Kait and I decided to write our own blog posts about this year, independently, which is something we don’t do much of….. We do this business together, but thought it would be good to give our thoughts separately and indulge our individual selves in this roundup and celebration of the first year of the Greenhouse on Porter! Read Kait’s post here. 

While thinking of what to write to sum up this last year, so many things are coming to me that I could say, there has been so much good, I am also reminded of how I have failed in this year.  I have been a bad friend and a bad family member.  Frightfully, I have punked out of so many invites, not called, forgotten to send birthday presents, and just not really been there for anyone but this business. I must admit that I have neglected to write one single thank you note all year, and so this post will be the end of that.  Here is my first thank you note of the new year!

Thank you to Kait for being the best business partner ever.

I have always dreamed of starting a business where I could bring people together, serve yummy treats, and connect dots of culture and spirit.  I always envisioned it would be something I did on my own.  I could never imagine someone would put up with my ideas and the way I am always all over the place.

My friend Michael introduced me to Kait a year and a half ago by saying we should open a biscuit shop together!  I immediately dismissed this. She did too. Only a few weeks later, Kait and I were on our way to visit Lee’s grocery store in Biloxi.  We passed the old greenhouse on Porter Avenue and there was a new sign on it; it was for rent!  We began brainstorming. You know they type when you imagine winning the $1.5billion powerball lottery? That was what was happening in the car ride over, in between discussions of wonders found in this grocery store of magical asian treasures, and throughout our drive back.  Fast, without boundaries, and broad. I was taken aback.  Was this new friend of mine matching my love for dreaming?  

We stopped the car at the greenhouse, and snooped around. The discussion continued, and we wanted to see inside.  We decided to call the number on the sign and set up a time to see the place.  All of the sudden, mixed into the fountain of ideas, questions started coming out… questions about feasibility.  If we were going to look inside, was this becoming real? It couldn't be.  There had to be big obstacles…. we still didn’t have a plan, we didn’t know what this pile of dreams was becoming, but we knew it had to be impossible.  But we had to look inside.  

The owner of the property met us there, we looked inside, and instead of seeing the end of the road, more ideas popped up.  I had no clue what was happening, but I loved it!  It felt perfect!  Over the next week or so, Kait and I kept talking. We were all over the place, but a few things were sifting out of our mountain of thoughts.  Coffee! Biscuits! Friends! Events! Jam! Beer! Art!

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!?!?!   This was running through my mind in between all of the other ideas!  

Then, reality began to hit. Who was going to let us do this? Certainly not the Health Department, or the City, or our families or our friends!  Something was gonna stop us.  But we just couldn’t!  We kept going.  We kept asking questions.  We kept planning.  THIS IS CRAZY!  Why would we keep going when we knew nothing was going to happen?  But it was the $1.5 Billion powerball!  It was a dream, and we couldn't stop.  And after talking with the Health Department, the City, our friends, our families, we realized no one was going to stop us, EXCEPT OURSELVES.  Then we got scared!  Both of us!  It was our decision.  And after a week of fear, and a pause in our ideas, we just decided to do it!  

And that is when it ALL STARTED HAPPENING!  We rented the space, enlisted our friends, made a ton of mistakes, got a ton right, fixed our mistakes, and somehow opened the doors on January 27, 2015 at 11:06ish. And it is still happening!  We are still enlisting our friends, making mistakes, getting stuff right, fixing mistakes...AND WE ARE STILL DREAMING! And it is so freaking magical!

All of this to say, that there is no way that I could have done even half of this myself. I look back on this last year and a half or so, and I just know!  I know myself!   This would have never happened if it were not for Kait.  THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!  Our partnership is not a simple addition of Kait+Jessie=2; It is exponential.  We have so much dang power together!

Thank you Kait for going to Lee’s with me, and following the path that came out of it.  I am so ever thankful for you, and for all that you have given to me and to our dream!  

Resolutions:  

I don't make new year's resolutions.  I make birthday resolutions.  Since this is the business’s birthday, I will make a resolution for this occasion too.

This year, I cannot promise to be more present in the lives of the people I love.  With all of the new things coming at our business, it only promises to be just as crazy and demanding.  But I am going to promise this: this year, I RESOLVE TO SEND THANK YOU NOTES!