the beginning of an all out shake down of everything that was familiar to me.

Shortly after our wedding, the year 2017 began. I was a new wife, I was pregnant for the first time right at the start of the year (surprise!), I was a new girl to a new town, and I began the process of starting my first business. All six members of my tight knit family moved to new towns, started new families and new ventures of their own, and became more spread out than we’ve ever been. 2017, to say the least, was shaping up to be the most unusual and life changing year of my life. New family marrying in, new family being born, new friends being adopted in as family. It turned out that the familiar things in my life needed a thorough rattling before I really realized how important those things were to me. My family and home have always been the cornerstone of my life, but it was in this season of drastic change that made that clearer than ever.

Growing up, the home my parents created for my three brothers and I was filled to the brim with peace and joy. I just remember laughing a lot as a kid. But with three brothers, maybe you can imagine how chaotic the place could get when everything could become a fort and every surface was a lego city, and none of us had a knack for picking up after ourselves. But it was a good home. My parents always filled the place with the best people you could meet. They filled our home and hearts with a desire to include people and showed us how to pursue and love God. As kids we could squabble like crazy, but making peace was a non-negotioble commitment my parents drilled into us along with the mantra “strife is a blessing blocker.” Like many of you, my home is where my heart, perspectives, and beliefs were established.

My loud and disheveled home was always my favorite place to be. Im not sure how this happened, but oddly enough, somewhere along the way I developed this fascination with home decorating. I was quite young when the intrigue hit. I remember going to friends’ houses whose mothers decorated impeccably and cleaned daily.  I remember feeling like I was in a beautiful wonderland. These homes captivated me. I felt like I was in a movie or a book– quite different from the messy (though happy) home I shared with three rambunctious brothers. Perhaps that’s why I was so drawn to it? It’s not what I lived in. That was not what I knew – the mysterious life of a well decorated home. We had all the love and laughter one could have, but our house was definitely well lived in. A messy joy was what I knew, but beautiful order was something I was intrigued by. So it began. Imagine little 7 year old Mandy obsessively rearranging her room every. single. week. Rearranging dolls, stacking books, and organizing stuffed animals trying to mimic the designs I had only experienced in other homes. “New room, new me.” I thought. I experienced what a put together home could do to a guest. I was inspired. I was comfortable. I was able to focus on my friends. Of course, I had also been in beautiful homes that were cold and uninviting. Homes that were put together but left me feeling out of place. Homes of friends that were gorgeous on the outside, but the war zone on the inside made me uneasy when I’d visit. I had a friend whose parents were on the brink of divorce, and you could feel the tension and weight in the atmosphere even as a guest and as a child. I’d leave with a heavy heart. I wouldn’t feel myself. I was starting to realize the power of a home. How it could make a person feel. Our homes affect the people we welcome inside and its a profoundly powerful thing.

And so, out of this love of home, family, design, and hospitality, a pestering dream was birthed. Could happy homes be inspired? Could there be a place that stirred relationship-building in people? I dreamt of a place that offered beautiful and unique items for the home while awakening inspiration in people for deeper, peace filled relationships. To offer items like furniture, not just for sitting on, but for gathering around and having life changing conversation. To not just offer an array of coffee mugs for consumption, but to share a cup of coffee with a new friend. And even if they leave the shop empty handed, that they’d still leave with something because there would be something moving in the atmosphere that would touch hearts and people’s vision for their lives. For about 10 years, it just wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d park my car in front of abandoned store fronts and imagine what it would be like to start a place like this. I imagined people walking in one way and leaving better. It plagued my thoughts, but I knew it was impossible with the full plate I already carried in Midland.

 So after Nick and I got married in July 2016, the move to Owosso happened and I completely started over. No job, no community involvement, only a few new friends, and my family that I missed very much. I frequently and uncomfortably sat home alone as a new wife in a new town with a clean slate in hand. I started asking myself, “what will I do with my life now?”

This is where 2017 began and Aviator Jayne started to stir. I decided it was time to just try moving forward with this dream. Nick and I put the plan for Aviator Jayne down on paper in January. We found out we were pregnant early in February. We gulped, panicked for about 24 hrs, but quickly became dizzy with excitement to become parents.  We then took the plan off paper and gave ourselves a 9 month deadline to get Aviator Jayne off the runway before our baby would arrive.

And then, on September 16th, 2017, Aviator Jayne was born and our beautiful baby girl Frankie came 4 days later on September 20th. These two dreams were born in the same week. It was like I gave birth twice in the matter of a few days. One literal baby and one figurative baby came screaming into our lives. Both have required a close eye, long sleepless nights and a lot of prayer. Both have good days and bad days. Both are learning how to get along with others, how to communicate, how to be a part of a home. Both celebrated their first birthday with their humbled and grateful families. Both were created with purpose, passion, and both are a blessing. Both came out of love and a belief in “family.”

We pray that Aviator Jayne and our journey as a business and a family truly is an inspiration and blessing to you.

We’d be honored to bring you along in this adventure as we tell stories, try new things, share what we’ve learned, and aim to awaken depth, peace, refuge, and beauty in your homes and families.

Thank you for reading along today and join us next week for more Aviator Jayne inspiration!

With love,

Mandy