What a crazy week it was! We had so much fun at the farm for the ASCFG flower farmer meeting. Folks flew in from New Mexico to Florida and we had such a fabulous time. I was so proud of our team for how incredible the farm looked and how smooth the even ran.
It’s really awesome having a team you can lean on and not have to always feel the pressure to do it all. They took the reins for the weekend and let Steph and I along with Addie head out to Springfield Illinois to watch Mom and Dad get inducted into the National Suffolk Sheep Hall of Fame. We didn’t get back until late Monday and for those four days, our team kept every wheel turning. They are amazing and we are grateful.
Another big bonus of the trip was spending some real quality time with my teen. We toured the town, spent time goofing off, and experienced her first plane flight together. It was time I needed with her to reconnect in a new, more mature way.
Addie has joined the team this summer and you may find her in the store helping behind the counter but that’s not her biggest contribution. She is also the director of the dried program this year. She has been harvesting, cleaning, counting, and drying this season's flowers. She tracks her data, keeps her records, and communicates with the team outside of me….I just check in from time to time. Her work ethic is strong but also motivated by that paycheck she now gets.
She takes great pride in owning the heritage barn and the drying program inside. And after some motivational museums in Springfield (seriously, the Lincoln presidential museum is worth the trip alone) she is excited to help curate our heritage memorabilia in the barn for Flower Fair.
The summer schedule is stacked but with this fun team including my oldest kid, I’m excited to continue to grow this summer. I hope you take a chance to come visit.
XOXO, Jess
