This weekend marks the 8th anniversary of aMYLK's launch. Did you know that I almost didn't start aMYLK? Instead, I thought about creating a sheep milk ice cream company.
This photo is a picture of me and my uncle Jabe on the Oregon coast when I was about nine years old. I posted this photo on my personal Instagram account the day that I set off on the adventure that led me to you…a trip down the Oregon and California coast in the summer of 2016. This is the trip where I was inspired to create aMYLK!
I just learned that my uncle passed away early this morning. Uncle Jabe was such a beautiful mess. Perfectly imperfect and larger than life, Jabe inspired me to laugh more and allow for life to sometimes get messy. He was drafted into the army during the Vietnam war and worked as a welder on the Alaska pipeline. He often floated into our home and would stay for a few days or weeks making us all laugh at his inappropriate jokes and lack of decorum.
My dad was a Stanford trained surgeon and my mom was an incredibly elegant former international flight attendant, but there was also this colorful side of my family that was just raw and real. I fell in love with all of it, the beauty and the mess, or should I say, the beauty IN the mess.
My grandfather grew up farming peanuts and cotton in rural Alabama. He worked multiple jobs to provide for his 8 children during the second world war including raising and selling chickens door to door and working nights as a mechanic. He once took me with him to sell berries that he'd grown to a chef at a fancy resort. When I think of my family, I think about grit and determination and a legacy of living boldly and letting your heart lead you toward your next adventure.
I think this is why I work so hard. I find so much joy and value and connection to my family in providing for my children as a single parent with a hard day's work. With my privilege and connection, I could have lived a very different life, but I chose this one.
This weekend my son graduates from college! As such, we will not be at the Hillsdale Farmers Market on Sunday. This is my second child to graduate college. My third child is heading to college this Fall! I've just got one more baby bird in the nest.
What a joy and honor it is to know that aMYLK has provided my family with these opportunities. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for following me, trusting me, supporting my small business, and loving my products. It's been 8 years of love, sweat, laugher and tears. I appreciate you more than words can say.
Happy Birthday aMYLK! I'm exceedingly grateful for this wild and lovely, highly laborious life.