First Love

As it turns out buying a restaurant and getting married within two and a half weeks of each other, doesn't leave a lot time for blogging.

Here we are at the end of December, at the end of 2012. As I write this with less than 24 hours left of this incredible, unforgettable year, I have to admit I am a little sad to see it come to an end. What started out as a pretty uncertain and challenging year that made giving up seem very attractive, it proved that even when it seems impossible, sticking to it is much, much more rewarding.

With the help of an amazing team of people, I became the owner of Love Lane Kitchen on August 21st, 2012. Then, exactly 18 days later on September 8th, 2012 I married the love of my life.

This is the year that will forever mark the beginning. This is the year that I will count everything from. Like my parents do from the year they got married (1969), and like my father and grandfather did when they started their own businesses (1980 & 1947).

The amount of gratitude I feel to have had a year like 2012 is overwhelming. It truly is. So, thank you. Thank you to everyone who made 2012 such a milestone year. A momentous, “Thank you, thank you thank you” to my family and friends, my husband, the LLK team and, last but definitely not least, Thank you to our incredible community of customers who inspire us everyday.

This year has been nicknamed “the year of being bold.” While I am sure that there will be more memorable dates and years to come, it’ll be hard to top the feeling of taking that great, big leap for the first time. But the clock is ticking and 2012 will be history come midnight.

Thanks 2012, for showing me what it means to be bold and to live life with love and faith. I will always remember this feeling…no matter how many New Years I celebrate.

Even though 2013 might not be the first big year, I still have big plans, big goals, and some incredible people in my life that help make it all happen. So, cheers to all the firsts that are still to come in 2013!

Happy New Year and may all our years be bold!

Love or Loath

Can someone help me identify the difference between being positive and hopeful, or being naive and in denial. Because I'm forever an eternal optimist by default, but lately I've had this creeping feeling that the reality of it all is the latter.

Or, is this what it feels like to face the hurdles every successful person I know is always singing about. Jumping over them, not giving up, facing challenges. Believing in what you're working towards and pushing through all the doubt and the failures. That's just the thing- maybe some people who have failed miserably should start singing about their experiences. It could be useful information for those of us who feel like they are in limbo. Come to think of it, successful people have had failures, a lot of them actually...

But isn't recognizing failure just as important as recognizing opportunity. I, honestly, think that's even harder to do. Swallow your massive, growing, stubborn pride and call it quits. Back to the drawing board. Thoughts of the Wile E. Coyote come rushing into my head, as he's hit by trucks, blown up by his own experiments, each attempt more ridiculous than the next, going back to the drawing board with hot embers still on his tail. And the chase continued. Might be a good point to add that he never did catch that damn road runner.

So, I'm quiet for a little to listen to my gut- and it tells me to never give up. I realize, however, that giving up is very different than recognizing when it's time to make some changes. Quite the opposite, actually. It's love.