A Change of Pace

As my friends and colleagues in the Event Industry gear up and are getting excited for a busy 2011 Wedding Season, I have taken a spot on the sidelines this year. It is strange to be watching from afar, and there are times when I wish I could just jump back into the whirl and excitement of the upcoming season: answering inquiries, meeting new potential clients, writing proposals, coming up with new, unique design plans for each one. But, this year, I have taken a step away from the business of Floral Designer and Small Business Owner to fulfill another, very important role: The role of Motherhood. 

You see, being a Mom was something I had wanted for a very long time. When my husband and I were married back in late 2003, we wanted to start a family right away. At the same time, Lush was growing and expanding. We purchased our home in Vallejo. Everything was going great, we just knew the babies would come next. Only, they didn’t. And, in 2006, after many disappointments, we were told by a specialist that we had less than a 1% chance of ever having a baby. 

Not to be daunted, we pursued adoption. And in 2007 our beautiful son, Alex was born. At the same time, wouldn’t you know it, Lush was having its busiest year EVER. While I loved every minute of my work, the demands of a rapidly growing business and very busy wedding season kept me away from home. A lot. Since Alex was born at the very beginning of the wedding season, I feel like I totally missed out on those first 9 months or so of his young life. 

But life, and LUSH went on. We watched Alex grow into an adorable toddler. The business grew too. We expanded into our new 1,200 sq. foot studio space in Benicia in 2009. We were featured many times on Style Me Pretty, Wedding Wire, Project Wedding, and InStyle Weddings Blog, to name a few. But even as our notoriety grew, the economy at large was still fumbling along. Business was good, but not what it once was. I assumed and expected that the next year—2010—would be the turn-around, and so we forged ahead.

Then, in August of 2009, right in the midst of wedding season, something amazing happened. I found out, quite unexpectedly, that I was pregnant. 

I couldn’t have been happier! Then, a few weeks later, on my way to a client meeting, I was involved in a horrible head-on collision. My car was totaled. I was flown by helicopter to the nearest hospital with a trauma unit. I had a concussion and couldn’t remember anything. Miraculously, though I was bruised and had a lot of soft tissue damage, no bones were broken. I was in pain, but was alive. And thankfully, my pregnancy was still in tact. But it was a huge scare. 

I knew it was a sign that I needed to slow down. 

And, the following winter, as I prepared for the 2010 season, and my body prepared itself for bringing a child into the world. I made a tough decision: To scale back—way back—on my business. I took on only a fraction of the usual number of events, which meant I had to let my gorgeous studio go. It was really, really hard. But, when little Sofia Katherine was born on April 10, 2010, it couldn’t have been more clear to me, that I had made the right decision.

And so this year, I am sitting this one out. Instead of client meetings, I’m arranging play-dates. Instead of writing proposals, I’m volunteering at my son’s preschool. Instead of making bouquets, I’m changing diapers. And I’m happy. I do so miss my flowers. I miss my shopping trips to the amazing San Francisco Flower Market (though I do NOT miss my alarm going off at 3 a.m.!). But what is more important is what I’m NOT missing: Sofia’s first smile, first time crawling, first words. Her hugs, giggles, snuggles and even cries. And as my son faces the challenges of growing from toddler to big-boy, I am here to help and guide him. 

So, as they saying goes, “I’ll be back!” And I will. I cannot stay away from my flowers forever. Hopefully now my job as stay-at-home-mom will afford me some time to at least blog about flowers! (In between naps and laundry and feedings and trips to the park). So please honor me by staying tuned…and send me your flower and event related questions, which will give me something to blog about!