Silver Square

I know we have some crossover on our blog/newsletter list, but we also have a whole group who only reads our blog. So for you, our blog readers, thank you for reading, and happy holidays to you and yours!

My three-year-old son, Kiehl, is growing up very quickly. He’s learning and remembering at a pace I can barely match. It’s enjoyable to watch, exciting to experience and yet it gives me a little lump in the throat all at the same time. This Thanksgiving, he had his first lessons in tradition at school, and is learning how he is helping create those traditions in his own life.

Last week, his school, The Orchard School, held their annual fall feast for the preschoolers. This gathering of families and school friends helped connect each of us together with food and our own family traditions. My strongest family food tradition is making southern pecan pie with my mom, usually for Christmas, but since Orchard doesn’t celebrate exact holidays, I thought the pies were the perfect addition to share. While writing about our tradition of making these pies all day in our kitchen, then delivering the pies around to neighbors, family and friends to share in the holiday spirit, it made me thankful I had this tradition. Lots of memories came flooding back. For example, when you’re making these pies, you have to stir the dark karo mix and sugar for so long your arm hurts. I typically got this job (now that I’m an adult, it’s like thanks Mom!) and then you had to take that hot gooey sauce and mix it in with the eggs. This was tricky and took just the right effort to pull this off. Then there is the memory of my brother coming in to ‘help’ but really just being annoying or taking the pecans to eat. Delivering the pies around and getting to share that hard work with our family friends was just as special. As we did this every year, our circle of family friends EXPECTED this pie to arrive and welcomed me in with graciousness. Many closed the door behind me and took to eating the pie right away. I think the pies even made it in to a sermon at chuch one year!

I have a great family, my husband has a wonderful family, and I’m thankful we all have such fond, warm memories of our childhood. It makes me take extra notice of keeping these traditions alive and well with my two sons, and, possibly even creating new ones along the way.

All of this lead to a very long car ride to Washington, DC, where my parents currently live, to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. This long trip gave me time to think about a few more things I’m thankful for:

• My family is obviously first on the list. They are my north, my south, my east, my west (Auden)
• Grandparents!
• Clay and Angela are next up. I spend a lot of time at work/on work. It’s a blessing to do this with such amazing people
• I’m thankful for my friends. I have a lot of friends, but I only have a handful of those really amazing people I could call at 2 am
• I’m thankful for my education and my lifelong desire to keep learning
• Great competitors keep our industry strong and alive; I’m thankful for the sharp marketing professionals out there doing it well
• I’m thankful for social media. That probably sounds silly, but it helps me keep up with news, learnings, people and events. I couldn’t manage it all without the new wonders of technology

I would love to hear your traditions! Share in our comments or drop me a line on Twitter @silversquare or email us. And of course, Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my friends, Tammi Ramsey, is taking another step toward her goal. This woman is someone I think of often, especially when thinking about my own or talking to someone about their dreams and that whole ‘what do you want out of life’ discussion.

Tammi received a wine making kit about 15 years ago as a Christmas gift. At the time, she didn’t even drink wine! Sometimes friends know best and she jumped in to making wine and turned it in to a bonafied hobby. She won awards with her wine! She met new people through wine! She learned new engineering tricks through wine! She found her passion and turned her life’s mission in to one with wine. She’s the kind of person that’s perfect for making and creating wine because her personality is one that is lively and full bodied, like her wines. She has the gift of making wine and she has the gift of sharing and bringing people together.

Three years ago, (geez, maybe four, time is flying fast) Tammi purchased land in California to begin her dream of owning a winery, making her own wine off her own land, etc. Next she plowed a road to her winery, adding in a well for getting water to her land and upped the value of her investment greatly, and continues to plan and grow. She embodies that Zig Ziggler quote I like to refer to in that she worked on the life she wanted and made/makes sure her daily steps go in the direction of that ultimate goal. She’s simply doing it!

So next is Tammi’s debut as a finalist in the PBS winemakers season II. She’s continuing that ride and going for it! Please join me in watching Tammi’s video and going to vote for her as a finalist. The person who gathers the move views of their video gets to take another step forward in the competition. Please join me in watching and supporting her. It’s two minutes – and I PROMISE you’ll laugh at least once (mine is where she says I like to French kiss, hey…). Enjoy!

Go TJR!