What I am Thankful For...

Wow, can you believe that it is already November? Let alone THANKSGIVING?! Even though this year was LITERALLY a shit show, there is so much that I am thankful for!  

The first thing that I want to show gratitude for is YOU!!! Without you, there would be no Rusty Creek Designs. Because of you, I am able to live out a dream that I didn’t even know I had until almost 2 years ago. YOU have helped me take a VERY expensive hobby into something I can spread my handmade pieces to you. Since the beginning, my goal has been to make anyone who wears my jewelry to feel BOLD and BEAUTIFUL. I truly love every aspect of running this business and am so thankful for your support! Your support isn’t just purchasing something. Its opening up my emails, liking and sharing my posts, and just the good vibes you send my way.

I am so thankful for my family and the support I get from them. Even though my family is three hours away, I still love getting those video calls from my nephew, just to show me his new rock collection (as you know, I am OBSESSED with rocks!!). I enjoy my chats with my parents and grandparents – and love even more when I get to go home and spend time with them. Usually, when the whole family gets together, like on Thanksgiving, we laugh so hard that I get tears in

 my eyes. I stay at my sister’s house, so I am able to spend   more time with them, but mostly, my nephew. When he was   little, I missed out on sooo much, and it took him awhile not to   be shy with me. He always acted like Cody and I were   strangers, which broke my heart. However, now, he gets so   excited that he will literally sit at the window waiting for us to   show up or have so much planned for us to do!!! My in-laws – Mandy and Robert- are also pretty awesome as well! They have always supported us, been there for us at anytime of day, whether it is when our hot water heater went out late on a Sunday evening, or just to head over to their house to catch up and eat a yummy meal. I firmly believe that without either side of the family, Cody and I wouldn’t be where we are today. Let’s be honest, they are all pretty bad ass.

Our best friends, Josh and Jenna, are a huge part of our life- and I am so thankful for all that they do for us. We have only known each other for about 7 years now, but they quickly grew into our family. We have been through so much together – the ups and downs of life, each of us getting married, new jobs and careers, and allowing us to be an Aunt and Uncle to their two beautiful little girls. In fact, we bought a house that was 2 blocks from their house and absolutely LOVED it!! However, when they started a family,   they needed something bigger, so they moved   just a hop, skip and a jump away in a nearby   town. Not only did we gain these two friends, but   their family has accepted us into their family as   well. It is like we have a whole additional family   that we get to be apart of!   

While this year has been not been what I thought was going to be, there is still so much I am blessed for. When my boss called to tell me that I was one of the ones that was unfortunately furloughed, I bawled my eyes out. Probably for two days. Then, Cody’s company closed their doors just a month later. We were both out of a job, and damn it was hard. Not only stressing financial wise, but being quarantined 24/7 with each other definitely was a new type of stress on us. However, luckily, my grandpa gave us an old Ford that needed fixing up, so that kept him busy, and I worked non-stop on my business. I was SO blessed when my boss called and told me I got to go back to work in July. I was the only one called back, and I was torn on how to feel. I was excited that I got to go back to a job I loved, but I also felt bad that the other co-worker who were laid off did not have the opportunity. Cody eventually found a job that he absolutely LOVES. He was miserable at his other job, so while the situation absolutely sucked, it was meant to be in the end.

And lastly, but certainly not least, I am grateful for Cody, and of course, our fur-baby Piper. While we don’t exactly have our own kids yet, Piper fills that void for us. No matter how mad we get at her for eating all of our Crumbl cookies, she

still is always so happy to see us, wants to snuggle and follows me everywhere. I don’t know the last time I took a shower alone! 😊 Cody has been the foundation of this family. While I run the roost, he is always working hard to ensure that we have everything we need. For instance, for 3 months before COVD hit, he was working 2 jobs, so he was working 7 days a week – sometimes 12+ hours a day. We have our moments where we have to walk away, but in the end, he is my everything. I don’t know how he puts up with my crazy ass, but he does. I don’t think many people would for as long as he has, but I am thankful he does.

All in all, I have so much to be thankful for, no matter how hard times are. I am praying that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and we can start 2021 with a fresh slate and rock the entire year.