12.31.2010

Well, it's been QUITE a year, hasn't it?!
 We are, in truth, really glad that it's over.

Yet there is so much in life to be thankful for,
so many blessings that came to us this year
[along with the many challenges and losses]
that we extend our most heartfelt gratitude to each of you 
for your friendship & support of Retreat
in good times AND bad.

We wish you all a safe & Happy New Year's Eve, 
and that the coming year will bring you 
love, laughter, joy, faith, and friends in abundance.

Blessings,
Bob & Deb Kennedy

12.26.2010

Mark Your Calendars!


2011 is quickly approaching, and our show calendar is filling up!
With our move into our new home now delayed until after the first of the year,
 and since we need time to set up shop & create products 
before we commence with selling them,
we have decided that our appearances at shows will begin in March

We've also refined and re-created our events:
Petite Retreat WILL continue, but as a boutique STORE located on our farm,
featuring our own products as well as those from select vendors.
We'll be open limited days & hours for Spring and Holiday events.
Click the 'Petite Boutique' icon in our navbar above for more info & dates.

Our new SHOW is Retreat Vintage Market.
Summer and Autumn Shows will feature 20+ vendors on our farm, 
specially selected by us and gathered from across the West 
for a one-day extravaganza each season!
Click the 'Vintage Market' icon in our navbar above for more info & dates.

And the shows we choose to participate in
are the best of the best, both local and across the West coast
{maybe even into Texas!} offering a wide selection of styles,
products, originality, and quality for everyone involved.
We are so blessed to be invited to attend these amazing shows!
Click on each show name to access their website for more info.

Our 2011 Calendar:
{more to be added} 

 2nd Saturdayz Market
March 12, 2011 Seattle, WA
 
Island Chicks Vintage Show
April 16, 2011 Anacortes, WA
 
April 30, 2011 and October, 2011
Nipomo, CA (San Luis Obispo)

May 6 & 7, 2011 Camano Island, WA.
(This is on Mother's Day Weekend - 
which is why we changed it from a SHOW to a STORE event)


June 4 & 5, 2011 Spokane, WA

June 25, 2011 Camano Island, WA
20+ Vendors!

July 30, 2011 Battle Ground, WA (Vancouver)

Autumn Retreat Vintage Market
September 10, 2011 Camano Island, WA
20+ Vendors! 

Petite Retreat Holiday Boutique
Weekends, November & December, 2011

We'll add more shows to that listing as our calendar expands,
and you can always count on us to share other vintage industry events
 on our blog & facebook Pages - even if we aren't IN them. ;0)

It's going to be a GREAT year!

12.22.2010

What's It All About?


{Linus says it better than anyone else}

Christmas is many things, to many people...
For us, this year, it is a profound gratefulness for the blessings that have been bestowed on us this past year. It's been a hard journey, but there have been so many wonderful moments and memories. 

Yet the heart of Christmas is the message of the greatest gift ever given, and how that gift changes lives every day. It helps us to see that the gifts we share with others can make such a difference...
To all of  you - our family and friends - we thank you for contributing to a remarkable year for Retreat and for us, wishing you a most Merry, Happy, Meaningful, and Spirit-filled Christmas. And many, many blessings in the coming year!

With Love from 'DeBob'
Deb & Bob Kennedy
RETREAT

12.20.2010

SantaDUDE

There are a few thousand people who live on our Island,
and every last one of them is 'colorful'.
None more so than THIS guy...

This time of year, he sits on the side of hwy 532 on his Bike,
wearing a Santa Suit, waving hello to all passers-by.
You should SEE the kids' faces in car windows as they spy him there!!!
The rest of the year, you'll still find him on his motorcycle...
but he's wearing a helmet with a raccoon pelt & head attached to it.
I have no idea what his name is,
but he's one of the reasons we love this place!

Happy Holidays from Retreat

12.18.2010

Welcome, Little Christmas Miracle...

The newest Retreat heir has arrived!
Our grandson number three was born just after midnight Saturday, 
to our youngest daughter & her hubby - and everyone is doing very well. 
We met him this morning, totally charmed by this sweet little man
and his calm, happy disposition.

