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| The irony of the beer special this week... |
I finished the 3rd week subbing for a maternity leave at Headstart. So, if all goes to plan- I am halfway done. I have mentioned before the joy that comes from working in a position outside of the restaurant, even if it is only 12-15 hours a week. It broadens my scoop of life & keeps things in perspective. We got 2 new kids in the classroom this week and while it was fun to meet a new family, the current children in the class have a hard time adjusting. I am learning that consistency & familiarity is very important to a child of toddler age so to throw multiple changes at them in one week is a little difficult. A few tantrums & unfortunate disciplinary actions later... I think we will be better adjusted next week! I love the patience I am learning from this position. And although I am not sure that I love "teaching" 1 & 2 year olds, I am learning what it means to be purposeful in my interactions with them. I am humbled by the realization of what little sponges they are! My favorite quote from the week is from a little 1 1/2 year old girl who speaks little English but whenever she gets overwhelmed or tired or thinks something is silly, she says, "Ay, ay, ay." I know it's way cuter in person than in print but certainly you can imagine her parents at home always looking at her and saying, "ay, ay, ay" and shaking their head. : )
We had a ground breaking week in the restaurant world. After over a year of persistence, proposals, & research, Caleb went before the town council for the 3rd time to request an enabling ordinance to serve liquor in the Town of Winona. What happens in a small town of less than 5,000 people (Winona Lake has 4,902) is that you have to propose your request to the town council & then they choose to set in it motion and vote whether or not to pass it. Gotta love the small town politics! We had teamed up with another reputable restaurant in the Village to spear head this proposal together. According to the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Co there are only two 3 way liquor licenses available for the town. We figured if we approached the council as a unified front and as responsible businesses in the area, we would have a good shot at securing the 2 licenses. Well I could drag this story on forever in terms of all the politics that were involved throughout the process... But let's just say it probably would have been easier to get 98 people to move to Winona! HOWEVER, on Tuesday evening, after an extremely up and down debate in the Winona Lake Town Hall (and some resistance from an observing community member)... it passed! We took the ordinance home with us that night after a unanimous vote from the council. Wow, for the first time EVER in the history of the town.... the ability to serve liquor is possible. And that is what I am still processing... We are really messing with the historical traditions of this town?!!! It made it the local newspaper the next day: Times Union.
Wednesday we received a rather large delivery....
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| 15 kegs of beer!!! |
Garden time is upon us! Every waking moment of every "free" second this week was spent organizing, training, stocking, & planning for the Garden to open on Saturday for the Fat & Skinny Tire Bike Festival. The tent was set up right outside the restaurant this year along the canal. Hundreds of people come to the Village for this weekend to race which equals hundreds of people around the Village on Saturday that are hungry & thirsty. We were prepared!
Friday, full color flyers went out to thousands of people through the Times Union announcing the official Grand Opening of the Garden Monday, May 16th. Crew Club begins & the mugs are ready!
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| 38 members in our inaugural year! |
And then, as if we didn't have enough press already this week... on Saturday, the Times Union released another article announcing our expansion to Indianapolis next summer....with Caleb & I smack dab on the front page... Whew! I'm a girl, from a small town, with a cute husband & a dog. Whose life am I living??
A few other side items in the Cerulean Life are:
- We purchased a smoker....we can now smoke stuff : )
- Select staff are attempting to brew our own beer & make our own cider
- A manager of 5 years put in his resignation
- Phone conferences with lawyers so that the lease for the Indy project will be finalized May 22
- Hops planted all around the Garden
- Angry neighbors protesting our events in the Garden (lucky for us, the police are on our side)
- Successful visit from excise (no fines this time!)
So as I sit here Sunday morning, I cannot begin to explain the thoughts that are in my head. I am SO thankful for the staff at our restaurant. None of this would be possible without the amazing people who work so hard, day in and day out. I am so humbled even writing this post... We work SO HARD every day & every night sometimes I wonder who long we can keep up this pace.... but, right now, I love the progression. I love the smile on people's faces. I love the fun. I love the exhaustion. I love that God has given us the tools to somehow pull all of this off??! Because I don't know where the strength comes from sometimes... My heart is full & thankful.
.....soooooo, cheers to yet ANOTHER unforgettable week in the restaurant life.... at least we are a few kegs lighter going into the next one!
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