What's In a Name????

People in my family should know how I came up with the name "Fields in Bloom", but for those of you who don't here is the explanation. I dedicate this post to the woman that started it all, Willie Mae Joy Algood Fields.

Willie Mae was my Great-grandmother, a.k.a "Grandma". She was born September 12, 1901 in Italy, Texas. The county of her birth, Ellis county Texas, was named for her mothers family. She married Jule Fields in 1919 and had nine children (two of which died young): Marvin Fields, Joe Fields, William Fields, Bob Fields, Mary Lou Levan, Dorothy Colson and Laura McDougal (my Nanny).

She began working at the Benton Florist, which was new, in 1954 or 1955 and bought it from the previous owners within a year or two. She owned it until her husband became really sick in the mid to late 60's. She sold it, but continued to manage it for some years. After she finally "retired" IGA asked her to come run a small florist section in the store. She did and worked there until she finally retired when she was 85. She died on February 19, 1997.

The picture above is of me and Grandma Fields in 1993- I was six. Thanks Nanny for the extra information!

I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and I hope that it will work in my favor. After my grandma and Benton Florist, my Nanny owned her own catering business- she makes such great food!!! My great-aunt Dorothy also had a small business in Benton where she sold floral arrangements and other crafty things. From the Henson side of my family, I come from a line of broom makers. My uncle Richard owns "Henson Broom Shop and General Store"- regular brooms don't hold a candle to his handmade brooms. Check out his Web site here:


http://www.hensonbrooms.com/

It's official....

Well, I've done it- Fields in Bloom is officially open for business. For those of you that know me know that I am not a risky person; after deep thought and self-reflection I have decided to take a leap of faith and spend my life doing something with meaning that brings me joy. I was first introduced to floral design during college through my event planning internship with Great Expectations event planning. Deanna and Alicia both gave me great insight to the world of event planning. What I didn't expect was to do flower arranging with Deanna and was even more surprised by how much I enjoyed doing it. I wanted to open a flower shop then, but thought that I needed to get a job with my degree and start the "real world".

Fast forward two years, I have found myself in a position doing something I wasn't hired for and absolutely nothing with my degree. Around Christmas 2010 I began doubting my ability to make correct decisions about my future and began wondering if I would end up always hating going to work and second guessing what my path in life was supposed to be. At the first of the year I thought long and hard about what my strengths are and what I want out of life. I decided that I am just not cut out for the corporate world and need to work for myself. I thought again about my love for flowers and wondered if that is something I could seriously do.

It may seem silly, but to me it was more than a coincidence that I emailed Deanna about advice in January and she was in need of some floral help this year; ever since I have thought that it was meant to be. We got together and she gave me great advice about working from home and starting a business. I began working with her and have enjoyed it so much. At first I thought, "am I going to like working Saturdays all summer?", but I've realized that when you are doing something you love the sacrifices don't seem as big and are totally worth it. She gave me the confidence and experience I needed and I can't wait to work with her again this fall!

FYI...if you are in the Lexington area and need a great Event planner check out Great Expectations- they do a great job.

http://www.greatexpectationsky.com/


July 8, 2011- I went for it! I registered my business. The biggest issue was getting a permit from the city to have a business out of my home, but I am getting through that process and since I am not actually having a line of customers at my house- it shouldn't be an issue. Every now and again, I get a little fearful of failing, but sometimes in life- risk of failure is a small price to pay to be happy.