I’m slowly making my way back to the land of the living after spending the last week in a flower shop black hole. I’m a little worse for the wear this afternoon. The adrenaline is gone; the lack of sleep, hydration and decent nutrition is catching up with me — it turns out you can’t sustain on donuts and Starbucks alone past age 25, which is a real letdown– and I haven’t had a proper break to recharge.

But — it was such a great week.

One of the biggest challenges of small business ownership (besides the near impossibility of following through with vacation plans) is finding a team of people who get your vision and share your passion for what you do. Our small staff is incredible and dedicated, and together we powered through over 300 orders last week like it weren’t no thang.

They showed up early every morning and I had to literally kick them out every night; they never complained and even forgot they were supposed to get paid when I passed out their checks Friday afternoon, several hours later than usual because I missed the day-of-the-week memo. They love our business as much as I do, and I love them for it.

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation or deep-muscle exhaustion that’s making me extra emotional, but I can’t stop thinking about how lucky we are; I even get a little choked up when I realize, hey, we’re totally doing this. Despite my irrational worries that I’ll wake up tomorrow and the florist industry will cease to exist, people keep calling, and coming in, and sharing a small part in our story. They like us, they really like us!

My cousin called from St. Louis a few weeks ago, and in our long-overdue convo about life and work and sports and such (just kidding, he knows better than to bring up sports) he asked if I wanted to stay in this business for the long haul. To which I honestly and emphatically replied, “You know, I really, really do! But maybe ask me again after Mother’s Day.”

Well… even now, headachy and overtired and in the throes of an epic holiday hangover, I can’t imagine any place I’d rather be.