Rand & Jo's Big Adventure...

We couldn't have chosen a more appropriate name for our business.  Little did we know 21 years ago what a crazy adventure this would turn out to be.  Yet life is like that.  We have a plan, we start making choices, and 21 years later, we are still in the community, in a new building, but still making the countries best bread. (Yep, we just won the award again!)

Rand & Jo's Big Adventure came about as we were sitting with the franchise folks and they explained we needed a separate business name to set up our franchise.  Of course, being the practical person I am, I'm thinking "Kneaders and Bakers" or "Bakers of Taylorsville" - Rand laughed and said, "Rand & Jo's Big Adventure" - and the decision was made.

Truly though, to be honest - our Big Adventure began in February of 1988 when we committed to each other to love, laugh, and live passionately for the rest of our lives.  One of the promises Rand made to me at that time was that my life would never be boring!  He has fulfilled that promise without stumbling.  Boring would never be a word I would use to describe any part of our life together.

When we bought the bakery on May 1, 1995, we really didn't have much of a plan.  We just thought it would be a great idea to run a bakery.  Rand is an English Major and I was a licensed Recreational Therapist.  Not a business class between us.  We purchased the Taylorsville Great Harvest from Paul Maurer.  He was the original owner of the Holladay Great Harvest, and he had opened the Taylorsville store in 1992.  

Both Rand and I were working for Paul at his Holladay store when Paul decided to sell his existing stores.  We considered ourselves blessed, and we moved forward with faith.  Rand had been baking for several years before we bought our store, so the actual process of baking bread didn't overwhelm us so much.  It was the financial end that seemed a bit daunting. 

Our biggest challenge was figuring out how to increase sales quickly - for truth be told - we had a debt payment to make, and it was truly a leap of faith to think that we would be able to do it on what the bakery was currently producing in sales. 

When we started this adventure Rand was 34 and I was 28, we were young, willing to risk all we had (especially since we didn't have too much :o), and eager to try our hand at creating our own little corner of the world.  At the time, Tyler was ten, Alesha was two and Jackson wasn't even born yet.  We jumped in and simply started figuring things out through trial and error.  

Lesson 1:  Dare Greatly!  Life is lived a day at a time, and truly, we get to choose if we LIVE it or if we OBSERVE it...  Rand and I decided to jump in with both feet and LIVE it...  We haven't made that choice perfectly through the years, and we each have had seasons of simply hanging on and trying to breathe through the next moment, or day, or week.  However, the lessons remains - We learn the most when we Dare Greatly!  

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for, as Paul Harvey used to say....  "The Rest of the Story"...

It's FALLING around here...

As you drive today, look at our amazing mountains - and pause...  the tapestry is being woven on the mountain sides all around us...  the oranges, golds, and reds...  It's AWESOME!

As you notice the colors, see if you can smell autumn in the air...  It's always amazing to me that fall contains so many sensations...  The smell of cooler nights, leaves turning, earthy warm smells that are very different then spring or summer smells... and I do believe fall smells are my favorite!  Then there is the lighting - as the sun begins to head south - the light just looks different.  The angle of light through the trees, the way the sun hits our beautiful mountains...   There's a different feel in the air...  It's brisker, a bit more invigorating, it causes me to smile really big!

Then there is a sense of coming home.  A desire to pull out my plaid shirts, my sweatshirts and jackets.  I even want to light a fire in the fireplace (I realize today reached 90 degrees - so that would be ridiculous) but the desire is there...

Part of my love affair with fall - is the flavors.  Pumpkin Chocolate chip, Pumpkin Oh's, Pumpkin Spice cake, Pumpkin Pie (okay I'm a bit obsessed with pumpkin), soups simmering, fresh salsa made from the garden tomatoes, peach cobblers, apple everything...  and of course fresh homemade bread...

Truly though- evening runs as the leaves change, morning bike rides up the canyon with the colors flaming around us, drives with family and friends, walks on the parkway with crunching leaves...  I guess I'm just immensely grateful...  for all of it! For this beautiful season....  and the people that walk this journey of life with me...

What are some of your favorite aspects of fall?  In our crazy fast paced lives, it is so very important to take the time to ponder, to remember, and of course to participate in those activities that bring peace and contentment to our lives.

Enjoy!

In search of Authentic Happiness...

Have you ever noticed that themes tend to come into our lives if we open ourselves to them?  It's as if the universe is directing and/or preparing us for the next step...  Okay, I admit that sounds a bit odd, but that happens a lot in my life...

I'm a random library bookie...  I go into my public library knowing there is a book with a message for me, and then I head to the shelves and wander picking up books that catch my eye.  Three out of the last few books I picked up were, "Happier at Home: How I learned to Pay attention, Cram My Day with What I love, Hold More Tightly, Embrace Here, and Remember Now" by Gretchen Rubin, "The Noticer Returns" by Andy Andrews, and know I'm just finishing "Flourish" by Martin Seligmen.

