I’m just here, living my best, sweaty, summery life in Ferndale. 

Making candles. Selling candles. Driving to and from Minnesota. Camping in southern Washington. Fighting allergies. Living life. 

This summer is blowing by. 

After attending various events throughout May and June, I took a few Saturdays off for some much-needed-but-unattained rest. I schlepped my ass out to Minnesota to spend a week in the land of 10,000 mosquitos (first time for that joke, I’m sure), hang out with my family, and then road trip with my kid back to Washington.

**Digressing for a second** My kid is the best road tripper in the world. He’s been making long-distance drives with me since he was 13 months old—just me and him against the interstate and the world. Music, food, rest stops, conversation, podcasts, jokes, hugs. He’s the best. 

Back to business. 

After we returned from Minnesota, I turned around almost immediately and went camping in the woods 30 miles from Portland, Oregon. This wasn’t just any camping trip, though. This was me meeting three online friends for the first time. And not just any online friends, but my OCD support group friends. 

What. A. Blast. 

Great people with echoes of the same things I loved about my road trip with my son: Music, food, conversation, jokes, hugs. Add in some wine, reduce the quality of the bathrooms, take away the vehicle, and it was basically a bonus road trip. 

Now that the fun parts of summer are out of the way, it’s time for the real work to begin.

Making candles. Selling candles. 

This is good. This is great. I’m coming up on my one-year anniversary of launching Hayes Street Candle Company, and I’m feeling ready for the second half of this year. I’ve been finalizing my event schedule, adding in more Log Slices by Margie products, sourcing additional materials, and generally prepping like a survivalist who’s only interested in a candle cache. 

The end of the world is going to smell damn good. 

Later this month, I’m going to be overhauling my workspace to make it a little less chaotic and a little more soothing. My intent is to have proper organization for my materials, desk, and workstation (all in a new dedicated studio), but it remains to be seen how it will all shake out. Regardless, I’m stoked for the opportunity to feel even more prepared for the remaining months of 2025. 

I’ll still be busy attending various events throughout Whatcom and Snohomish counties for the rest of the summer, so be sure to check out the events tab on my website, or feel free to reach out to me via email at margie@hayesstreetcandle.com. 

Enjoy your summer!