Hi, My name is Vicki Arnold...aka Victoria! The younger girls call me the tea party lady! I will share my history a little later in the blog. I would like to first share my inspiration that helped me start my little tea party business, Victoria's Traveling Tea Party in Bartlett, TN.
I ripped this page right off my website! My first blurb is dedicated to my two favorite angels, Alice Lipsey and Pat Goelz.
My sister-in-law, Alice, passed away in December
of 2005. None of us expected it and we were all devastated. Alice was the glue that held our family together. Alice always enjoyed company, she never met a stranger, and was truly an angel on earth.
EVERYONE loved Alice.
She made sure she kept in touch with the entire family each and every week, either in person or by phone. Alice loved to talk, it didn't really matter if she knew you or not! Being somewhat introverted, I was always amazed that she could carry on a conversation with people she had never met, and it came so naturally to her. We used to go for walks, but we never benefited from them, because we had to stop and talk to everyone in our path!
She loved having company and she never needed a reason to invite you over. Friendship and family were the only reasons she needed to celebrate!
It didn't matter if there was two of us or ten. The gathering was always reason enough to share a glass of wine with cheese and crackers or anything chocolate!
I think about her everyday and she is truly an inspiration to me. We can all learn from Alice...to celebrate each day, and to live everyday as if it was your last.
My good friend Pat passed away in April of 2006. Pat was bigger than life and was one of those people who always made her presence known! She was always more than happy to voice her opinion!
Pat, like Alice, was all about family. She truly loved her family and there was no doubt that they came first. But the one thing for which she'll always be remembered, is that she adored children and all the children adored her. When she wasn't caring for children at her home, she was helping out with the children at church and school.
Pat battled cancer on and off for a few years. But in the end, she just wanted to make it long enough to see her daughter get married and God allowed her to do so.
She asked me to help her plan and decorate the wedding reception and I was terrified to take this on, but she told me I had to, so that was that!
Long story short, not only did we pull it off, but it turned out beautifully.
The time came for hospice to come to Pat's home and make her comfortable. The first day after a nurse had been by to give her some medication, she called me on my cell phone as I was driving home from work. She started describing this elaborate plan she had for us to open a tearoom together.
I was extremely uncomfortable since we both knew she only had a few weeks to live. But not knowing what else to do and realizing that the medication was at least keeping her mind occupied with other thoughts, I was willing to play along.
She went into great detail of what type of clientèle we would cater to, the menu, the atmosphere, etc. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation! I asked her who was going to back us financially, and she said my husband Bill would! (At that point I KNEW that the medication was really working some magic!) The next night I went by to see her. I brought over tea and flowers. Pat, her daughter Sarah and I had a little tea party on her bed!
I found myself becoming obsessed with the whole "tearoom thing". I sat up in bed one morning thinking about it, got up and typed up my own version of the tearoom plan. I finished it as the sun was coming up, printed it off and took it by Pat's house on the way to work. At this point, Pat was not feeling very well and was asleep more than she was awake, so I just taped it to her door and called her daughter to tell her what I had done. Sarah read the letter to Pat later that night. Her friend Beth came by later and Pat asked her to read it again. In the letter, I had assigned all our family and close friends something to do in our tea business. She found the letter amusing and was able to say that I had really lost it this time!
At Pat's funeral, a friend named Carolyn made the comment, "You know, one thing about Pat, she was never scared to try anything" At that point I realized I wanted to make this fantasy a reality. Pat inspired me to take the plunge and my party business is Phase One of our Tearoom Plan!
If I don't get to Phase 2, "St. Patty's Tearoom", then at least no one can say that I didn't try!
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
