great things are a-comin'

Wow... what a year! 2009 has been a year of great strides, big changes, awesome opportunities, huge lessons learned and NOT ENOUGH blogging!! There are so many great photos waiting to be shared from weddings this summer and fall and the slow winter season will be a great opportunity for me to catch you all up on what we've been so busy doing. :)

As I begin to evaluate the year personally and professionally I'm deeply humbled by the amount of trust and support that's been given to me. Brace yourselves, I'm going sappy on you...

My family really embraced this crazy ride of running a small business along with me and everyone has begun to really own in their hearts this new family member we've found in Inspired Floral Design. My kids continue to remind of the joy found in "playing with flowers". My husband has even learned how to wire orchids at lightening speed. He encourages me when the hours are long and tiresome. He empowers me to keep dreaming and continuously reminds me why I started this journey in the first place.

The Inspired Floral Design family grew by 2 special people this year also. I wouldn't be able to do what I do without a team of equally devoted designers. Anne and Rachel were both answered prayers to me this year. We're family, and there's nothing "work" about it when the three of us are together. We challenge and support each other professionally and personally to be the very best versions of ourselves possible. There's something so awesome about working with a group of friends where we can crank out the work at hand while talking about everything from home decor ideas, swapping recipes, sharing stories about the wacky job of being a wife/mother/daughter/sister/friend, discussing our dreams for the future, even those things that scare the pants off us. You both are my family now and wherever the road takes each of us, it's been an awesome ride!

We are very fortunate to have an abundance of talent in the Cincinnati area. I'm so happy that 2009 brought opportunities to claim many of these brilliant men and women, artists and business owners as friends, not just associates in the same industry. The list of wickedly talented photographers, videographers, bakers, coordinators, stylists, and especially other floral designers that I look to for inspiration is long.

Of course, this year would be nothing without all the amazing couples I've been fortunate enough to work with. You are the backbone to all of this and I'm always so humbled when a couple entrusts me with the florals for their wedding. You challenge me to stay creative and fresh. You remind me of the love and joy that went into planning my own wedding and the infiite possibilities that come with being in love. It's what reminds me to do everything I do with love and to the very best of my abilities.

So... hang on until January. I'm hanging out with my family for a few weeks, but big things are coming and I will keep everyone posted :)

And, since blog posts are boring without pictures... a sneek peek at one of the photos of our work from the winter edition of Cincinnati Wedding Magazine that hits newstands today.