09/14/2026
Sometimes gratitude just hits you a little harder ~
One of our longtime customers surprised us today with this sweet note and an incredibly generous gift when she picked up her vehicle. I opened it after she left, and I won’t lie… I cried. 😭❤️
Tommy started this business long before I came along, but when we got married, I jumped in with both feet. And from that point on, this became something we poured our hearts, our souls, our tears, our aching muscles, our worries, our prayers, our weekends and our nights into together.
Owning a small business is so much more than a 9-to-5 job. There have been countless nights and weekends when we’re still working long after everyone else has gone home. There are vehicles to diagnose, parts to research, estimates to finish, customers to update, paperwork to do, books to keep—and always something else waiting. And even when we aren’t physically working, we’re usually thinking about it, talking about it or planning what’s next... When it’s yours, you don’t just clock out. And the learning never stops. You’re constantly studying, taking classes, keeping up with new technology, listening, watching and trying to become better at what you do. I had so much to learn when I jumped into this business with Tommy. So I learned. And then I learned some more. And I’m still learning. We both are.
That’s something I’ve always admired about Tommy. He’s an ASE Master Technician with decades of experience, but he has never acted like he knows everything there is to know. Even after all these years, he still has that hunger to learn. He’s constantly reading, researching, watching, studying and keeping up with what’s changing in this industry. Half the time we’re at home I’m telling him, “Would you PLEASE take a break from car stuff?” 😂 But that’s just who he is.
He never wants to become complacent. He wants to understand why something failed, not just replace a part and hope for the best. And I truly believe that willingness to keep learning, no matter how experienced you become, is part of what makes someone really good at what they do. Because when your name is on the business, it means something. You work hard to build that name. You take pride in it. You protect it. And when someone trusts you with their vehicle, you want them to know that their trust matters to you. You want to do things right—even when doing it right isn’t always the easiest way.
Somewhere along the way, so many of our customers became more than just customers. Some of you have trusted us with your vehicles, your children’s vehicles and your family’s vehicles for years and years. You’ve stuck with us, supported us, recommended us and believed in us. We will never take that for granted.
I try very hard never to lose sight of how blessed we are. I think about it almost every day when I walk into our shop—the work waiting for us, the people who continue to trust us, and most of all, the fact that Tommy and I get to do this life together.
Some days just make you feel that gratitude a little deeper.
Life is precious. Things can change in an instant, and so many of the things we worry about can be fixed or replaced. The people we love cannot.
Tommy is my husband, my partner, my best friend and my ride or die. There is only one of him, and I never take him—or this life we’ve built together—for granted!
So today, when I read this customer’s sweet words and realized she had tucked such an incredibly generous gift inside as well, it just got me. Her words alone would have meant the world to me. To go above and beyond like she did… I just cried. Because after all the years and everything you’ve poured into something, a gesture like this feels like someone saying, “We see you. We appreciate what you do. We trust you.” ~ And that means more than I can put into words.
We truly have some of the BEST customers, and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for trusting us, supporting us, recommending us and allowing us to do what we do.
We are so incredibly grateful. ❤️
