29 May Floating Through (the best ever) Spring
It’s been such a great spring that frankly, I haven’t wanted to sit down and write about it! Savoring the moment and everything wonderful about it just doesn’t compare to reminiscing over it. The whole UEC gang is doing wonderfully, rocking their shades in this AMAZING spring weather. We tend to see a slight slowdown as the weather heats up which gives us time to regroup, clean up, and more importantly plan for what’s on the horizon for the Urban team.
We have moved forward and are bringing a large and exclusive French collection With only one other retailer in the Valley, its sure to be a hit. This brand focuses on architectural details, materials, and has such unique brand defining styles that we couldn’t say no to bringing it in. In the pipeline are a few other brands and an increase in our sunglass collection.
My self and Emily started the month by flying to Puerto Rico for a family wedding. It was wonderful to catch up with everybody, especially in such a gorgeous location. We took the opportunity to explore the rainforest. We spent a day hiking, swimming, cliff diving, and sliding down rock waterfalls – and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was such a great way to explore the island, its diversity, and especially understand how the storm effected not only the folks living on the island but the entire ecology of the rainforest. Fortunately, many of the people are fully recovered. The damage done to the rainforest will take a long time to heal but its already well on its way.
I had the opportunity to experience FORM this year, at AZs own high desert sanctuary, Arcosanti. A 3 day and night creative retreat full of music, art, ideas, love, community, and architecture. It provides a unique way to connect with likeminded individuals, explore new outlets for creativity and interact with art and music like nowhere else. A fully immersive camping experience rounded completed an epic weekend and we are sure to return to next year – although I’ll learn to pack a little lighter.
Staying active is something that really drives me as a person. I love the ability to practice and grow, both physically and mentally. Pushing yourself to your limits, exploring those limits, and learning to trust and respect those limits are all parts of personal growth. Some of my best ideas come when pushing myself to the extremes. I ran a 25k night trail race, my longest distance yet, and was very proud of my pace and timing. The race was a success and I once again fished in the top third. I can see my slow improvement and hope to break into the top twenty for my next race. Running with a headlamp through the desert under a full moon was awe inspiring and something I would love to do again.
This long weekend was spent as many more should be, full of friends, laughter, and happiness. Lots of pool time BBQing and catching up with friends. Remembering that no matter how busy we get, how much life puts in front of us, or how wonderfully (or terribly) we are doing in life – take time to connect with others. Remember why we’re all here. Remember why we do what we do. In an ever evolving quest to be our best selves, we can’t forget that its our friends and family that help us achieve this.
Cheers and puppies,
Dr. K
