This past spring, as my school year began to wind down, I wondered what I would fill my summer days with. I’ve learned from the past that I thrive on a schedule and would do best with part-time work to bookend my days. Last summer was full of wedding planning, the honeymoon, and settling into a new home so finding a summer job was off the table. As I began dreaming about this summer I had a few criteria in mind: something that would be refreshing, where I could leave work at work, and NO KIDS! As a teacher and soon-to-be-mama, it’s pretty apparent that I love children but I knew in order to bring my best self into another year of teaching I needed my summer to be child-free (besides the one growing in my belly!).
I don’t know what sparked the idea of working with flowers, but I do know that it was Cody who suggested that I email the florist who did our wedding flowers last summer. My wedding flowers (see below) were simply stunning and were one of the highlights of that special day. To me, it seemed like a shot in the dark to ask such skilled crafts-women, but Cody continued to urge me and after a few phone calls and emails, to my surprise I was accepted!
Many of these summer days, I have stood in the flower shop marveling at the beauty that surrounds me, engulfed in buckets of beautiful blooms as I worked.
Sunflowers. Roses. Gerber Daisies. Hydrangeas. Lilies. Carnations. Anemone. Dahlias. Coral Charm Peonies. Hypericum. Lisianthus (effectionately known as “lizzy”). Freesia. Baby’s Breath. Ranunculus. King Protea. Italian Ruscus. Eucalyptus in all varieties. The yellow pom-pom flowers I can never remember the name of. Mountain Mint. Buckets and buckets full!
When I go into the shop, I often watch my coworkers with wonder, being heard too often saying “That’s beautiful,” or “Wow, I just love that!” unable to contain the simply breathtaking sights of their creations. Opening a giant walk-in fridge to the sight of wedding bouquets and arrangements is one that even in August I have not gotten over. I was thrilled to spend hours creating beauty alongside these other women, learned some pretty neat tricks (like how to make all the stems go in a circular order so that they can almost stand on their own!) and witnessed some true creativity that stretched my mono-or di-chromatic way of thinking.
This summer job at Foster’s Flower Shop definitely makes my top 7 of summer 2017! I have had the privilege of watching others create beauty and have been thrilled to be invited to create beauty myself.
(P.S. This is a King Protea, and I was pretty blown away when it came in with our order the other day, and if you are as flower crazy as I am, watch this time lapse of a Coral Charm Peony transforming from brilliant coral to white!)
Sarah, Plain and Tall 