A month of milestones

I recently came across this image while preparing some retrospective blog posts. It was taken in 2006 during the first return visit Garry and I made home after relocating to London. We stayed with Garry’s parents when we arrived. Garry's sister invited us over for dinner one night resulting in this adorable image. How the world has changed in the years since.

Seventeen years on these three little ones are now full-grown adults. Mitchell, the cheeky one in the middle, is currently employed by our wholesale company. He’ll celebrate his fifth anniversary with us in September and is on track to become our general manager. A week ago, we farewelled his best mate, Jack, who’d worked with us for 2.5 years. 

Jack's departure was one of several milestones and watershed moments in June. Mid-month, Garry and I celebrated the eighth anniversary of Artiwood’s acquisition. The business we own today looks radically different from the one we acquired. In the years since, it's grown almost three-fold, won numerous industry awards, and picked up some impressive, reputable brands.

Last month the company took another strategic step forward. We relocated our third-party (3PL) warehouse from Brisbane to Sydney. Artiwood has been working in partnership with its incumbent Queensland supplier for 20 years. Last year it was sold to an American firm. 

Sadly, within months the entire warehouse team had churned and the service had deteriorated with no hope of improvement. We decided the time had come to consolidate our business in one city. It also created an opportunity to engage a company better able to support our strategic vision for Artiwood. 

In late-June Garry and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. We normally celebrate it on the day we first met. However, thanks to the chaos of Jack’s departure and our warehouse relocation, we’ve yet to toast this incredible milestone. Although, all hope isn’t lost. Two activities we’ve planned in the months ahead are quietly morphing into an anniversary celebration. 

The first is a dinner we've booked as a gift for a friend’s 50th birthday. We’ve agreed to include our anniversary as part of the evening's celebration. We're off to Margaret in Double Bay, a venue we've raved about since dining there last year. The second event is a holiday we’ve booked in the Cook Islands for mid-September.

Rarotonga has been on our radar after forgoing a vacation there eight years ago. At the time, a trip had been tentatively proposed as a celebration of my 50th birthday. However, we’d just bought Artiwood and found ourselves overwhelmed by the learning curve and numerous reform activities. As a result, we reluctantly shelved plans to join my family for an extended celebration.

We're certainly making up for lost time. We've booked the ultra-lux Motu Villas on the island's sheltered south coast for 11 nights. As an anniversary gift, I've also booked us a day trip to the spectacular Aitutaki lagoon. We're flying to the Cook Islands on Jetstar's new direct service out of Sydney. It's only our second time onboard this somewhat notorious budget airline. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly.