Hey! Welcome to the very first blog entry of Fresh Starts. My name is Dee, and I am the creator and proud steward of Deelightfull Gifts, alongside my husband and our beautiful daughter - who happens to be 1 year old today! This small business, and every success that comes from it, ultimately belongs to God, who gave us the ability to do this work and called us to manage it faithfully. It's been quite a journey since we started in December 2023. It all began when my husband asked me to create a gift basket for his dad's birthday. I dedicated some time to putting together something specifically for him, filled with things I knew he would enjoy - being the respectable, health-conscious man that he is. What I didn't realize at the time was how much I would enjoy the process. The task required me to step away from the usual high-paced, sometimes stressful world of architecture and slow down. For a little while, my attention was focused entirely on one person: what he liked, what would make him happy, and how I could use my creativity to make something especially for him. I still thank my husband for that little spark every time we receive an order - haha! Since then, things have progressed steadily. We've met so many different people, delivered to places we never imagined we'd step foot in, become tiny parts of people's birthdays, celebrations and stories, and learned a myriad of lessons along the way. In late 2025, during my first month of maternity leave, I decided to create our little website. I wanted a way to connect directly with customers while making the behind-the-scenes side of the business a little easier to manage. When I first imagined starting this blog, though, I thought the first post would be about my journey trying to lose the baby weight, figuring out how to eat better, surviving on interrupted sleep, and convincing myself that coffee counts as a personality trait. Instead, it starts with a 96 year old man and a 1 year old little girl. Life's funny like that. Recently, a returning customer asked me to create one of our fruit and non-alcoholic wine baskets for a gentleman's 96th birthday. Naturally, I began planning the basket the way I normally would. Then something stopped me. As someone who's trying to build a healthier relationship with food myself, I've started paying much more attention to what we eat - not only because I want to lose weight, but because I actually want to understand the food I'm putting into my body and, importantly, the food I'm giving to my family. So I caught myself asking a question I hadn't really asked before: "Is this fruit actually right for him?" I looked at the apples and pears I'd planned to include and realized that they might not be the kindest choices for someone celebrating 96 incredible years of life. Which fruits are naturally softer? Which ones are easier to chew? Which ones are refreshing without being difficult to enjoy? Suddenly, I wasn't just assembling a fruit basket. I was thinking more about the person who would actually have to eat it. I ended up swapping some of my usual selections for softer fruits like melon, avocado and papaya - and found myself learning far more than I expected from one order. Apparently, this whole "getting healthier" journey doesn't clock out when I remember to take a walk. It follows me into motherhood. It follows me into my business. And, occasionally, it follows me straight into someone else's birthday basket. The funny thing is, I started this health journey thinking I needed to change my life. What I'm slowly discovering is that it's changing the way I think about everyone else, too - most importantly, my daughter. My husband said something to me recently that stopped me in my tracks: "Dee, if we don't eat the way we should, then Amelia won't either." That has stayed with me ever since. Today, Amelia turns one. She's at the very beginning of her relationship with food, with her body, and with the habits she'll eventually carry into her own life. And here I am, at 31, trying to rethink some of mine. Then, somewhere in the middle, there's a man celebrating 96 years of life - reminding me, without ever knowing it, that thoughtful choices matter at every age. Maybe that's what a fresh start really is. Not becoming a completely different person overnight. Not suddenly having everything figured out. Just becoming a little more thoughtful than you were yesterday. So, welcome to Fresh Starts, where every day is an opportunity for one. I don't know exactly where this journey will take me. Some weeks, we'll probably talk about fruit. Other weeks, it'll be motherhood, health, weight loss, recipes, running a small business, or those random moments when life teaches you something you weren't actually looking to learn. I'm not pretending to have it all figured out. I'm simply inviting you to figure it out with me. And if a 96 year old birthday basket and my newly minted 1 year old can teach me something about health, kindness and being a little more thoughtful... I'm curious to see what tomorrow has in store. Here's to a fresh start!