Small Town Businesses: Go or No Go?

I've been contemplating this topic for a while now. Is it something that I dare bring up for fear that I offend someone, or should I say it fearlessly, hoping that someone else feels the same way?

Here goes nothing.


Small town businesses.

Should they be supported? Is it worth spending our money supporting these businesses? Would I be better making the 90 mile trek to Grand Forks for all of my needs?

Here are my thoughts.

1. Should they be supported? Absolutely! How often do you run out of eggs after you have already begun making a cake? Or what about when the light burns out in your kitchen and you don't have any spares left? What happens when you are short 2-2"x4"s for a pole shed, or you have been on empty for the past 20 miles and need to find gas somewhere? Or how about the beef farmers- don't we all like to know where our meat is coming from? No matter the business, we each depend on the other. While most of these are crisis situations, we cannot leave our small businesses to only satisfy our crisis scenarios. Your business keeps the owners bills paid, puts food on the table, and gives their kids opportunities to do great things.

2. Is it worth spending our money supporting these businesses? A comment was made to me recently that one of the stores in our area was "a waste of their money". Um, what? Here's how I see it. You can't be for keeping our school open and against supporting the gas station or pro PodCo and anti T&B Hardware. All of these businesses are part of a cycle. Each of them thrives off of each other and keeps the cycle profitable and flowing efficiently. If you are against one business, then you are kind of against all of them.

3. Would I be better making the 90 mile trek to Grand Forks for all of my needs? Overall, no. Yes, I do make trips to Grand Forks to purchase supplies such as toilet paper, paper towels, clothing detergent, dish washer detergent, etc. in bulk, because we tend to go through large amounts of them. I am not denying or ignoring this, but I truly believe that buying the majority of our products in large stores only fuels the greedy pig. Who reaps the benefits of those purchases? Large companies that could probably care less about what we think or whether or not we spend out money with them is who. I think it's safe to say that small business owners truly care about what we think and whether or not we spend our money in their stores. Yes, prices may be slightly more expensive, but after driving 180 miles round trip, are you really coming out ahead? According to my calculations (at least for most products), no.

Maybe this will upset some of you. Perhaps some of you by some miracle see this situation the same way that I do. Whatever your thoughts and/or opinions, I am writing this in hopes that you will be willing to give small businesses a chance, because without them, what kind of a place would we live in?

Enjoy the warm weather, folks. :)

2016

Well, my follow up from my last post took me a little longer than I expected. Whoops!

Many of you thought that they "big change" that I spoke about was that we were expecting our first child. While you were not entirely incorrect (as this is indeed true) this was not the same idea that I was thinking about. Gotcha. ;)

This year, we are looking at building a shop in order to further our business. As many of you probably already know about this, we purchased a lot along highway 59 in Lancaster and began dirt work for the pad this fall. There is still some more dirt work that needs to happen, but we are so happy and thankful that Glenny was able to get as much done as he did. This means that the project will actually be happening this year. Yay!

While I have been at home for the past couple months finishing up school, managing all of our books and payroll and keeping up with the house work, I have been more than busy. Come May, I will graduate from college, so that will be a wonderful burden lifted off of my shoulders! I am so pumped to be able to finish my bachelor's degree in four years, after transferring, getting married, and working full time with Mark. It gives me such a wonderful, warm, fuzzy feeling inside. :)

Mark is staying busy with outside work still. They are putting up a pole shed for Noel Peterson in Red River township west of Hallock. They have a fun time visiting with Noel every day, but are ready to be out of the cold weather! He has, also, been busy with our local fire department. Him and a couple other guys are planning a fundraiser meal and set up awesome prizes to raffle off that evening. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket or two, they are $10 a piece, and I have some with ready for you to purchase!

Basketball has been in full swing for a while now. My brother Dylan is a senior and my cousin Morgan is a junior. I try to make it to as many of their games as I can each week, as my love for the game has not decreased in the slightest. Last night, my cousin Ellie told me that she prayed for me at Good News club last week. Good News club is a Christian after school club where kids in grades K-6 are welcomed to on Wednesday of every week. I asked Ellie what she prayed for me about, and she said "I prayed for your baby!". I literally wanted to cry. What a sweet, sweet soul that little girl has. I love praying for people, but it really makes me feel special when I hear that people are praying for me and my family. What a blessing family and small towns are!

Today, the guys started doing some work on our house, again. We have not had time to trim out the inside of our windows, as it always seems like there is work to be done elsewhere! I was so stinkin' excited! Gahhhhhh!!!

