Hopes Highways Website & Book Launch Celebration

Season 11 - 2023

Sep 17

Bonus Story — March 2023

What I thought was going to be a normal Saturday night turned into one of the most incredible surprises of my life. My sister and her husband were visiting for the weekend. They said they wanted to escape the snow and spend some time with us, so I didn't think anything unusual about their visit.

My boyfriend had also asked me months earlier to keep this particular Saturday night open because he was planning a special dinner. I didn't know where we were going or what we were doing. As we started driving, I realized we were heading toward one of our favorite wineries, 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards. Perfect!

We were members, the food was always wonderful, and obviously I wasn't going to complain about good food and wine. I assumed there must be some sort of member dinner happening. I was wrong.

Surprise!

When we arrived, my granddaughter came running out and gave me a big hug. Then I saw her dad. Oh! I figured my boyfriend must have invited my family to join us for dinner. Since my sister and her husband were there too, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to spend time together.

Okay, cool. Still wrong.

We walked into the winery, and it was strangely quiet. Then the owner told us everything was set up downstairs. Downstairs? What was going on downstairs? Everyone just smiled.

We walked down the stairs into the barrel-tasting room. And there they were. More than 20 of my family members and closest friends. I was completely confused. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't a holiday. Why was everyone here? Then I saw it.

Hopes Highways

Draped across the wine barrels was a huge banner: Hopes Highways I started to realize what was happening. Nearby were two large photographs of me displayed on easels, the professional photos I had recently taken for the Hopes Highways website I was preparing to launch.

And that's when the tears started. These people weren't there to celebrate my birthday.

They were there to celebrate my dream.

My girlfriends then presented me with a canvas featuring a picture of us from the first book-reading circle, when I finally had a solid enough draft of A Day of Hope to let them read it. Around the photograph, they had written words describing how I made them feel:

Inspired. Lovely. Honored. Beautiful. Exhilarated. Powerful. Friendship. Spoiled. Cherished. Pampered. Determination. Love. Worthy.

Yep. More tears.

And Then There Was 13

As I looked around the barrel room, I noticed something else. On the wine barrels surrounding us were markings with: 13 and 2013. The people planning the party hadn't arranged that. Those markings were already there.

And there I was, celebrating Hopes Highways and A Day of Hope, a journey that began on January 13, 2013, surrounded by reminders of 13 and 2013. I couldn't help but smile.

Call it coincidence, timing, or one of those funny little signs that appears exactly when you need it. For me, it felt like another reminder: Keep going. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.

A Dinner in My Honor

Just when I thought the surprise couldn't get any better, everyone announced that it was time to go upstairs. We walked back up to find the tables beautifully set for a four-course dinner with wine pairings. All in my honor. Even the menus had my name and Hopes Highways printed on them. I couldn't believe it.

The winery had gone above and beyond, and I was incredibly humbled by the entire experience. But what meant the most wasn't the banner. It wasn't the beautiful dinner. It wasn't even seeing my name printed on the menu.

It was looking around that room and seeing more than 20 people I loved who had given up their Saturday night simply because they wanted to support me and what I was trying to create.

Starting Hopes Highways felt exciting. It also felt scary. I was launching a company. Building a website. Working toward publishing my first book. I didn't know exactly where any of it would lead.

But that night, I looked around the room and realized something: I wasn't building this dream alone.

The people I loved believed in me. And their support gave me another push to keep moving forward. I left that night even more proud of what I was creating, and even more determined to see where Hopes Highways would take me.

What an amazing surprise.

And what an incredible reminder that sometimes, while you're busy trying to believe in your own dream, the people who love you are standing quietly behind you believing in it too.