All three books are about increasing your sense of well being.  They present different views, ideas, and exercises to deepen and increase what we often refer to as happiness...  Happiness is not the absence of misery...  That I believe is emptiness...  Happiness is a deeper sense of self, of joy, of peace, of calmness, and more...  I have come to believe that Happiness is within each of us.  It is not a destination.  It is more innate and simply can accompany us on our journey of life if we choose to open the door to our happiness within... (sounds easy - but requires more work that that...  I don't mean to down play the process...)

I strongly believe one of Gretchen's truths, which is, that happiness doesn't always 'feel happy'! - We often do things that are hard, or inconvenient, or a challenge - for they bring happiness in the aftermath.  An example might be cleaning out a cluttered closet or drawer, or having a hard conversation with a family member or co-worker; however, the act of accomplishing or working on these tasks brings an increased sense of well being.

Andy Andrews reminded me over and over that perspective matters!  When life is feeling a tad overwhelming, shift your perspective.  See the gifts, see the teachers who are in your life to help you understand the situation, and be open to the gifts that the difficult situations are bringing to you...

And Martin Seligman has done serious research on Applied Positive Psychology and the difference it makes in our lives if we exercise it.  He has an incredibly scientific approach of breaking down, testing for, and presenting findings of simple activities that we can all do, that will increase our overall sense of well being.

Now - I consider myself a pretty happy person...  My life is full of activity and people that I love and adore.  I LOVE my job, and yet like all folks - my life has some serious ups and downs...  as well as moments of confusion coupled with a sense of feeling a tad lost...   I can't count the number of times when it's late at night and I'm working on a project, and I'll look at my doodles on the side of the page to realize I have written the word "HELP" in the margin of my page...

The universe, I believe, is sending me help - through some very thought provoking books...  If you too might be seeking more happiness - and a greater sense of well being - give any or all of these books a try, or wander into your library and try the same test :o)

You might just be surprised at what you find...  And if you find some good ones - comment on this blog and share with all of us...  for great book recommendations are one of my favorites!

Happy Sunday...

I just finished reading Sue Monk Kidd's latest book entitled "The Invention of Wings"... and it has left me pondering the truth that none of us stand on our own.  This isn't a new notion; however, this time around, it feels incredibly poignant.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have the opportunity to learn, to grow, to speak my mind, to run a business, raise a family, to travel by car, bike, or even plane.  And all these 'opportunities' have come from the incredible, amazing, difficult, dedicated, daring, hard work of so many people before me!

In the novel, Sue Monk Kidd tells a story based on truth - of a group of women who had the courage to stand for what was right, even though it was culturally, legally, and by some considered morally wrong.  It's the story of slavery in Charleston, it is the story of women's rights, and yet it is also the story of us today.

I have found myself asking the questions:  Am I living with gratitude for those who have gone before?  and, What kind of a torch am I passing on to those who come after me?  Am I living my life according to my highest good?  Am I loving more today than I did yesterday?  What am I willing to stand up for even if it means standing alone?

Lots of questions, and honestly some days I like my answers better than other days.  I am grateful for amazing books that make me think, the brave and courageous folks who have walked before me, and I'm grateful for those who are traveling this journey with me now, that continue to lead out, each in their own way - as they strive to be the best person they know how to be, thus leaving a legacy and a path for those who are walking after and along side them...  We truly never walk alone... and for this truth and more...   My gratitude is deep and abiding!

So this is Holland...

I was at a class last week, and the instructors shared a story about the reality that life (and in this story they were specifically speaking of parenting) doesn't always go the way you plan...  The story was written by a Mom when she was asked what parenting was like...

The story has been making me smile all week, so I thought I'd share the general idea of it...

Your whole life you have this plan of traveling to Italy.  You are so excited every day when you wake up, because you know you get to plan this amazing trip.  You start learning the language, until you are pretty fluent...  you study the guide books, and you map out an ideal travel itinerary that will allow you to be sure that you hit all the major sites.

You start experimenting with new "Italian" foods.  You create a passion for the flavors, smells, and textures.  You begin to listen to "Italian" music...  You can recognize the different composers, and your excitement just continues to grow...

You get on the plane, you find yourself talking to all your traveling companions, you are so giddy with excitement you can hardly sit still..  And you land...  and you get off...  and nothing looks like it is supposed to...  You begin to feel a bit panicked, and you finally find someone to ask, and you explain that something must be wrong, this doesn't look, sound, or smell like Italy.