Stop over sometime. I have cookies in the freezer and coffee or tea ready to roll.

Megan

Summer Recap

Wow, it has been a terribly long time since I have blogged. I love doing it, so that we can look back and see the fun, crazy times that we have had. It's about time that I started back up again!

The past six months have been full of school work, construction jobs, my brother's games, family gatherings, and other fun things.

School- This spring I am hoping to complete my Business Administration degree from Bemidji State University! It would be so great if I could, so that I didn't have to worry about it again next fall, but time will tell. :)

Construction- We (mainly Mark) have been busy since the snow melted with outdoor jobs. This spring/summer/fall, we shingled over 30 roofs around the Lancaster area. I think it's time to take a break for the winter, but roofing now. haha Mark's cousin, Andy, joined our crew in October, so now I don't need to do as much heavy lifting. It's kind of nice!

Games- Dylan (my youngest brother) is a senior this year, so I have been following him like crazy to games. Their football team, KCC Bearcats, made it to the section championship again this year hoping for a third straight shot at a state playoff spot. Unfortunately, they came up 7 points short of this goal, but they had an awesome year. It was so fun to watch them grow throughout the season! Next year, we have one last Olsonawski boy to watch, my cousin, Hunter. Bring it home, Hunt!

Family gatherings- This summer we were able to get Mark's entire family together for a couple days. It was fun to have Mike and his crew home from Washington. We hope we can do that again, soon! Mark and I made it up to my mom and dad's lake cabin a couple of times, which was nice for a change. The previous summer we didn't get up there at all! It's so nice to be able to go fishing or simply sit and relax on the deck. It's a home away from home!

Others- In 2016, we will be making a couple different changes. Stay tuned for more details in my next blog. I know the suspense is killing you. haha I promise I will try to make it sooner rather than later! :)

Shoot the big buck and be careful, hunters!

Megan

Uncle Frank Boroski

For the past month, my heart has hurt. When we went to Illinois for Easter, we planned on having a fun time of visiting with my Auntie Lois and Uncle Frank, with a quick trip to Chicago on Saturday and visiting with the Bushman's Sunday. What we did not expect, was that that would be the last time that we were able to spend with our sweet, kind, generous, smiley Uncle Frank at his home.

That Saturday, my mom, dad and Auntie Lois had to bring him into the ER as his ammonia levels were too high. This had happened before, and we thought he would be back at home the next day, so that we could celebrate Easter with him and take the usual picture in front of their house before we left Monday morning. However, God had different plans for us. Uncle Frank remained in the hospital that entire weekend, and before we left, we stopped by to pay him a visit.

That was honestly one of the hardest visits I think that I have ever had. As my wonderful, brave, caring, strong uncle laid there in his weakened state with a tight grip on my hand, I knew then how much I truly loved that man. You see, my Dad's dad died before I was born, I never had another older, male figure to look up to on his side of the family. Yes, Uncle Frank lived 12 hours away, but he just always seemed to be there and have the right words to say when we talked. His smile never left his face, and I know that he loved us so much.

For many years, Uncle Frank and Auntie Lois raised miniature horses on their farm. My love for horses came from that farm. Uncle Frank and I spend many hours in those barns talking about horses, brushes the horses, riding the horses, and feeding the horses. He was so "cool" to me. So, for that I thank you, Uncle Frank. You instilled a love in me that will not ever die.

When Mark and I went on our honeymoon back in January, we wanted to stop and spend an evening with Auntie Lois and Uncle Frank. They were so excited to see us. :') As soon as I walked in the door, Uncle Frank met me with a great big hug and told me over and over how happy he was that we came to see him. He said, "I told Lois that we should have gotten you guys a present for coming to see us." A present, Uncle Frank?! YOU were the present!!!

My final memory of my Uncle Frank is from that last night in the hospital with him that I previously talked about. The entire time we were in his room, I held his hand. As my husband, brothers, and Auntie Lois were also in the room, we all sat and visited for a while. As I sat and watched him in his weakened state, tears came down from my eyes. The sweet, strong, tough man that I knew, was getting older and more tired. He saw those tears fall from my eyes, and he looked at me and said "Don't cry, my dear. Please, don't cry." So, I sucked it up as best I could and continued on with our conversation. When it came time to leave, we took turns giving hugs and saying "I love you's". When it came time for my turn, I grabbed Uncle Frank's hand again, wrapped him up in a big hug, and simply sobbed into his arms. What a model of a perfect man he was for me. I told him how much I loved him, and as I began to pull away he repeated many times "We were made for each other." At first I thought he was just confused and was taking me for Auntie Lois, instead. However, looking back, I know that he meant those words for me, because you see, we WERE made for each other. He taught me how to love and care for a horse, what characteristics to look for in a man that you would want to marry, how to be kind and caring to everyone that I meet, how to always have a gentle hand, tongue, and heart, and most importantly, how to be completely grateful for everything the Lord deals you.

