A Day to Give Thanks
Loose Change November 21st, 2007My husband and I are gearing up to head to Atlanta and although all our family members are heading to different holiday gatherings tomorrow, we are not out of each other’s thoughts. (In fact, we’re all meeting for sushi tonight.? Not traditional but it is our favorite.) On the eve of Thanksgiving (and in honor of what the holiday truly means), I would like to take some personal time to give thanks and appreciation to those that enrich my life.
1) My Family - Even though I’m 13 years older than my sister, Suzanne, and 10 years older than my brother Jason, we are as thick as thieves. We run Garay Artisans together and ours is a perfect mix of talents and personalities. I’m very grateful that we can not only run a business together but that we can put that aside and remain siblings. Does that mean we fight? Ohhhhhhhhh, yeah. I’ve found, though, that we’ve become very good at understanding what makes us “tick” (and what makes us go “boom”, LOL!) and we work hard to make sure our relationships stay caring and strong. A big mention goes out to my sister’s little boy, Alex, for bringing a whole lot of joy and play into my life. And Mom — last but not least. Words fail at how much we love you.
On the left is my sister and I and on the right is my nephew, Alex, and myself
Below is a picture of my beloved siblings…
                        
2) My Husband and His Family - Even though they are my family as well, I thought they deserved their own category. I’m convinced that at some point there was a Husband Lottery and I had the grandprize-winning ticket. I cannot say enough good things about my hubby, Chris — he is considerate, attentive, extremely interesting and whip smart. There have been times when I’ve literally been on the verge of despair over my business (the lean days) and he has picked me up, dusted me off and made me see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wish that everyone could leave work and come home to a kind, fun and caring household. As for his family? Sublime. I adore my mother-in-law and wish his entire family lived closer to us, especially now that I have a sweetie-pie second nephew, Nicholas.
We were at my husband’s best friend’s house when he snapped an impromptu pic of us (left) and on the right we are at a college football game (Go Canes!)
The newest member of our family: my nephew, Nicholas (aka Nicky-Mouse)
                                     
3) My Crew - I can’t say how grateful I am to have such a solid team of artisans working on our commissions. Some of them do own their own business and come on board when I need extra help and some work with me exclusively. Every one of them is hardworking, funny (oh, we have good times!) and creatively gifted. So thank you Roger, Debbie P., Monica, Pedro, Marvin, Debbie J. and Yuri!
Some of the crew at the Portofino Bay Hotel commission
                                        
4) My Clients - Last but certainly not the least. I have been blessed with wonderful clients who treat both my team and I like gold. I have those clients who love all elegance and those that love pushing the envelope. It’s a joy for us to try and go above and beyond what each expects. Every one of them is different and all of them are appreciated. Without clients, we would not have such a wonderful business.
So, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am a blessed girl — I truly do have a lot to be thankful for. I’m glad I had the opportunity to air how grateful I am to those in my life and I hope you take the opportunity to offer heart-felt appreciation to those that mean most to you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
November 26th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
[…] Hello! Well, I’m back from Atlanta and will write an entry on that soon — but first, I wanted to make all of you privy to some changes I’m bringing to the blog. (And by the way, thanks for letting me be such a sap on the A Day to Give Thanks post. Sigh.) […]
December 6th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Hi. One note I’ll make is that the picture of your bro in a fro and jailbird stripes may come across as insensitive to some and doesn’t paint him in the best light. I’m not the pc police, but just thought I’d make a friendly comment as someone who really likes your blog and think it’s otherwise quite charming.
December 6th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Hello! Thank you so much for writing — I have taken the pic out since I completely see your point and I apologize that it may have seemed insensitive. I assure you that my brother and I would never do anything to offend anyone knowingly and I don’t believe he meant to while wearing the Halloween costume — in fact, his friend showed up in full disco regalia and he borrowed the wig and glasses to take the pic because he liked them, never thinking of the pairing with his costume. (And I don’t think you are the pc police — you actually made the comment in a classy manner.) BTW, thank you for calling the blog “charming” — it made me smile since I work so diligently on it. Have a great day!