So much has happened since the birth of our daughter, with our business and our personal lives!  I feel bad having not updated this earlier, but finding a few quiet moments in tough, and finding a quiet moment where I can actually think and form words that make sense is even tougher!  Here are a few tidbits in order to try to give you a quick update...

July:  As you know, our little girl was born a few weeks early.  I had a life-threatening case of HELLP Syndrome and had to be induced.  I don't want to turn this into a scary pregnancy post, but I want to bring attention to HELLP.  If you know anyone who is pregnant, have them seek the attention of a medical professional to discuss HELLP, just to educate themselves.  From what I understand, HELLP Syndrome is rare and occurs in less than 10% of all pregnancies.  I really don't mean to alarm anyone, but if I wasn't being treated by the best of the best at the Center for Childbirth at Atlanticare Regional Medical Center and my OB, I don't know if I would have survived.  I owe them my life and my daughter's (thank you NICU!) and will be eternally grateful to everyone there.  I had a wonderful hospital stay and received top-notch care.  Atlanticare is amazing care. 

In July, we began our regular Alternative Soul Open Mic Night on Thursdays.  Fridays brought Paul and Eric with great sing a long music! On Saturdays we introduced EHT Jamz, an open mic formatted night with young, very talented performers. Sundays, we featured, Jacob, a One Man Band who plays live jazz music from 1-3pm.  Mondays & Tuesdays included bible study groups meeting at our place. 

August:  We started to settle into life as a family and thanks to my wonderful employees and friends, our coffee house kept going without a hitch!  Everyone really pitched in and did a great job.  We are very thankful to have surrounded ourselves with the people we have in our lives.  Our coffee house business dipped a bit in August, mainly to due to some great beach weather but our regulars kept us afloat!  We also continued with our regular nightly events. Our Tea Room also hosted a number of events:  Bridal & Baby Showers, Girl's Tea Time and several meetings.

September:  Personally, September brought a scary turn of events.  Our girl Mary, wound up back in the hospital with Anemia.  She was so sick she required a blood transfusion.  After a few days in the hospital she was able to return home.  Once again, Atlanticare came through for us.  Our coffee house business picked up with the Back to School rush.  We added Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Hot Apple Cider to our menu.  Our nightly events continue to grow.  

October:  For Breast Cancer Awareness month, our whipped cream turned pink!  It was a fun and unique way to bring attention to breast cancer and how it has affected so many families.  Halloween brought a fun event to our place!  We handed out candy to trick-or-treaters and free coffee to the adults with them. 

November:  The Kiwanis Club of Pleasantville hosted their Psychic Fair fundraiser on a Saturday afternoon.  We offer the use of our coffee house for this event.  Kiwanis is a wonderful organization.  We love Kiwanis because of all of the wonderful ways it improves the lives of our children.  The money the Kiwanis raised from this event was donated to the Children's Hospital. 

November also brought some personnel changes.  Our beloved Luke's tenure here came to an end when he made the decision to return home to Ohio.  He came into our business at a very difficult time (I was nearing the end of my pregnancy and had a FT employee up and quit).  You just never know when someone comes in asking for directions what it can turn into!  He really helped us out, and always had a sunny outlook and did his work with a great sense of humor.  He always took the time to talk to everyone who came through the door, making them feel important, no matter how busy he was.  I know our Thursday Open Mic crowd misses him--since they're stuck with me!  I have been fortunate enough to keep in touch with him.

On a more positive note, Jessica aka "Jess with 2 s's" came back to us.  She had taken a leave of abscence for the Summer to work a little closer to home.  Not only is Jess one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, she makes a mean Mocha!  Jess is a very talented artist, who will be showcasing some of her work in our coffee house soon.

We closed on Thanksgiving so our employees (and us!) could spend time with their families and then opened bright and early Black Friday morning to eager Early Bird Shoppers.

December:  We hosted a couple of different collections for toys, clothes, and non-perishable food.  December always reminds me of how blessed I truly am.  Anyone who starts a new business understands what the first year is like.  And while I may not have the money to do the things I want, but we are so fortunate in many, many other ways.