About Emily | Top US Fashion and Beauty Blog

Meet Emily

Hi! I’m Emily, the blogger behind The Sweetest Thing. I’m married to John and this space really came into fruition because of him/our dating story [you can read the story in the little FAQ section below.] I am a mother of two babies, Luke [3] & Sophia [1] both April babies- they are almost exactly 2 years apart! If you follow me on Instagram/IG stories, you will mostly hear them being referred to as ‘Luke Bear’ & ‘Soapie’, both nicknames from the days they were born that just stuck! Luke could not say the ‘f’ sound in Sophie so she’s been referred to as Soapie the minute he first said it like that!

This space has evolved over the years and started off with mostly fashion and some beauty and now it is a good mix of beauty, fashion, home, travel, and everything in between. I cover everything from outfit details down to where we stayed and ate in certain cities. You’ll see my favorite lipstick combinations or curling wand and even my latest favorite psychological thriller or a business podcast I’m listening at the time. [You get more of that type of content on my Instagram Stories though!] Having been blogging full time since 2014, my blog has evolved greatly over the years. I will forever be a lover of mixing high end and low end. Now, I do love designer handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, etc. but I’ll forever be that completely girl giddy over a good sale or an amazing H&M find. I’m always mixing luxury pieces with affordable pieces and I want to always be able to help you do the same whether it be beauty, home, or fashion related.

If you have any questions regarding anything more specific, we keep an updated FAQ page as well!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I grew up in Arkansas, a town with population: 8,000. Currently, I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

WHY / HOW / WHEN DID YOU START YOUR BLOG?

The Sweetest Thing originally got its start as “JohnAndEmilyTheSweetestThing” at Blogspot, lol! ☺️ When I started my blog, I had no idea I’d be doing what I am doing now. I started it because my sister [8 years older than me] had one and so did her friends. They all went to the same small, private Christian college I attended. This was before Facebook existed so they all had blogs where they shared family photos, weekend trip photos, etc. so that they could all stay in touch. After completing my MBA, I moved to Blacksburg, VA to be with John while he was in medical school. I followed suit by starting a blog- a space to more or less meant to be a means of sharing photos with my family 14 hours away in Arkansas. Blogs were not what they are not and social media was very different! I would blog about 1x a month and treated it like a diary. Before I knew it, I had gained a readership that was made up of more than just my family. I also started getting e-mails asking how I curled my hair, what mascara I wore, etc. Eventually I created blog posts answering those questions and sharing outfits, but only on occasion. It changed very quickly and eventually after joining platforms like Instagram and Pinterest it just expanded and evolved. Having a background in business in addition to working retail from age 16 – 24, I began treating my blog like a job outside of my jobs. While John was in his 4th year of medical school, we had to move monthly meaning I’d no longer have a job. His program had him doing ‘audition rotations’ so we would be living in in Virginia one month and Arkansas the next. Fortunately, my parents let us use their home as our ‘hub’ and we just made due. We lived in basements of friends’ homes, an extended stay hotel in North Carolina one month, and a family from a church in Lawton, OK. During this time I could not get a traditional job since we were moving monthly so I blogged 5 days a week! Long story short, by the time John graduated medical school in 2014, I had turned a hobby/passion into a full out career!

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing/Sales and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. John and I attended the same private Christian University in Arkansas but he went to medical school in Blacksburg, Virginia and did an MD residency in Tulsa, OK – where we currently live. John did his residency in Internal Medicine.

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BLOG NAME FROM?

It actually came from the U2 song The Sweetest Thing. When we were living in Virginia and I was contemplating starting a blog I honestly could not think of a name! One day while driving from Roanoke to Blacksburg, the song came on and the part that said ‘a blue eyed boy met a brown eyed girl, oh! oh! The Sweetest Thing!” caught my attention in a whole new way! 💕

WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?

John has taken my photos since day 1! We joked throughout his residency program that he was moonlighting as a photographer. We are both super career driven and ambitious so we have always scheduled everything so that we could each take our careers seriously. He has actually become a phenomenal photographer over the years – totally self taught, too! ☺️

WHO ARE BOBO & COCO?

Bobo & Coco are my parents! My dad’s nickname as a kid was ‘Bo’ and so my nieces and nephews just created the name Bobo and call my mom Coco because it rhymes! My dad was a basketball coach for much of my life and then a principal. Now he is in administration. My mom taught Kindergarten for 28 years and was a Reading Specialist for 5 years. Once I had Luke, she retired from teaching and now works for me full time.

WHAT KIND OF DOG IS FITZY?

Fitzy is a mini-golden doodle. We got him in the fall of 2014 and I get a lot of questions about him. He is 6 years old and weighs 25lbs. His breeder is out of Springfield, MO.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL OF YOUR OLD CLOTHING?

I donate basically everything. My mom, sister, and sister-in-law all wear the same size clothing and shoes as me and I do not like clutter so I clean out my closet every 3-4 months. My neices and family members get first pick and I donate the rest to local needy shelters. I do not sell any old clothing!