PULLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS...

Remember when you were a teenager and you looked at grown-ups? They have it all... you thought to yourself. They earn money, they can stay up as late as they want, they don’t have to go to school and do homework that just doesn’t relate to real life...

I can see that in my children’s eyes already at time - that longing for the perceived freedom of adulthood. If I can share anything with them, I hope it is that EACH age carries its own joys, tribulations and challenges. Since we only dance through time one way, it makes sense to savour as much of each stage as possible instead of waiting for it to be over.

Easier said than done!! As I get ready for the show next week in Nashville, I feel pulled in a million directions at once. I am still wrapping up a design to print and package this weekend so that it can go in my suitcase with me, but most of the designs are already en route to the show to save on weight. Bethany’s cast is off, but they have recommended a wrist guard for gym class and outdoor play, so we borrowed one that a friend’s children wear for rollerblading. That type of equipment isn’t popular in sports stores right now because it is still too wintery to think of bare pavement and roller blades!

Nick is on pins and needles because the next three work days hold 3 separate interviews for 3 different Principalships that come up for the next school year. He is ready for the challenge of his own school and the experience at a larger school these past 2 years has been a great opportunity, even if it hasn’t been without stresses and challenges for both him and our family. It is hard to share a single vehicle when he works over 40 km away!

Time just seems to scurry by like my hamsters on their wheels. I keep wondering each night where the day went, but at least that’s better than getting bored!

So much speculation about how the show is going to go, how the industry is faring, why more people aren’t stitching, how to reach the next generation... I can’t get caught up in that or I might never have the courage to get on the plane. All we can do each day is work at producing the best designs possible, the best quality product and putting some fun into what we do. I am sure that by the time I get on the plane, I will have stopped worrying about what still needs to be done and just look forward to seeing fellow designers and the shop owners who have become friends over the last dozen years.