What a remarkable Christmas blessing!
Welcome to the world, Michael!

12.16.2010

A Well-Healed Soul

WARNING: 
GORY photos of Bob's injury below!
If you don't want to see blood, don't look!
 Today was Bob's LAST appointment with his doctor.
It was the final inspection of the INCREDIBLE repairs this 
AMAZING orthopaedic surgeon performed
on the leg injury Bob sustained late last August.

To recap:
Bob VS Sawzall Reciprocating Saw: 
Saw = 1 ; Bob = 7 severed ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
(damage was deep in the wound... it's actually worse on the INSIDE)
Surgery was a quick 90 minute procedure, 
is one helluva' surgeon. 

He repaired every last torn, severed & snapped tendon, ligament, and muscle.
He saved Bob's leg and gave him the chance to walk again.
(Because it was kinda' touch & go there at the beginning...
amputation WAS mentioned. Total loss of use WAS a possibility.
Until a month after surgery, we just didn't know how it would end up.) 

He told Bob this in recovery:
"I have done my job, and I have done it VERY WELL.
It's up to YOU to not screw it up!"
(You can see why Bob and this Doc got along pretty well, huh?!)
After surgery, Bob developed an infection 
and had to go back into the hospital.
THAT was scary. (The docs called it 'Angry')
And the antibiotics he was on for a MONTH were scary, too. 
But STAPH is waaaaay scarier, so he is lucky he escaped it.
 He spent a lot more time in a boot cast
and sitting down than he ever wanted to.
WEEKS and MONTHS.
But he did it, and the healing progressed.
 
ANYWAY,
today he was given the release from his Doc.
No more appointments. He's done.
He was also told - emphatically - that he needs to remember that he is 
'NOT YET COMPLETELY HEALED - SO TAKE IT EASY!'

But gee, it sure LOOKS healed...
When Bob told the doctor about our trip to California in October,
our move off the farm last month, and that we'd be
moving INTO another place in a week or so (?),
Doc nearly passed out. Seriously.
Then he said 'I have had NIGHTMARES about THAT 
{and he pointed to Bob's scar} falling APART! Don't PUSH IT!'

We just can't say enough GOOD THINGS about 
and the excellent treatment Bob (and I) have received from them 
throughout this entire ordeal. Bob's body has healed, and so have our souls.
We also cannot say enough good things about the many, many
friends, family members, neighbors, readers, customers, and 'fans' 
who have prayed for this healing.
Who have given of themselves, their time, energy, muscles, and trucks
to help us when we needed it.
To our daughter Jeni who sent physical therapy instructions
and talked Dad through just what he needed to work on to heal.
To our daughter Beth who came every day off for two months 
to help us keep our business going and move us.

And to God, for delivering a miracle that could only be by His hand. 
(Using, of course, the skilled hands of a surgeon, nurses, 
P.A. Mr. Bill, and an entire hospital staff...)
Bob smiles and walks on the beach and plays Kinect with our grandson
and can still chase dreams with me
and still has his sexy legs that I adore 
because of this INCREDIBLE team effort.
Because of YOU.
I will never be able to express my gratitude enough...

Thank you!

{Oh.... and no thanks at all
to the owner of the Arrowhead Farm and her real estate agent
who accused Bob to his face of FAKING THIS INJURY....
how's that theory looking NOW???}

PS: I sort of stole the title of this blog post from our daughter, Jeni,
whose Ashiatsu & Ashi-Thai massage business is called 'Heeling Sole'. 
If you are in Texas, go get the best massage of your LIFE from her!

12.13.2010

RetreatStyle Holiday 2010

In an earlier post, I asked you all if inspiration would ever strike this year and give me the impetus to do some holiday decorating - even though we are in a prolonged transition from one house to the next. I'm happy to report that the not-so-happy news that our escrow closing has now been delayed until the 20th made me come up with SOMETHING festive here in the little beach cottage we are staying in...

I give you Retreat Style Holiday 2010!
What you see above is the sum total of the very few materials I had on hand (discovered in a bag that I had grabbed from my office at the last possible moment before everything else I own was shoved into storage AND a tomato cage left in the garden!) and a quick trip to the dollar store. Plus a few things form the kitchen (like rock salt!) I gathered 'em all up and put my creative brain to work. Sometimes, it's good to limit your options!

