Week 8 actually ended with a Doomsday (February 19th) tradition of something going horribly wrong.  February 19th, 2019, Isabelle, after a visit home from college, ended up in the hospital with bacterial meningitis.  February 19th, 2020, our house experienced a catastrophic flood from our primary bathroom that put us out of our house just before the pandemic for 9 months. 

This week was interesting.  Business always fluctuates, and I think that what I do know is that it's unpredictable.  I think David and I have run on adaptability since the beginning of our marriage with 4 kids.  We understand that things change, and we gotta roll with it.  I will say, he is better at it than I.  I can definitely wiggle through chaos better, but he is very good about woozah-ing the tough shit and pushing forward.  I dwell…a little.  Okay, maybe a lot.

I planned our Ohio trip, not thinking about two things - the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.  I ended up doing it again, we traveled on Super Bowl Sunday (Seahawks won - that’s about all I know), and I did watch Bad Bunny’s performance, which was incredible on TikTok. 

Did anyone notice that February is a perfect 4 weeks?  Starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday - makes my brain happy!  I have no real reason other than it’s a high-straighten serotonin lift. 

My favorite once-a-month job is being an Aunt.  My sister had a baby at the end of 2024, and being an Aunt is the best.  I love spoiling her, squeezing her, and sharing the experience with my kids.  We ALL adore Baby Z and love when we get time with her. 

This week, Isabelle started her fellowship at the Washington Post. She was onboarding and figuring out the best route to work.  She lives and goes to school at the University of Maryland as part of their Ph.D. program.  She is a political and government research assistant; she applied for the fellowship and competed with other classmates.  Okay, we are incredibly proud if you couldn’t tell. 

The next kid was heading off…Devin was getting ready to head home for his spring semester.  He and Maleah just moved into an apartment just before Thanksgiving with their college buddy.  Devin and his college buddy were living in a house with 5 other boys.  Gross. They decided to move out into an apartment near campus. 

The new year always feels like a time I should revisit my own goals. Something about starting anew and focusing on the learning that happened the previous year makes for a brilliant plan coming into the new year.  Right?!

Week 52 is always the most chaotic week for me the whole year with retail. I wanna laugh and cry nearly the whole week. I think most of the time I want to cry. It’s stressful. Getting all the things done and getting more of all the things done both personally and professionally. I don’t compromise on either end so I end up wigged out.

My favorite part about working with David (sorta) or at least sharing biz responsibility with David is when worlds collide. He does a project for one of my clients. We get to hang out and clients get to know him, too. I love seeing him at work... He did a custom drawer for the retail shelf at Hey Bagel. It turned out well and achieves the goal of us hiding the folded or rifled through shifts that hang at the bottom of the shelf.

I didn’t want to limit our business to always be one set price or package for a small business. The vision was always to support small businesses. However I could; no matter where they are in their journey. If that means they need to chat it out for 2 hours once a month, or help with their financials... whatever it is I want to be there.

If reincarnation is a thing, I’d like to come back as a dog. I’m often not sure what Obi-Wan is thinking but I don’t see how he has many responsibilities and lives a pretty great life. I’d love to lounge on furniture, nap, and bark at random shit outside.

Madi’s move week - she found we had a group chat without her.  Hannah, Devin, Maleah and I had a special group chat where they/we complained about Madi not hanging out with us before her moving away.  She was on my phone and found the chat.  Then snapped this unflattering photo to alert the group chat. 

This was a week that began with a lot of momentum.  Our baby.  Our youngest.  Our buddy was prepping for her big move to college.  She worked her last shifts at Caffe Ladro and Hello Robin where she spent almost all summer working two jobs to save money (and spend money) doing what she loves, making coffee and eating/slanging cookies. 3 out of our 4 kids have worked as baristas and have been able to work at Caffe Ladro during their breaks to earn some money. 

I started the week at one of my favorite Caffe Ladro shops in Lower QA.  I have been working at Caffe Ladro managing their operations since 2013.  I started managing their retail stores and bakery then in 2022 supported their roasting/warehouse operations.  

The week kicked off with a road trip for our G6 Retail Renovation Retreat.  We do this twice a year to regroup and align our business path.  We arrived on Sunday and settled in and hung out.  I remained focused on work through the tiny box in my hand.

Entrepreneur Sheree Gibson of G6 Retail Renovation shares a week of balancing family, marriage, and business. From visiting her husband’s remodel project with custom features, to celebrating their anniversary with a Vancouver getaway and exploring the Richmond Night Market, Sheree reflects on life, love, and finding refreshment before diving back into work.

Alrighty, lets roll right into the week - I am realizing we are more than half way through the year.  This time of year all of my memories pop up of my children leaving for college…

Let's start shall we!