I sold the last of Flowers By Joyce today

Well, it is official, Today I sold my floral coolers and all that was left from my flower shop, Flowers By Joyce, of 30 years. As excited as I am to be coming to the end of a very long career, my heart is a little empty. But I think it is Ok to feel that way. How sad it would have been, after so many years if I didn't have any feelings. i will miss my customers and friends.

I was always very dedicated to the business and LOVED every minute of it. What a blessing it was to have been given the talent (not that I didn't study hard in the beginning to learn how to design flower arrangements and wedding flowers) and the desire to do something in life that not only was a service to others but something that made me so HAPPY! I loved my customers and enjoyed working with all the brides who I was privileged to have done their wedding flowers, to decorate for their wedding and then in many cases cater refreshments for.

I always said how lucky I was to really "smell the roses" every day. I have always believed that in life a person should never have to go to "work"! My theory still is that what ever you love in life is what you should seek out to do. If you love children you should be a teacher, If you love caring for people you should be a nurse, If you love the outdoors, wildlife, etc. become a game warden or a hunting guide. If you have a talent for singing or music then entertain If you have leadership skills become the President! I never could figure out why young people go to collage to study something that they hate to do just because it would make them rich.

I never really made a lot of money but always enough for my needs. I started the floral and wedding business at my home in the tiny town of Weston, Idaho and soon the business out grew the small shop we had built there so we decided it was time to move to Preston.

I had some bad luck like when this woman new to Preston City Council didn't like the way the local dentist, who built a new flower shop for me, installed a handicap entrance and caused so much trouble over it that just a few months after our Grand Opening one day a city bulldozer showed up at the park entrance that bordered our brand new flower shop and dozed the handicap entrance out , leaving a drop off from our front door of 52 inches to the level ground. For 3 years we stayed in that building with rail road ties stacked to form steps to our front door. We lost a lot of business over that. Some we never gained back.

Then later, right after the set back in our nation of the 9-11 attacks on the world trade Center happened, OP Skaggs, the local grocery shop, right next to my shop burned to the ground which had a huge effect on the entire downtown area. Following the smoke damage cleanup and the loss of a sale for the business, I put the flower shop to sleep and opened a scrapbooking store. Deep down I had hope in my heart that someone would purchase the equipment I had to continue a flower shop in downtown Preston, but after two years of advertising it, I could see that was not going to happen, so today, October 19, 2007 I sold most of the equipment to a very nice couple who will be opening a flower shop in Arco, Idaho and my second cooler to a sweet gal who already has a shop in Boise, Idaho.

And so.......the cycle starts over and life goes on. One person ends a career and another one begins. And we are all HAPPY!