H: Alrighty tea tribe it’s that time of the week, where we tell y’all what we’ve been up to. Dria had a very exciting week, where she went to visit a dreamy farm. If we haven’t said it a hundred times she’s doing her internship for her masters program and visiting and working on a farm is one of the perks of being a dietetic intern. I’m excited cause I get to tag along this week. So, I’ll be blabbing a lot next week. I’m curious about their set up, they have a store and it’s our desire to someday in the future have one.
Loads of stuff happened this week. My sister who’s a CPA came to visit with her husband and kids, so I was super busy. I’m always busy, but it was a different kind of busy. We got to pick her brain about owning a company and some of the responsibilities that comes with it.
One of the things I’m learning fast is that there’s a difference between a hobby and a business. We met a lady a few weeks ago who said that, and it has just stuck with me since then. Wanna know the difference?...... Uncle Sam always makes the difference.
It does set one up to receive benefits as well. Most people who don’t want to deal with paying taxes can’t grow and they also can’t receive the kind of aid that people who own businesses do. If you pay taxes, the government recognizes you. We are still learning and trying to figure out how to structure the organization of our partnership. We do know that we want to grow and our desire is to have it be a source of income for the two of us.
Dria and I make great partners, because we are very similar but have very different strengths. Hmmmm... maybe we should have a blog day where we talk about how to decide if someone will make a good partner or if you’re better off running solo, because some people thrive better that way. Y’all will have to start letting us know what you want us to talk about though or I could just go on foreva.
We did have a BIG surprise this week that we were supposed to share but, because of life, our surprise got postponed. We do have great news though.... On the 10th of this month we will be attending another showcase. So all this week, we will be packaging and making fresh tea bags for sale. It’s funny, remembering how nervous we were just a month ago, wondering where this was going to lead us... and here we are now.
I’m actually writing today from Bella’s bedroom; she’s practicing her violin and I have to watch her because she has apparently developed certain habits that her teacher didn’t catch on zoom. We had our first in-studio meeting on Friday and because so much escapes us through the computer it was more of a review.
Watching the kids and their progress or regression always reminds me of our work ethics and our relationships with the people we want to keep in our lives. We have to work at it and be consistent and faithful. If it’s a partnership, it’s work. If it’s children, it’s work. If it’s a business, it’s work. If it’s a friendship, it’s also work. I try not to take on more than I can handle, and I also try to handle a lot. One of the perks of having Dria and I in your lives (according to me) is I’m about 100 years older than her (she’s in her early twenties and I’m the big 4-0, shhhh...) so I get to throw out my old lady wisdom at you and Dria keeps us all in touch with what’s going on with everyone under the age of 30. So please sit down and drink a cup of tea (do we even know you if it’s not a cup of Justevia tea??), while she tells us what’s she’s been up to this week..
D: All I can really say is if 2020 was a person, I would really fight them with all my might. You know when you fight with your siblings and they’re trying really hard but getting nowhere? Yeah, that’s me and 2020 right now.
My week started off as a dream. I started work at Native Son Farm in Tupelo on Monday and it was more than I imagined. Within ten minutes, I was barefoot, ankle-deep in mud, picking vegetables for their CSA customers. As the rain started, we moved inside to wash and store produce while talking about how the farm runs. I really think I smiled the whole day and practically floated to Halima’s house on a cloud to tell her everything I learned about farming. On Tuesday, I worked with them at the farmer’s market, helping CSA folks pick out their produce and selling extras.
That’s where my week of heaven ended. On Wednesday, my car was totaled. I’m doing my best to focus on the positive. As I said to one of my friends this week, I’m trying to listen when the universe tells me to relax despite the unorthodox and oftentimes painful (physically/mentally/emotionally) methods. So this week, I’m taking time to breathe and heal. If the library was open to the public, I probably would’ve read every book on the shelf by now. Instead, I’m doing crossword puzzles, drinking a lot of water, missing out on social(ly distanced) events, and being emotionally vulnerable. Sometimes not exciting but always necessary.
This week I’m really grateful for my personal tribe, in addition to our tea tribe. My local people, including the love of my life and Halima, have been so kind and ready to drop everything at the slightest moment. Most of my family live at least 500 miles away and it’s hard to zip around in these times. Corona has “encouraged” us to learn different technologies in order to maintain the close relations that we've worked for over time. Honestly, I’m kinda grateful for it despite the negative portrayal that technology gets sometimes. Although I miss the physical aspect and my mom’s food, it’s nice to see my cousins smile when I show them my dogs doing nothing or look at artwork that my niece created and is so proud of. At this point, I feel like I’m on the verge of emotionally rambling and y’all are probably just here for the tea sooo yeah… Feel free to leave comments or message us about topics you guys would love to hear us ramble about or else you’re going to keep reading about our families and feelings.
Anywayyyyy, as Halima said, WE’RE RELEASING A NEW BLEND. We’re so excited to share this new flavor with you guys, especially after seeing how well received the first one was. Come visit us on October 10 at the WOWE Showcase from 11 am to 3 pm at the Old Amory Pavilion. Until next week tribe!