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Some days start slow. Some days start solo. Today was both.

Jeremy had to take my parents to an appointment this morning, which meant I was on my own from the jump. Contacts in, gym bag packed, out the door. I've never actually gone to the gym by myself before — we started going together about two months ago — but honestly? It was fine. I just walked. That's my thing right now.

I have a lot going on with my joints and my shoulder, and I had a pretty serious surgery not too long ago that took a lot out of me. So when I go to the gym, I'm not chasing a number on a scale. I'm going for functionality. I want to keep my body moving so I can keep doing the things I love — running the shop, making products, living our life. Some days that looks like lifting. Right now it looks like walking and being okay with that.

After the gym I came home, made coffee, had my muffin (yes, like Nick Saban — daily non-negotiable), and got into some editing and design work before Jeremy got back.

The Shop Is Busy. Like, Really Busy.

Here's something wild to say out loud: this is our busy season. In April.

For most of our ten years in this business, spring was dead. People aren't lining up for Easter shirts — trust me, I went viral over one on TikTok last year and even that's an exception. But everything has shifted since we leaned into our actual lifestyle — lake life, outdoor living, leisure, the stuff that genuinely fills our cup. And that content is resonating year-round now.

We had over 100 pieces to get out the door today. Koozies, lake shirts, camping tees, wholesale orders heading to boutiques across the country. Jeremy was running DTF transfers all morning. I was doing artwork — I design everything myself — and then we both just got to work.

We didn't quite get everything finished. A couple koozie sets rolling into tomorrow. But everything that was due went out, and on Faire that's what matters. We take those deadlines seriously.

The Part Nobody Tells You About

When people think about running a small business, they think about the products. The fun stuff. The creativity.

What they don't always see is the hours you spend on spreadsheets just to figure out what to order so you can even get to production. That's been my project lately — building smarter systems so that when volume picks up, we're not drowning in logistics before we even touch a blank shirt.

Jeremy and I were both teachers. We built this thing on the side, and now it's everything. Some days that hits differently than others.

Today was a good one. Busy, a little chaotic, not quite finished — but good.

Looking for lake, outdoor, or leisure apparel for your boutique? We're on Faire. Shop our full collection at www.222parkside.com.