It's a special day at LionHeart Hobby...

Rudy and I often talk about being the "face of our business". We both quite love being at the store, especially when we can meet with our new and old friends. That face-to-face interaction is our favorite part of this business and creating community within our community is a priority for us.

As we move into our fourth month in business, it seems to get busier and busier each week and my ability to be AT the store, continuing to make those connections with new people and catch up with our regulars, is becoming more difficult when there's a conference (virtual) to attend and a website to build. More and more lately, I rely on Rudy to be that "face" for our physical store as I work on building our online community.

I miss being there as regularly and I know he misses me when I'm needing to work on administrative tasks at our home "office" (haha! It's a desk in our kitchen that is ALWAYS messy!). We work perfectly together, complementing each other's skills and strengths. I feel lucky every day, even though right now we are in a bit of an overwhelming period of having so much to do.

Rudy is a rock though. If I'm falling apart in any moment (internet issues, anyone?!), he is making sure the operation is moving along like a greased wheel. When he reads this he's going to be sincerely humble and uncomfortable with the praise, but the truth is, I feel lucky everyday. It's been a dream my entire life to build something that might last beyond me, and with Rudy by my side, I feel the possibilities.

Today is his son Nick's 18th birthday. Nick moved to Spain with his mom and stepdad almost four years ago and up until the pandemic, Rudy saw Nick a couple times a year. We had plans to go to Spain last April and obviously were not able to make that trip. Nick is happy and our families have a warm relationship, but I know that today is a hard day for Rudy because he would love to see his son on this momentous day.

He is a man who constantly gives. It's what he loves doing more than anything in this world. If you see this today, and want to send him some love, he deserves it.

Happy celebration of the day you became a dad, my love!

--Danielle