HELLO NEW FRIENDS!

Hello new friends!

Today I wanted to share some fun facts about me and tell you a little bit about how Navy Grace started and why I started it!
It really has been quite some time since I have shared a little about me here or on Instagram. I feel like it used to be a thing to do almost 2 years ago and I haven’t really done it since.
So since it’s VERY long overdue.. let’s do this!

I am Camilla Thurman, a 25 year old living in Sunny San Diego! I am married to Brandon Thurman of 5 going on 6 years!
We welcomed sweet little Edison into our lives on 11/11/16! He is currently 15 months old!

I am from a small town in Idaho, called Rigby. Born and raised there.
I went to college at Idaho State University and was on the dance team, called Bengal Dancers for one year.
I studied generals because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or be. (wish I would have done photography, business, and computer graphics.. but who knew I would have fallen into blogging)
I met Brandon in college right after he graduated with his degree.
After a year of college I moved to St. George, UT and went to hair school for a year.
Yes, I have my hair license, but don’t do hair. I did however work in a salon for a year. But since Brandon and I moved so much when we were first married it was hard to stay put to build a clientele. Another factor was I never fully felt confident doing hair. I loved working in a salon but when people came in wanting a pixi cut or a intense color I basically had  “Oh crap” stamped on my face. I could do it, and did it fine.. just always felt some other stylist could do it better than me!

 

Brandon and I got married in the Idaho Falls LDS temple in 2012.
We lived in St. George UT for 3 years, but also lived in South Carolina for one of those summers. We lived in both Columbia and Charleston and I loved the south so much. Miss Charleston all the time. If you have the chance to go, do!
After coming back for the summer we stayed in Utah for another 6 months before we moved to San Diego. We ended up moving to California due to Brandon’s job. He started a solar company called Sun Vantage and has been doing it for about a year and a half now. It’s crazy to think that this Spring we have lived in San Diego for 3 years!! It has gone by so fast.
When we first moved here, I wasn’t loving California. It took me about 8 months to fully find love for this city.
We have moved a total of 3 times since living here, and are currently house shopping again. This time to buy though!

I started Navy Grace August 0f 2014.
It was when we were living in Charleston, SC and I needed something to do. I was getting bored, being stuck in a tiny apartment every day.
I had lots of mama friends out there, the other wives of the salesmen my husband worked with (it was a summer sales job with Vivint)
Several of the wives would always mention to me that I had great style, always looked cute, and always overdressed.
Some even said that they hated shopping and felt so overwhelmed when they did shop but wished that they could pull of the same things I wore. I was completely shocked. I never knew someone could feel overwhelmed while shopping. Something I had never experienced, because it was something I loved.

One friend that summer suggested I should start a fashion blog and I loved that idea, I had started following a few Utah bloggers (Rachel Parcel, Hello Fashion Blog, Amber Fillerup, and Cara Loren) and thought it would be a good thing to try.

Rewind a year or two before this; My dream was to own a brick and mortar boutique. However it just wasn’t in the cards for me at the time. We were moving, not in a stable location and of course financially wasn’t the best time.  Plus my husband being a business man didn’t think a store location boutique would bring in cash or enough funds to help support our family. So now, fast forward to South Carolina and the thought of blogging kept creeping into my head. It was something I didn’t need my husband approval on, it was something I could do, and possibly quit and give up without being out ten of thousands of dollars like a boutique would cost upfront! It was basically something I could start for fun, to express myself through how I dressed! I loved that idea and started a blog right then and there.

So where does the name Navy Grace come from? I get asked this question all the time from you readers and today I wanted to share.
Since my original goal was to own a boutique I always thought a good brand name would be ‘Navy Grace Boutique’ It just had a pretty ring to it. I am not exactly sure where I put those two names together or where the inspiration came from but it was the only name I loved it stuck with for several months. So when it came time to name my blog, that was the only name that stuck out in my head. Navy Grace. I loved it and went with it. When naming my blog, my intention behind ‘Navy’ is the color, not the United States Navy. This thought actually never crossed my mind until I moved to San Diego. Being such a big city with several Navy families in it. So now I am curious. When you heard the name did you think the color or United States Navy?

I still love the name Navy Grace, but sometimes wish I could change it. Although I have no idea what I would ever change it to.. but what bothers me is that it has nothing to do with what my blog is about.
That is the only reason I would ever consider changing it. I have thought of just using my name, but also love that my personal name is separate from this virtual world we live in.

My goal is to one day start a boutique. However, it won’t be an actual brick and mortar boutique. Online only! That is until we find a permanent place to live. We don’t know how long we will stay in San Diego. Could be 2 years or could be 15. But until then I will stick with an online store.
I don’t have any actual plans on starting one this year, but my hope is soon!
What are your thoughts on this. Would you love if I started an online shop?
Would you shop it? What kind of things would you want to see?

---

 

striped sweater: Nasty Gal – also sold here  |  green jacket: Asos (wearing a size 2)  |  platform shoes: Nordstrom   |  denim: Levi’s  |  sunglasses: Rayban  |  handbag: Gucci

…