22 Comments

Wonderful. Beautiful. I love it.

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Oh man.... I'm crying. Again. Oh the gracious goodness of God... how I wish we were planning a road trip your way--soon! soon!

(and you and Shawn Smucker should compare notes--his 'maybe we should buy a bookstore' post got me thinking :-)

Take care, friend.

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Come on down, Jody!

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Tresta, this is a stunningly beautiful story. Thank you for sharing what y’all are building.

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Thank you Lisa. Writing this has been a great Ebenezer for me, for when the going gets tough.

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Life’s been too busy for me to keep up with Substack but I have made time to read your posts ☺️ thank you for sharing your story. It has been very encouraging.

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I feel the same, Shula--there is so much good to keep up with on Substack! And so I am deeply honored you've kept up here. I'm thankful for your time, and glad to hear the story is encouraging to you ; )

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Truly, you have created a membership.

Also, "don’t call it a happy place, because it’s where I can be sad, too." Amen.

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Happy-sad is a thing, isn't it?

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I loved hearing this! What a gift you you’ve given to your community. What sacrifice and tangible love. We have a mutual dear labor and delivery nurse friend ❤️❤️❤️ Next time I’m home visiting my dad I’m coming to see you at The Chalet Deli!

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K that made me cry, too. Thanks, Sheila, I'd love to see you there, and we can invite Kirsten : )

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Yes!! ❤️🤗

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Okay, Sheila--if you're driving to Camas Valley to see Tresta maybe I will too!!

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Tresta, we're about to dive headlong into yet another new thing (more coming soon), and I am so glad to read your stories. I have camera roll catalogues too. The times I don't remember except for by the odd screenshots and photos that I took to send to my husband. It's good to read someone else's story of survival. The small business life is brutal, but also beautiful. And yea, every time I think about what I pay for something now, I'm envisioning all the overhead behind it. You just don't know what you don't know, until you do.

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Exciting!! I look forward to hearing more, Annelise, and my prayers are with you ; ) "Yet another new thing" sounds exhausting but I know how these things go...it's usually in hindsight that you realize how tired you really were. May you have fuel for all your crazy dreams!

If you need to complain, my DMs are open ; )

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Loved this. This almost reads like the chronicles of the newborn experience. Apparently opening a small business and having a new baby have many exhausting similarities. :’)

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Oh boy, they sure do! And I love babies but I also remember how nice it is when everyone can buckle, wipe, and feed themselves ; )

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That ending, Tresta. My goodness. This whole story. Wow.

I want one of your Chalet stickers to put on my water bottle.

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Thanks, Callie. I'm working on waterproof stickers ; ) I'll send you one when it happens.

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oh my goodness this is so beautiful and exhausting, motivating and eye-glazing. my hat's off to you and those who've come around you. i only wish that i didn't live on the east coast because i'd be in for some cinnamon rolls ...

bless you all.

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Thanks Linda ; )

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Finally got to read this, and I'm so grateful for it. The part that really struck me was you making coffee for your friend on the first morning - I don't know if this was the headspace of it for you, but it made me think about undertaking something so huge from the simple, straightforward, loving posture of making a single cup of coffee for a friend. What a way to start!

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