It will come as no surprise to anyone that I adore Joanna Gaines. From the moment I first watched her show, Fixer Upper on HGTV, I was hooked. Not only was I hooked with the show, but I instantly fell in love with JoJo. There was just something about her that was so real and genuine and made me want to be her BFF. As the seasons of Fixer Upper have continued, I have come to determine that Joanna Gaines is not just my girl crush, she is, in fact, my Spirit Animal and I want to be just like her when I grow up. Here’s why:
She is a phenomenal designer.
Joanna Gaines is a self-taught interior designer with impeccable taste. Her design specialty began with farmhouse style but she has proven through the last few seasons of the show that she can also successfully pull off many other different styles. She has a fantastic eye for timeless design and quality work. For a design and decor junkie like me, she’s a huge role model.
She is a supermom.
JoJo and her husband, Chip, have four kids and are now pregnant with their fifth. Joanna has managed to stay at home raising her babies while also growing an empire in Waco, Texas. She and Chip have always made their kids and their family the priority in their life and refuse to film or travel far outside of their hometown so that they can be there for all of their kids activities and events. They also don’t own a T.V. so their kids spend their time learning, creating, and playing outside. I love that!
She is a devoted wife.
I recently read Chip and Joanna’s book, The Magnolia Story, and you could just feel the love and respect they have for each other oozing out of the pages. Chip is an impulsive, crazy, goofball of a man and even though he may drive Joanna crazy at times, he keeps her laughing and she respects his business sense. She praises him and gives him credit for bringing her out of her shell and chasing after her dreams.
She is a woman of faith.
I think what I love most about Joanna Gaines is that she is a real, relatable, lovable woman who loves her God more than anything else. In her book she describes how she has always sought God’s guidance in her life, especially regarding her career and family, and how she always strives to listen and obey to His direction for her life. I love that her faith is not something that she hides; in fact, she and Chip have always been openly proud of their love of God and His role in their success. I love when people are unashamed and honest about their faith, especially in a world that can seem so faithless.
You don’t have to be an interior design nerd like me to love and appreciate a woman like Joanna Gaines. She is a woman of integrity and she is constantly putting her family above all else. In a world full of Pinterest perfection and Facebook highlight reels, it’s hard to find a mommy role model who is genuine. I think JoJo does a great job of balancing all the pretty of life with all the hard, and sometimes messy, parts of it, too. And when that last episode of Fixer Upper is over, you know I’ll be crying in my wine glass, but luckily I live close enough to Waco to visit Magnolia Market a couple of times a year (and maybe try to run into Jo and convince her to be my real life BFF)!