I never heard this man complain about one thing in his entire life. How many of us can say the same thing?? What a role model and a perfect example of a life to live by!

As we left the hospital that Easter weekend, Dylan played the song "I Lived" by One Republic. We all sat in complete silence, soaking in every bit of the lyrics. Wow! My uncle truly "lived".
Here is the link to listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KINfQbfZwik

Some of Mark's favorite memories of Uncle Frank are from our visit there back in January. Uncle Frank told him about how him and Auntie Lois met and fell in love. He said she was the reason that he did not re-enlist in the service, and how she was the best thing that ever happened to him. Now THAT is love, people. Wow. I'm in awe of this man.

Here is a picture of me, Auntie Lois and Uncle Frank from my wedding last August. Lois had a family reunion in the Cities that same weekend that was six hours closer to them, but they still chose to come up for MY wedding. Wow. I was completely honored and humbled. They are the absolute best.

People, tell everyone you love that you DO love them. The power of love should not be underestimated. I loved this man with every ounce of my soul, and I pray that Doran had one heck of a welcoming planned for him as he walked through those pearly gates to be with our Lord and Savior.

On a side note for everyone that takes the time to read this far- Last fall when Uncle Frank and Auntie Lois made their last trip up North, we had supper at my parents house with them. Now, Mark and I had discussed names for our children (no we were and still are not pregnant), as many married couples do those types of things. There has really only been one name that we have ever been able to completely agree on, and that name is Frank. My dad's dad was Frank, Mark's Grandpa was Frank, and my AMAZING uncle was Frank. As we finished up supper, I told my Uncle Frank that we wanted to name our future son Frank in honor of him and boy did his face light up with a radiant smile.

Now, that name with instead be in memory of him and our grandpas, but what a perfect name it will be. :)

Real Time

Oh, how I have been meaning to catch up on this blogging thing. Why didn't God make the days twice as long and not as busy? Just kidding. That would be the worst. Especially on a shingling day. UFFDA.

Yesterday, my little brother and his team played another round in the section 8A basketball tournaments. Unfortunately, they lost by one point. It was discouraging in the fact that they lost by just one stink in' point. I mean, come on! ONE point! It was a major bummer, but they played so well that we cannot be upset. What a way to go out, guys!

After the game, my husband and I went to the Black Cat in Thief River for supper, as we hadn't eaten all day due to our busy schedules. We spent the previous night at different places as I went to Arthur for a barn dance with some of my best girlfriends (which was a great time by the way!), and he went to Roseau to work on his bomber some more. I don't think I've told you all about his bomber yet, have I? Well, we can save that for another time. :) Back to my point now. We left the game and it was snowing big, beautiful, wonderful snowflakes. If it wasn't windy, it would have been so stinkin' cool. When we walked into the Black Cat, we found our way to an empty table booth and quickly sat down as the place was packed. Little did we know that we were sitting right behind our good friends, Greg and Sandy Wilson. What a fun time to see you both!!

As Mark and I sat there, we did our usual. I asked him what he was going to order, then told him to order something else, because that's what I was going to order and we need to spread out choices out incase we didn't like one of the things we ordered. After we figured the challenging part out, we simply sat there and talked. We talked because that's what we do. We don't sit on our phones and look at Facebook or catch up on playing trivia crack. This is our time to actually catch up with each other from being gone the day before and simply being husband and wife. As we were sitting there visiting, an older gentleman came up to our table and simply looked at me and said "Are you two on your first date?"
OH HOW I GIGGLED!

I told him no and explained that the handsome man sitting across the table from me was actually my husband. He looked at me with astonished eyes and didn't believe me at first. He repeated his first question to me, and I again told him that we were married. This time, he came with a different response. "Wow. Me and my friends all thought that you guys must have been on your first date, because you were actually sitting here talking back and forth with each other. You guys must really like each other."

It made me smile. Well, of course! I like my husband a lot! We weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. We were simply TALKING face to face with no distractions. At the same time, it also made me sad. Is it that uncommon to see couples talking with one another rather than on their phones or distracted by the televisions hanging on the walls at restaurants now?

