THANKFUL HEART

The Blessings of Many...

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had a great 2012 and will have an even better 2013. We had a significant year with a lot to be thankful for. After health and love of family, the blessing of our new home rental business tops the list.

We thank God for all things....especially the direction he lead us in this past year. We found the "right" property with homeowners that were kind and easy to work with. Next, we renovated the home with one of the foreman from our construction business, State Contractors, LLC. Mike added a lot of great ideas and was able to capture the vision we had for the project. Smoot and I were able to use our creativity and learned a lot in the process.

We could not have done it without the help of the Round Top community. There are so many people to thank. Frank Hillbolt, Carol Nagel, Danny Reibling, Diane and Robbie Tovey, Beverly Corte, Deb Taylor, Matt Hagar, Lenore Prudhomme, Melissa Newbould, Elisa Henderson, Wayne Rentfro, Donna Parker, John Petty, Winnie Mauch, Vickie and Hank Davis,Susan and Hector, Deb Durgen, Paul Swonke, and countless vendors that we purchased their finds to use during the renovations and to make our furniture and lighting.

We also want to thank the many talented people that we gained inspiration from. One, very important person, was Gail Reike. Her studio suitcase wall that was featured in Where Women Create, touched a cord and provided the vision for our own suitcase wall. Pinterest, magazine tears, and scores of amazingly talented people helped fuel our creativity.

The photo teams were also a critical component. Many thanks to Natalie Dawley of Two Be Wed, Christa Elyce Photography, Jen Marine Makeup/Hair, Thalio Beckham Makeup/Hair, Debbie Porter Photography, Tonya Riner Makeup/Hair, James Waters Stylist. A very special thank you to Jerry Carrow for his help in getting our initial print materials designed and printed. Haylei Lauren is now added to our list as she is currently working with us to revamp our brand and promo materials.

We also received encouragement from so many. John and Robin Brown from Magnolia Pearl, Tara and Rick Steele and Bud Royer from Royers Cafe, Marianne Hambrick from the Chamber of Commerce, Linda Hamilton, Daniel and Mary Lou Marks, Debbie Byers, Rachel Ashwell, Marie Gary, and Kim Thweatt from The Prairie, Holly Moore and Jim Kastelman of PaperCity Magazine, Molly Glentzer from the Houston Chronicle, Jolie Sikes from The Junk Gypsies, Emma Lee Turney, Susan Fox, and most importantly from our friends and family.

I know I will inevitably forget someone on these lists and if I do, I am deeply sorry. We know we would not be where we are after one year without the generous help and support we received from so many. Our main thanks goes to God for the many blessings he continually provides for us. Without him, none of this would matter.