Looking Forward, Looking Back

It's almost 2009. Remember all the fuss leading up to the "Millenium" and the Y2K bugs that were gonna wipe out electronic information? Remember hearing about stocking up on Gas, Food and Water because we didn't know what Jan 1, 2000 would do to our "way of life"?

That was 9 years ago.

Can it really be that long ago? Look how far we've come since then.

Bright Hopes is 5 years old! I can't believe it's been 5 years since Pearl opened the door for the first time. 5 years! My oldest was still in high school and now she's out of college for a whole year herself. My mother was still alive. I'd only been married 20 years, and I wasn't carting around an extra 20 pounds back then either! (that's on my list to tackle this year...)

5 Years. And now we're well into our 6th. It's going to be a great year! I so look forward to every day of it.

I can't close this one out without saying this: Thank you for all of your support: emotional, financial, physical, spiritual, you name it! CREATIVE! Ya'll are a powerful force in my life. I look forward to going to work. It isn't really work when you love love love what you do.

Pearl took me out of my "comfort zone" as she called it all those years ago and she does it even today and I thank you for it. Thanks for teaching me to be a better sewer (english is such a strange language) and encouraging me to machine quilt. and Blog. and taking me to Market. I am so out of my "Zone" thanks to you.

To the Gals I work and play with it: I love you all. It's so cool to have so many sisters! I thought I had only one. The hours seem so short at work & Sharp Needles and thank you for not going nuts over my endless whinging about being hungry before it's even 11:00 am. (or at the very least, if you ARE nuts, thanks for not showing it!)

To the Troops and Regulars: I can't tell you how much I look forward to the days y'all pop in. Your collective enthusiam and creative spirit make me want to either flee home and get behind the machine or slip into your cars and go home with you. I also can't tell you how mortified I feel when I can't remember names. It's NOT you, it's me. I look over the kitchen counter and ask my husband what his name is! "Who are you again?"

Which brings me to men. It's a heckuva quilt shop to be in when a guy doesn't bolt out in terror upon hearing a gleeful voice exclaim: "There's a MAN in here!" Bob, you're awesome! And John, (see I remembered!) thank you for fanning the flames.

And I have to mention this to the fine fine ladies who braved the freak snowstorm of Dec here in Southeast Louisiana. You know who you are! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These intrepid souls came through one heck of a blizzard (by OUR standards) to deliver Christmas Cookies. OK, ladies, now that you've set the precedence, I'll be anticipating bags of goodies again next year! They were delicious and so unexpected.

And that sums up my time here at Bright Hopes! Delicious and Unexpected. Who could ask for anything more?



Is it lunch yet?