I want to challenge everyone who reads this to focus on the people you are with in the moment, more than your Facebook or Twitter feeds, game apps, or the reality televisions shows. Because, believe it or not, you might miss out on something pretty darn great. Don't let Satan take you away from something that has the potential to be so perfect, touching, and wonderful. Love someone in real life, rather than through your phone or the internet.

I bet they will like you even more. :)

MP

Home Business

Finally, I have a moment to sit down and breathe without my husband asking me what's for supper, jumping up to answer the phone because Matt hasn't talked to Mark for two hours, or running to basketball games or practices almost every night.

Ahhh, it's the little pleasures in life, right?

However, it is also that same strange busyness that has me feeling uneasy, and possibly even lazy? Oh well. :)

Over the weekend, Mark was gone for a couple nights, and if I told you that I didn't miss him, I'd totally be lying. Major kudos to all of the women that have husbands that travel for work or are involved in many activities that pull them away from your family. You are one of a kind!

The night that he returned, I figured it was "sort of" a special occasion, so I decided to whip up a dessert.

I wanted something quick, easy and super yummy.

In total, I think I probably have somewhere around 20 cookbooks. I did not want to have to start digging through all of them to find a dessert. Remember, I wanted something QUICK.

My go to for absolutely everything, is my grandma's cookbook that she made for me.

She should probably start selling them. They're that good. Seriously.

Pistachio dessert satisfied my sweet tooth craving that night. I'm enjoying the last crumbs, now. So delicious and easy! It's on the left page if you want to give it a whirl. ;)

Tonight, Mark left again for a fishing tournament at Lake of the Woods with his good friend, Cliff. Yet again, it saddened me to see him go, and I knew that I needed to do something to keep my mind busy. Why not start painting your bedroom at 7:30 PM, right?

Obviously I still need to put one more coat on, but it makes it look pretty fancy compared to the retro wood paneling! After I finish painting the bedroom and office, my "house to-do" list will be narrowed down to 17.

As we sit and plan remodels and new structures for customers part of me wishes that it could be our own home that we were designing and laying out. Oh, it will all get done in due time. Patience is a virtue, right Father? :)

Mark just called. Just seeing his number pop up on the caller ID makes me smile. Gull I love that guy.

Have a happy Friday tomorrow, everyone. Mom and I are going to Grand Forks to do some shopping.....and basketball. She's pretty cool, too. :) GO BEARCATS!

'Til next time,

MP

P.S. Mark bought me a beautiful camera for Christmas, so I can actually give you all visual representations of everything, now! Yay for that!

My Job

Today is just one of those days. The wind is howling, the skies are a dull gray, and even the trees are now bare. So instead of doing the usual, I am enjoying the coziness of my home with the sound of clothes rolling in the dryer, while being trapped on the living room floor by the stacks of my homework papers. In the midst of the chaos, I can't help but be thankful, though. As I have discussed in previous blogs, I have the BEST job in the world. One that keeps me on my toes, gives me the opportunity to have days to catch up on homework if needed, and most importantly, allows me to work with my husband.

Time seems to be one of those things that I simply have not had enough of for a long while, but I was able to sneak a five minute adventure onto pinterest the other day and I found the best quote. It read "Great marriages are made when husbands and wives make a lot of every day choices that say "I love you" rather than choices that say "I love me". Truly, how awesome is this?!

Yes, I could venture out of my comfort zone and work in a cooped up office all day. However, if I can have the opportunity to make life even just a little bit easier for Mark, why wouldn't I grab that chance by the horns with all that I've got?! The best feeling in the world is one where you feel like you have made a difference. Mark and I have done many projects together over the last year and a half, and each one has been a stepping stone for us. Yes some days, when it is 88 degrees out and we are stuck on a roof tearing off shingles, dripping in sweat, while watching everyone else getting off of work at 5, are tough. I have found myself thinking about all of the fun things that I could be doing instead of what I am actually doing, then I realize what I am thinking and tell myself to knock it off. Devil get out of my head!

Is it a sacrifice? Maybe. Is it worth it? Everyday. Sometimes you have to work hard for things. Sometimes you get stuck doing the crappy jobs, like picking up every piece of tar paper on a windy day or completely reorganizing the tool trailer after it has been neglected for months. At the end of the day, though, that thankful smile on Mark's face is what's worth it for me. It's that smile that keeps me pushing on and striving to be better, because I want him and Him, to know that I am doing it not because I love me, but because I love them. <3