Dear readers, it’s been awhile since my last blog—in fact this year I haven’t blogged and shared delicious recipes and stories with you nearly as much as I intended. The fact is that this year has been a pivotal year, not only in my work life but also personally. So, I thought I’d take a moment to share…
In my 13th year as a Product Manager at Steelite International, an ever-growing company leader in the hospitality business, the number of custom projects, line development, sales and rep training, as well as travel have kept me just a little bit busy to say the least! I am blessed to have a career in the hospitality business that spans the globe—and for the most part, I love every bit of it, especially the people I get to meet all over the world. If there is one thing we all have in common from every corner of the planet, we all have to eat and that brings us together, no matter what language you speak! I promise to share more of my globe-trotting adventures with you, to give you a little incite to the world through my eyes (and palate).
On the personal side of things, I’ve witnessed all of my twenty-somethings go through challenges themselves this year. As a mother who raised incredibly independent children, it’s mostly been a joy watching each of them grow into their own careers, relationships and family. And, during the more trying times, I’ve seen this momma’s prayers answered in the most beautiful ways. God did not make me a worrier for my kids—he made me a prayerful warrior, and that makes all the difference!
For myself, I have the most incredible husband, partner and best friend a girl could wish for! Fred and I have been married nearly 23 years and our bond continues to grown stronger everyday. I could not have the life and career I have without the love, patience and respect he has for me—God knew exactly what He was doing, when he brought us together (but that’s another story for another time!).
And, then perhaps the biggest change of my life this year was reuniting with my birth mother! Over a year ago, I set out on a journey of discovering who my birth mother was, and ended up getting my original birth records in January, eventually making contact in late March and finally reuniting with her in person on April 13th. To say the least, my life has never been the same since meeting, Momma Jane! I never truly understood the deep down soul connection as a daughter to her mother, until we met—it was like someone turned on the switch and the empty piece of my heart was lit up! The last several months of discovering who each of us are as mother and daughter have been a journey, in of itself, and I promise to share more of our tale as our story unfolds.
And that dear reader gets you a little inside scoop to my life—what a wonderful life it is! Even as busy as I am, I still feel very strongly about the reason I started blogging in the first place! It’s about connecting to people—to you, through delicious food and through great life stories—both of which include love….because truly, Love Is a Real Ingredient…
