warm fuzzies

My morning ritual includes coffee in bed while I catch up on emails, Facebook and a little Candy Crush. Most mornings are pretty standard, with some variations when I get a particularly exciting email, or when Facebook clues me in on some juicy tidbit. This morning one Facebook post brought tears of gratitude to my eyes, and it was like deja vu, because it was not that long ago that a similar post did the same thing. 
This morning I found out I was nominated for the Kootenay Business 2019 Influential Women in Business award for my work on the 2018 Juice FM Holiday Jam, which raised over $20,000 for our local hospital. It was only a few weeks ago that I found out I was also nominated for the Kootenay Business Top 40 under 40 Rising Stars of Business. 

When I started this business, I had a few reasons, and one of the ones that keeps me doing what I am doing is that holding events allows me to make people happy. I get to see people at their best, smiling, sharing, laughing, and contributing to that happiness brings me joy and satisfaction. I love being able to play a part in people's happy memories. It is a bonus when those events also help my community. I never expected to be recognized on a broad scale for any of it, but it feels great to know that I have been. 

I love creating events. I love being able to give back to this amazing community that has given me so much, and now I am seeing the possibility that the things I am doing are reaching beyond Creston, and that feels pretty great. But there is no way I could have done anything without the acceptance, encouragement and support of the people around me. From the people closest to me, to those I don't know yet. A party isn't successful without guests, and not one of my events is successful without the people attending, the food trucks, the venues. My mentors and my friends who listen to my ideas, the people in the coffee shops or the grocery store providing feedback. I wish I had a bigger way to say thank you. I wish I had a way to acknowledge every single person who has helped me along the way. Because truly, I could not have done it without other people. 

As May moves forward, and the one year anniversary of AM Event Coordination gets closer, and as I reflect on the past twelve months, I am just so full of gratitude. I am humbled and honoured to be recognized for what I am doing, for what I have done, and I am overwhelmed by the possibilities of the future. One year ago, I could not have imagined I would be nominated for not one, but two awards. I could not have imagined having a team working with me. I could not have imagined the friends I would make. I am beyond grateful. This business, AM Event Coordination, has done more for me than I can express, and without the network of amazing people  out there supporting it and me, I do not know where I would be or what I would be doing. So even though I know I have said it before, I don't think I can ever say it enough. Thank you. I can't wait to see where we go from here. 

https://kootenaybiz.com/40-under-40/2019

​http://kootenaybiz.com/womeninbusiness/2019