The individual smiles, and simply says - "that's because this is Holland"...  You don't understand, there must have been some mistake!  You try to get back on the plane, and you are told that there is no way to get back on.  You have arrived...  and this is Holland...

You jump on Facebook, twitter, and instagram, and everyone else seems to have made it to Italy...  It feels like everyone except you!

Sometimes life feels like that...  and as this Mother describes it, sometimes it takes a while to realize that Holland has a lot of nice points.  The windmills are beautiful, and the tulips bloom every spring.  The language is definitely not Italian, but you are able to communicate if you take the time to learn it...

There is a point that we must all make a decision...  Of choosing to see the beauty of Holland...  Of releasing the dream if Italy...  Of setting up a home, and making a life here in Holland...

May we all celebrate wherever we have landed...  Holland, France, Ireland, Scotland, Taylorsville, or West Valley...  May we take the time to learn the language, and to find the beauty and celebrate where we are...

Here's to our individual Hollands ;o)

Have a great trip!

Sometimes you're the windshield...

It was a beautiful run this evening down on the Jordan Parkway, but the words to the Mark Knopfler song "The Bug" kept going through my mind...
"Sometimes you're the windshield... Sometimes you're the bug...  "

There was a hatch of something tonight, so if I was fishing - this would be a great thing! But for runners and bikers, well...  it's just buggy!

I passed folks who were choking on bugs, some with masks, some with frustrated hands swatting, and every sweaty person I passed had little black dots stuck on their faces and arms...  I was smiling (for I almost always smile when I'm running) so of course when I looked in the rear view mirror - I had beautiful black bugs in my teeth!

This experience made me reflect on how life is so much like my run this evening...  Sometimes you are just running along - and then out of nowhere - you find yourself in a cloud of bugs! - It's not anything you did, or didn't do, it just is there...  And when you hit one of these bug clouds, I believe we all get to make a choice...  We can get frustrated, we can blame, we can yell and scream, or we can just smile and keep running...  knowing that - this too will pass... - and if it doesn't pass quickly - we can smile at those around us - and hopefully help lighten their loads - by giving them something to smile back at (a buggy grin!)

Here's to a great run! Bugs and all!

Still learning...

I'm a reforming control freak.  There, I said it.  Those who have known me for a long time have accepted this truth, and continue to cheer me on in my efforts to 'stay loose'... and I thank you!

On the eve of this Mothers Day, I find myself reflecting on the lessons I have learned from motherhood, I am celebrating the progress I have made towards releasing the control!  For me, Motherhood allowed me to see my desires to control my universe.  This was as true at home, as it was for me in the bakery.  I have always wanted the best for people, and in the beginning, I just couldn't understand why everyone didn't want my version of what was best for them!

Saturday I was handed a large stack of pictures that dated back from 1995 through probably 1999.  They were pictures of the bakery crew, of my kids in the bakery, of customers, of Rand and I, all doing different things in and around the bakery.  The images made me smile, but they also brought back some hard lessons I've learned.

Controlling others is never the way to freedom, it is never the way to joy, and it is not the shortest route to success.  I didn't understand that then, and because of that - there was a certain amount of sorrow as well as joy as I browsed through those pictures.  I found myself wanting to send messages to some of our past employees to apologize for my micro-managing.  I can truly say that I realize that this journey of life is about learning lessons, and for me, the bakery has been an amazing place to learn those lessons!

Those feelings brought to mind a quote from Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" when he is asked to speak on Joy and Sorrow.  He says, "Joy is your sorrow unmasked." He goes onto explain, "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain."

This has been true in my life, and in my journey at the bakery.  I find such incredible joy in working with the people I work with, with the customers, with my children and my husband.  I love the art of milling and baking products.  I love problem solving, and the chaos.  I enjoy the creation process of food, of gifts, of ideas.  Yet truly - as I reflect on these joys, they fill the well in my soul that has been carved by choices and events that created sorrow in me as well.

It's one of the many ironies of life I think, and I am okay with that...

My goal is not to sorrow over my past lessons and mistakes, rather I choose to see them for what they are...  simply that, lessons of life.  For those incredible people who were involved in my learning process - I thank you!  I beg your forgiveness for the times my lessons caused you pain, and I want you to know that I am grateful for the part you have played in helping me to become the woman I am today.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have walked a portion of this journey with you...

My Joy is overflowing as I have the opportunity to continue to do what I love, with people that I love.  And for all of you that are on this part of my journey with me now, I offer the same truth...  I beg your forgiveness for the lessons I continue to learn through my mistakes, I am so grateful to each of you for the part you play in helping me learn...  and thanks for walking this portion of my journey with me!

In my daily reformation - I am becoming more of who I desire to be, and that is a journey I am loving - with all of it's joys and sorrows!