It's all white, mostly paper, and all SIMPLE. 
Our 'theme' this year? 'Enough is Enough'.
Perfect for our Beach Retreat!

12.11.2010

Snowmobile / Cargo Trailer SOLD!

SOLD!
FOR SALE *PRICE REDUCED*
Haulmark brand 1999
28' prow-front snowmobile/cargo trailer

8' wide X 6'2" high interior
front and rear drop ramps
side access door
two side fuel port doors
heavy duty tongue with EAZ-Lift brackets welded on
new brakes & tires
axles under trailer for high ground clearance

7800 lb. payload

{
we've hauled it fully loaded from Washington
to Southern California with a Chevy Avalanche!
}

Ready to go for winter fun at just $4500
(Reduced from $5500)

Contact Bob at kennedy2design@gmail.com
trailer currently located on Camano Island, WA
60 miles North of Seattle

12.03.2010

Holiday Happenings at Poppyseeds!

Holidays mean Party Time!
Julie & MaryBeth Sande are hosting a wonderful Holiday Open House this weekend at Poppyseeds in Stanwood - make sure you stop by to see all of the FABULOUS gifts & decor they have in store for you! They have treats & giveaways, too!

We stopped in for a moment today, and the shop looks absolutely darling... here are a few sneak peeks:
Yes, those are fresh flowers you see! A wonderful local floral designer has joined forces with Poppyseeds - it's one-stop-shopping for all your holiday entertaining needs!

You'll also find a few treasures from Retreat in the store! 
As we were moving, we divested many of the products we had left, letting Julie & Marybeth of Poppyseeds and Diane & Kelly of Beach House Barn come and shop our Petite Barn. It was a win-win all around, and now you can win, too!

12.02.2010

"I Have No Response to That....."

 Today was.... interesting.
Seriously. All I can say is THIS: (click for quote)
Five months ago, we put in an offer to buy the farm we live on. The day after that, a buyer suddenly appeared out of nowhere and upped the ante. {after years of no offers} From then until the end of October, we heard every OTHER day that the farm was being sold to US. The days in between? It was being sold to the other buyer. Endless. Mental. Games. Finally, we pulled the offer. Stopped playing the game of 'If you could just offer a little MORE.......' and ended the madness that life had become.

Resigned ourselves to moving off the farm that we thought was our forever home. Wept, collapsed, and melted down. Then started looking for another home for ourselves and our business....hoping to find a new dream. And we DID! We are SO thrilled with the place we bought and will be moving into as soon as escrow closes... like, next week. We hope!

More drama ensued as the deadline for moving off the farm approached.... blah blah blah. But today, as we finished cleaning up the yard and garage, ready to meet the owners at 3 PM to have them sign off on the condition of the place.....

We got a text.

Offering us money to stay.

Seems the 'other buyer' hadn't been qualified after all, and the deal fell through. 
So now, they NEED us to stay. 
They NEED us to come back to the table with an offer on the farm.

Yeah.....um........ as Angelica said in 'Joe VS. the Volcano', 

We Said No.
No.
and NO!

Amazingly enough, we had thought all along that if this 'deal' fell through and we could stay at the farm, we'd do it. But after going through five months of the games, on top of everything else, we are just SO ready to MOVE ON. We know where we are going, and to be honest even if we didn't know that - we wouldn't stay at this place. We are already moved out, staying in a charming little beach cottage until our escrow closes in a week or two - and then we will move to a place that SO exceeds our dreams that we are amazed by it.

We find that truly amazing.... that God has handled the situation AND us in a way that makes it perfectly clear that THAT place is not our future. Even though, not very long ago, we were so sure it WAS. Tonight, we literally laughed our way through dinner, at the way this has all unfolded.We were despondent at losing our chance to live on that farm forever... and yet.... now, we smile and know that we weren't meant to be there forever after all.

We don't really have a response to THAT, either. Just too mind boggling.

{Image Credit: Meg Ryan on FLICKSTER}