As I officially say “goodbye” to my twenties and hello to my thirties, I can’t help feeling super nostalgic today. As I look back at the end of my twenties, I experienced the best and worst times of my life all in a matter of a few years. I moved several states over which was wayyy harder than I had anticipated. I felt lost and didn’t know how to fit in this world that my husband had already established. I never had a doubt that Columbia was where we needed to be but I struggled finding my way and establishing my own roots. If I’m being honest, it’s only been in the last few months that I have felt like I have turned a corner with this whole, I’m-now-a-Missourian-thing. (But don’t worry, Bluegrass will always run through my veins) Not long after I made the move, my best friend, Stephanie got cancer, Kyle and I got married, and then a few more months later Stephanie died. So I was a newlywed, in a strange town, without my go-to person on this earth, and quite frankly…I was a mess.
If you know me, you may already know that I grew up in a book and coffee store in my small hometown in Kentucky. My godmother owned this charming store on main street and I asked her at the age of 14 if I could come work for her. She obviously obliged and from then on it quickly became my place of refuge. It’s where I found myself. While my peers were into sports and parties, I spent my time in the book stacks sipping on my latest creation. Naturally, my love for books and coffee deepened, but it’s also where I found my love for people. To me, Karen’s Book Barn wasn’t just a place, it was a feeling. A feeling shaped predominately by its owner, Karen, but also by its workers, and regulars. I met the most fascinating, caring, loving, remarkable people during the ten years I worked there. I can’t even begin to list all of the special people I encountered during my time there, but you all know who you are. These people became my second family. People who supported me no matter w