“My Daughter Has Impressed the Crap Out of Me” – 11 Print Pros Share Their Sources of Cheer

In Adrienne Palmer’s November/December Editor’s Note she shared what’s making her happy, like her recent marriage, “Ted Lasso,” her editorial team, and the wonderful world of wide-format printing. In the December Brain Squad survey, she asked you to share what’s making you happy as we wrapped 2021. Here are your responses:

• “Goal has officially been reached for 2021!” – Kelly Mank, Time4Printing, Windham, Maine
• “Happiness and joy come from within oneself. Appreciating the myriad blessings, large and small, afforded us each day, gives us infinite opportunities to find the delight in daily life.” – Jim Dittmer, JDA Creative Color, Gresham, Oregon
• “The older I get, the simpler it gets. Uninterrupted time with my family brings me the most joy.” – Jim White, Go Graphix, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
• “Grateful for a long pipeline of art installation jobs ahead for 2022 and a fabulous, talented staff primed to set the world on fire!” – Barbara Allen, Fresh Artists, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• “Joy that my team is growing and we are learning each day what not to do and what to continue to do. Happy that we continue to knock it out of the park and ecstatic that I have an amazing team.” – Christine Walsh, Alpha Graphics, Baltimore, Maryland
• “Seeing my kids grow into independent young men.” – Michael Greenwald, NextPage, Kansas City, Missouri
• “Expressing gratitude every day. Each day is a blessing in life. Catching as many sunsets since every sunset is never repeated and is a new piece of art.” – Kristin Scribner, WrapStar Pro, Sacramento, California
• “My team … I was able to provide a nice bonus for the end of the year … everyone was pulling in the same direction.” – Rick Mandel, Mandel Graphic Solutions, Glendale, Wisconsin
• “1. Reading Books – I keep my sanity by reading books about travel experiences around the world, the armchair traveler. 2. Baking – I love to experiment with new recipes and love the idea of mixing sweet and savory. 3. Exercise – Riding my bike or lifting weights are the best way to start the day! Looking forward to ski season. 4. Painting – I recently started taking a painting class and it’s so fun to immerse myself in a new hobby!” – Kristi Duvall, The BoxMaker, Kent, Washington
• “On a personal level, my daughter has impressed the crap out of me. She crammed her classes in high school to attempt to graduate one year earlier. Graduated and is in Adelphi in New York. This Monday she approached me to inform me that she is so happy. My proudest moment raising her on my own.” – Tommy Melendez, Master Graphics NYC, The Bronx, New York
• “Seeing newly created teams in the company start to coalesce and function as one unit is extremely satisfying.” – Wade Neff, Strategic Factory, Owings Mills, Maryland