Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. -Dean Acheson I don't know who Dean Acheson is. I suppose I could take a moment to google him, but honestly, I'm more committed to getting these thoughts down than doing that right now. I've been looking at this quote for almost a year. How do I know it's been that long? 
It's on the spine of the April 2013 real simple magazine, smack dab in the middle of the pile of plant catalogs, trade magazines, and other snippets of inspiration I've stock piled by my design computer. The light from my window highlights it nicely, and I think subconsciously I've been absorbing this message for all it's worth. Most of you know that here at Arcadia Gardens, we aren't truly a full service landscape company: we've chosen not to offer lawn mowing or snow plowing, instead focusing our efforts on providing the very best design, installation and maintenance service we know how. We use our "down time", roughly 3 months from December 15-March 15, to grow our company and ourselves physically and mentally. We develop systems, review procedures, attend tradeshows, source new products, research trends, repair equipment, and take a long vacation together as a family. This year, Todd and I have focused on education and certification. He will be obtaining a State of Michigan Builder's License for the company, and I am preparing to become a Michigan Certified Landscape Designer. We will both sit for the Certified Green Industry Provider Landscape Contractor & Landscape Manager exams. This license and these certifications aren't required to be a landscape contractor or designer in the State of Michigan, but we feel that obtaining them is a valuable asset to both our company and our clients. Personally, I have been developing my portfolio as a designer. I will be serving as president of the Michigan Chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, recently published an interesting account of a local Frank Lloyd Wright remodel project, and shared my thoughts on working with a landscape designer on WSJM 1400 & 94.9 FM's Let's Talk Real Estate. One project at a time, one day at a time... we're working on making our future great! 
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