If my kids read this post, they’ll laugh when they see the picture. It’s a shot of the stairs of the stadium at Harvard University, my absolute favorite stadium. My running joke with them is that I wish that one of them would do me the favor of going to Harvard, if only so that I can come and sit in the stadium. Not too much to ask, is it? Sheesh. Until college application time which thankfully is a couple of years away, I will happily settle for sitting in the stadium once or twice a year to watch Sam play lax in different tournaments.

I’ve been taking a lot of pictures these days of stairs because the image of that steady, even climb resonates for me, especially with everything going on with the business. There are so many steps I/we have to climb to reach our goals. There are days when the steps seem endless. What I loved most about these stairs at the stadium is that they are numbered. No matter what step you’re on, you are starting back at number one, number two, number three. I would have expected to feel overwhelmed, or perhaps depressed by this, but instead, I find the image soothing. It’s solid. Hopeful. Mapped out. Strategic.

Not much time these days to write these days, or to think, breathe, spend time with my children/family, or to walk my dogs. Such is life during the holidays. It’s familiar territory for those around me, and one way or the other, we always make it through to the other side.

This year is proving to be no different, except for the fact that I must be getting old, because I no longer pop out of bed without an alarm at 2am. While I love ‘sleeping in’ until 6, I am amazed by how much work I used to accomplish during those quiet hours of the night.

This morning was the first time in a while that I actually woke up at 3am to come into work, and my co-workers would chuckle to find out that instead of mixing/decorating/baking, I’m on my computer. I couldn’t help myself. There’s a loveliness of the solitude of the empty bakery that I cherish more than I can explain, and what better way to try to capture the moment than by writing a quick post.

I wanted to let you know that I have officially stepped up a level on the business staircase: I finally changed my voicemail from babycakes to Bisousweet. I cannot tell you how many people have pointed out that I need to change my voicemail. It was a no-brainer, and yet, it was something I avoided with typical Karen tenacity. My voice message was the last remaining piece of babycakes, and I guess I just wasn’t ready to fully let go until this morning. Thanks to everyone for your patience with me regarding this little detail. I haven’t been ignoring you…I just needed that last moment of time to fully embrace how much everything has changed.

Onward & upward, and back to baking.

Really.