By Patricia Hudson
Shawn and Laura Ballard were just children when they first met. “I was 7 and he was 12. He was in my sister Courtney’s class at school. We didn’t pay each other a bit of attention; at that age, five years is a BIG OLE difference,” recalls Laura. As fate would have it, this would not be their last encounter.
“Years later, when I ‘met’ Shawn, he had a long blonde ponytail. I am NOT a fan of guys with long hair,” shares Laura, emphatically. “We were both seeing other people, but continued to bump into each other over the next few years. One fateful day, we ran into each other at a bar. He had cut his hair AND ditched his girlfriend! I was immediately smitten.”
Just out of college, Laura and Courtney started a paper shredding company. “I was HORRIBLE at sales. However, we worked out the kinks and ran the company together for about seven years. Within weeks of each other, we became pregnant, and decided to sell the company and focus on raising our babies full time.”
Shawn is a Marine Broker with L&R Midland with a focus on transportation of oil and petrochemicals for the US Market. He explains, “I started my career working on sportfishing yachts and in boat yards, after graduating Texas A&M. The transition to marine brokerage kept me around boats and the water, while still allowing time for family and home.”
Laura recently started a blog. “As a full-time stay-at-home mom, I sometimes feel like there’s a void in my life. I love chalk painting and easy do it yourself projects. I started my blog with a primary focus on home decor. I quickly realized that while some people do find value in my home decorating tips and DIY tutorials, the majority of people following me found value in my humor and realness. I love to make people laugh, a lot of times, at my own expense. I tend to just say whatever is on my mind; whether it be my weight and body image, mom fails, or just our chaotic everyday life, I just put it all out there. No filter. No reservations. When I started getting messages from people saying ‘you make me feel normal,’ or ‘you make me feel better about myself,’ I knew I had found my calling. I have people telling me daily how much my silly Instagram posts and stories help them, but the truth is…this is helping ME! After years of trying to find my value in life, (aside from being a mommy), I think I finally found it. Making people laugh and empowering women to just be themselves brings me more fulfillment than I could have ever imagined. So, while I continue to share my decor tips and DIY’s, I’d say my primary purpose and goal with this blog/vlog journey is to provide a fun little escape where women realize we are all perfectly flawed. None of us are perfect moms. Or perfect wives. Or perfect friends. We all have our quirks, and we should embrace them. Have fun! Be unapologetically ourselves,” says Laura candidly.
The Ballards have two children, Brooklynn, 7, is a first grader at Rennell Elementary. Saylor is 4, and attends Mothers’ Day Out at Foundry Church, Cypress. Laura is on the PTO at both schools. “Brooklynn is great at gymnastics and is obsessed with practicing it… EVERYWHERE! (Brooklynn interjects, ‘I’m a good dancer and I am great at gymnastics. I want to be on Abby Lee’s Dance Show!) “The only time I have ever known her to get in trouble at school was for doing cartwheels down the hall. She doesn’t care where we are, she will drop into the splits or do a backbend ANYWHERE! It drives us crazy and is sometimes embarrassing, (Cartwheeling down a grocery store aisle, she occasionally kicks things over), but we are proud of her accomplishments and love her enthusiasm.”
Saylor takes ballet, gymnastics, and has recently started T-Ball. “She tells us daily, ‘I don’t like ballet, or gymnastics, or t ball, or school, and I am not going to dem annnymore,’” laughs Laura. “Saylor Mae is our little spit fire. She was blessed with a combination of our strongest personality traits. It makes me think God has a sense of humor. She keeps us on our toes and reminds us to STAY HUMBLE.”
Family time is spent boating, swimming, going to Tiki Island, bike rides and traveling. “Shawn is a BIG outdoorsman and the kids are, too. Me, on the other hand, I hate the heat. Shorts never quite fit me properly so summers are my nightmare. I would rather be inside.” Laura loves spending time with her best friends, mom, Elyse, and sister, Courtney.
Shawn enjoys being on and around boats. “I’ve always lived on the coast and worked on boats, so when Laura said we were moving to the Houston suburbs, Towne Lake was a no brainer. I used to do a ton of offshore fishing, but with family and career, I have less time to commit. I am an avid outdoorsman and spend time hunting, spending time introducing my girls to nature and the outdoors, and coaching T-Ball. I am always up for an adventure.”
