Relish Giving Thanks!

Thanksgiving... what a great time of year! I really believe this is my favorite holiday of them all - as far as the overall feeling it invokes in me. Christmas has more meaning than them all, but Thanksgiving is something special.



Maybe it's the wonderful meals my mother made (still best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had). Maybe it's the long weekend you're guaranteed every year. Maybe it's Fall with the colors in the trees and the air cooling off just enough to make you cozy up in sweaters, but still warm enough to go outside. I'm not sure what it is exactly but every memory of Thanksgiving makes me smile like a child.

This Thanksgiving, I'd like to give some special thanks to my Relish family. We have such a hardworking team that goes above and beyond what I would have ever expected to find. I am so blessed for the talents God has given me, but way beyond that - I am blessed by the people He has surrounded me with. Relish is still a baby company with a big future (lots of plans!) and we have such great minds & creative talents working towards the ultimate vision of the company.

I'd like to give special thanks to my designers.

Lindsay (Speck) Brazier. It was a big year for Lindsay - she got married and got a house. She has a full-time job (as does most of the Relish team at this point) but still cranks out beautiful work. She is a very sweet person and very dear to me as a friend and as an employee.

Paula Kennedy. Another girl with a big year. She got engaged (congrats!) and is moving this week to Ohio. While we will miss seeing her here in Tennessee, she will still continue as a vital part of the team. I consider Paula THE Relish Design NINJA! She whips out awesome designs and they are all so unique and so super cute! I love her stuff! I can't wait to get our 2010 line out so you can see her beautiful work!

Rebecca (Vine) Vajdos. Rebecca is my sweet friend who helped me found Relish. In the beginning, it was just the two of us. Since then, she has moved on to concentrate on her music but is still working on designs for Relish. Thanks for all you've done to help form the vision for Relish!

A SUPER FANTASTIC thanks to our Software Developer - Weston Goodwin.
He's had a big year personally - got married and started his own business. (If you want to get married, join the Relish team!) He has been with us almost since the beginning and he has been a huge part of our vision! He is integral in our long-term success. We have grown together and will continue to grow. Just wait until you see our new software coming out Spring, 2010. It will blow your mind! He is amazing, talented and most importantly to me - an absolute JOY to work with (hard to find in software developers - we know, we tried a couple before him!). Weston, thanks so much for believing in our company and in our vision. Thanks so much for taking us to the next level and for the many, many, many, MANY hours you've spent on our dream. You are the best!!!

The Relish Board! The reason we have a board is because we are a corporation and it's a necessity and also Relish has so many aspects to it as a company that it needs more insight for different areas to make it grow into a great company.

Dustin Resch. Okay, so I'm thanking my husband first. Mostly because he has also been with Relish since the beginning - all the long nights, all the work, all the hair pulling - he has seen it and been a part of it all (even when he'd rather not!) :) His position in the company is our CIO - our IT guy. He handles on the computer technology in our office and IS our IT department for now. He's awesome at what he does and it frees me up to do what I do best - which is work AT the computer, not ON it! Thanks baby for all your technical support and your emotional support in the startup of my dream!

Leeann Cooper. Leeann is one of the many very smart people I am blessed to have in my life. She works full-time in an executive position at Marriott. She knows lots about Marketing and numbers and all that jazz. She is also very organized and can think about the "big picture" which is why she is the chair of our board. She has worked very hard with us almost since day 1 and we appreciate her contributions tremendously. She and her beautiful family also got a new house this year and are expecting their second baby girl in just a few weeks!

Jenn York. Our accountant. Where would we be without Jenn? We would probably not be here - I'll tell you that. There is so much that goes into running a corporation / retail / online store - sigh. Jenn has made it so much easier though and LEGAL! :) She has a Master's degree and is wicked smart. We thank Jenn so much for her MANY hours of work and contributions!

Nickalaus Longo. Our Operations Manager. Nick is also wicked smart. He knows the big picture when it comes to operating a company. He can see logistically things that are often hard for me to understand. He is honest but kind. He has also had a big year, with him & his beautiful wife Mindy having their first baby girl. Nick, thank you so much for your many contributions and for always thinking about the big picture. You are amazing and we couldn't be doing this without you!

David Garcia. David joined our board this year and is an awesome consultant to have on your team. David is a software developer and consultant. He also has great creative / artistic vision (amazing to find both those worlds exisiting in one brain). With his talent, he has brought great ideas for the future of Relish and opened doors on where we can take our company next. Thanks David for an awesome year of inputs!

OUR CLIENTS!
Thanks to all of our clients that have blessed us with the honor of doing business with you this past 18 months. We appreciate you and hope to serve our future clients with even a better experience and better products in the year to come!

Writing all of this out made me have the warm fuzzies I think of when I think of this wonderful holiday. I personally am also very thankful for... my family (back in Illinois);my in-laws in Kentucky (who we will be seeing tomorrow);my awesome furry family - starting with our dog Summer; all of wonderful friends; my awesome church family (Joy Church) and last but not least - my Heavenly Father. I am such a blessed individual and I know it and am very, very thankful for it all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! See you after the holiday! Relish the after Thanksgiving sales, but remember to be safe doing your bargain hunting this weekend! :)