HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Chris and I were both divorced in 2019. Although looking back we’d both admit it was for the best, at the time we were both feeling very lost and alone. We both had two kids we were trying to raise. Supporting our kids became our one and only priority for some time. We both soon realized one of the best things we can do for our children is care for ourselves so that we can adequately care for them. Chris and I both spent the better of 2 years working through our grief and loss that comes with a failed marriage. Working on being the best versions of ourselves is what eventually brought us together.
Little did we know healing our minds from the disappointment and frustration that was once our lives would bring us back into the dating world. Chris and I both entered into online dating in the dead center of COVID 19 when everyone was to stay home and away for other people. Clearly, Chris and I had other plans. We met in a spontaneous game night on January 23rd, 2021. I cannot speak for Chris, but I can say that this was finally the relationship that made everything better! We shared our goals and dreams and worked to set ourselves up for a successful future.
After dating for a couple years, we learned the most valuable part of Chris and Myranda. We are truly BETTER TOGETHER. I worked hard to better myself both for my children and my own health. I felt I was in a great place; however, with Chris next to me it was so obvious that I was BETTER because he was with me. Chris found himself in a similar situation. Chris also felt he was in a great place and now feels his is a BETTER man when we are together. In addition, Chris and I both believe that parenting our own children is BETTER when we are TOGETHER. We support each other through the trials of parenting therefore making us BETTER parents. Chris and I also both have so many positive things to offer not only our children but each other’s children. The stress at our jobs seems so much lighter now knowing we have the support of each other at home.
Bottom line comes down to this… Chris and I TRULY are BETTER TOGETHER. We are BETTER at everything we do and don’t do because we have each other. Everything we do has become easier and more enjoyable because we have each other. This concept is what inspired the dream of us starting this business and we felt it was the perfect name for a company derived from two people who are TRULY BETTER TOGETHER.
We now want to share our BETTER with you! Our mission in all that we do is to be BETTER than we were yesterday! We pride ourselves on gaining the knowledge we lack, learning from our mistakes, and being humble enough to ask for guidance when needed.
It has always been a goal of mine to be very intentional about what I do. The creation of t-shirts is a true “Myranda” thing. I’ve found myself loving these types of shirts for as long as I can remember and I can never decide which ones I want the most to narrow down the length of my shopping cart. So it is of no surprise that when I found out I was able to make them and have them look just as nice as the ‘real thing’ (aka a purchased shirt) I was hooked. Some shirts are just meant to be fun and silly while others are meant to carry meaning and inspiration. Although my goal was to do just that…there’s more to it than that.
Read on if you are curious as to the WHY behind the t-shirt making business.
I am not a fan of small talk. I don’t know how many conversations I can truly have about the weather and how we are all so shocked that its so cold in December in Minnesota, the snow capital of the world! If it’s not the weather its the random questions about the family. The popular question, ‘how are the kids’….as if I am supposed to say, ‘well this one has diaper rash and this one keeps flushing things down the toilet’. That is not a conversation I want to have with any random person for sure so we are left saying, ‘oh the kids are good’…and then the dreaded uncomfortable silence. In an effort to avoid such mundane, sometimes scary, and often a complete waste of words I soon realized that a silly, meaningful, or sassy t-shirt serves as an amazing conversation starter both to those we just met or those we have known for years. I show up in a softball mom t-shirt and now we can have a conversation about the kids playing sports and it flows leaving everyone feeling way less put on the spot and much more comfortable in that space. If I happen to choose a Paramedic shirt, that will nicely open the door to work life and you can have a conversation that consists more than the typical ‘oh work is fine’. I do think you probably are starting to get my purpose here but I’ll leave you with this thought. My son comes out wearing his, ‘my dog thinks I’m cool t-shirt’ thus prompting someone to ask him about his dog instead of the how is school and do you like your teacher. Now, the kid you thought was shy and not able to have a conversation is going to tell you all about his puppy and through this you’ll see his face light up when he gets to share and talk about one of his favorite things! And…by making 1 shirt for my son and having him wear it we have now helped him build confidence in talking to people.