11-23-17 I am really thankful to be part of the Whidbey Island community

I’m taking a break from my marketing blog to reflect on what the Thanksgiving holiday means to me.

First, I am very fortunate to have a great partner in life and to have children and grandchildren who are all doing well.

Shortly after our marriage in 2002 Rich and I came to Whidbey for a visit from our home in Bellevue. We had a lovely get together with some good friends who spent the afternoon telling us about the wonderful lifestyle on Whidbey and why we should move here. They were so persuasive, that we made the decision to do just that before we returned to Bellevue that day.

We spent a lot of weekends looking for property on the island. We found some land in Greenbank, built a weekend get-away house there, and after a year of weekend visits, we realized we wanted to live here full time. We lived in Greenbank for five years before deciding we wanted a little bit bigger house and we wanted to live closer to the community of Langley.

Today, we cherish every day that we are in our comfortable home on 2-1/2 acres of beautiful forest in Freeland.

But, I also truly cherish this community. The arts flourish here. We have theaters, talented musicians (with many venues now to hear their music), talented artists displaying their work in the many art galleries, charming iconic towns and of course, the gorgeous views that greet us no matter what direction we are driving.

Whidbey has special meaning to an extrovert like me: I notice all the smiles (often accompanied by hugs) from friends I have made working with valuable non-profits or just taking a walk, going to the movie theater or simply doing grocery shopping.

I have written a lot about the courage it takes to create a business, but on Whidbey when you create a business there are a lot of people who give you support and encouragement.

I am truly grateful to be part of this community.