New year, new blog, same love for Snohomish
Well hello friends! I’m so thankful you have landed on this special page, on this little corner of the internet. My name is Courtney, and I couldn’t be more proud - thankful - and excited, to be the new owner & editor of this blog, about a city I hold near and dear to my heart, that also happens to be HOME.
About Me
I am a new mom to 3 kiddos. I have lived in town for about 4 years now and have absolutely fallen in love with the ‘small town’ charm. I am obsessed with the rich history Snohomish has to offer, and all of the amazing things our community is growing to be!
You’re probably wondering a couple of things (and that’s ok). Like, why the heck is this blog so important? Who am I and why do I love Snohomish this much? I mean - let’s be honest, running a lifestyle blog and cultivating a branded social media presence is considered a full-time job, right? So WHY? Well, in order to be able to explain my “why” behind this page, I need to first give you my somewhat shortened life story. So, buckle up, grab the popcorn because it’s going to get JUICY. Just kidding, I’m really not THAT exciting.
So, to start things off, I grew up in Woodinville, graduated from Woodinville High School class of ‘08, went to Central Washington University (Go Wildcats!) and got my bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, Minor in Retail Management in 2013! Specifically, I remember having conversations with my parents about wanting to make “shopping” my career. I really wanted to be one of those people who set up the window displays at Nordstrom. So, naturally I landed an internship with Nordstrom after college that kick started my career. I worked primarily in the Accessories division in a few different locations, finally ending up at the Flagship location in Downtown Seattle helping manage the Handbags department. Those were without a doubt probably some of the most fun & rewarding years of my career, that significantly shaped who I am today, how I view entrepreneurship, sales, customer service & how to provide a positive experience for people I encounter in a work, or personal setting.
There finally came a time where the retail schedule was just not working for me anymore. One of my best friends and roommate at the time had been working her way up in the Property Management industry, and I decided it was time for me to make a shift to a steadier 9-5 job. After doing some research, I interviewed and became a Leasing Consultant for a high-rise community near the Space Needle! It was beautiful, and the perfect opportunity for my goals at the time.
PLOT TWIST!! The night before my last day at Nordstrom, my boyfriend and I found out we were pregnant! It was such an exciting and nerve-wracking time. However, he remained calm - which allowed me to remain calm and confident in our decisions, and he assured me that everything would be fine. It did in fact end up being more than fine, and it’s so corny to say but truly I believe this all happened for a reason bigger than we even knew at the time.
I moved to work at a larger property in Mill Creek, we were able to rent a cute little apartment right at the property I worked at - for a discount! SCORE. It was there that I met some of the most amazing and influential people in my career, some that became lifelong friends. My love for meeting people, customer service, helping people find their HOME all started here. I built relationships with colleagues who encouraged me to lean into some leadership skills I had developed there. I worked my way up to managing properties around the PNW - Lynnwood, Bothell, Woodinville, to name a few.
PLOT TWIST #2: Covid. It really changed the trajectory of my career, and I don’t think I’m the only person that experienced that!
Just to spice up the year even more, we found out we are pregnant with baby number 2 - our sweet boy! He was born at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
We hear this all the time…Covid changed EVERYTHING, for so many people. As I mentioned, I’m totally one of those people. It was at this time I realized I need to take a step back from my career, take care of my kids and family & work towards a career that would allow me to be more flexible with my schedule, maybe even something that I could manage on my own time. I left my job as a Property Manager winter of 2020, and from there - just to keep myself busy, I dove headfirst into network marketing on social media (Instagram) with an essential oil company. I sold all sorts of products helping families create a 'non-toxic’ home. I really developed a passion for marketing during this time, and loved utilizing social media to connect with moms, and families and people of all backgrounds, on the internet, in a time that was scary for most as we were confined at home. This also got me through a bit of post-partum fog and kept me busy and productive outside of being a new mom of 2. It is so important to find yourself again outside of motherhood, and I am so thankful to have been able to find some success in that season of my life. It is a big reason why I don’t take having ownership of this blog lightly!
A few of the things you should know about my family, and I are that we love visiting local breweries and restaurants in Snohomish on the weekends, and that we pretty much make friends with parents and people everywhere we go. That is how the next chapter unfolds. We were at one of our favorite breweries in town right up the street from our house (Audacity Brewing) saying goodbye as one of their employees was moving back to CA. Our oldest daughter wanted to play with another little girl there. She asked if she could introduce herself and we said go for it!
Next thing you know, were cheers’ing beers with our new best friends, finding out our kids are basically the exact same age, they own a BBQ truck business in town that we were already obsessed with, they lived about 15 minutes from us and loved doing basically everything we loved also. We exchanged numbers and were in touch almost daily since. Insert Laina Treuhaft, my mom bestie, life & business mentor. After a while, her and I had chatted about me getting back into the workforce and wanting a little more aside from the typical ‘stay at home mom’ life, I just needed something more to keep me busy. I love a sense of purpose, helping others, and also really wanted to continue to help provide for my family financially and focus on a career path I could be proud of.
Laina introduced me to a real estate team that was hiring for a remote Operations Manager/Admin position, and I got the job, got my real estate license while working full time, still home with my kiddos, still somewhat during covid. It was probably one of the most rewarding yet challenging years of my life. Stay at home moms are already superheroes, being a working - stay at home mom is next level. Hats off to ALL.
In August 2022 I passed my real estate exam for WA state.
In September 2022 I decided I could support my own family’s goals and dreams at a larger scale, by helping others do the same.
In October 2022 I left my admin role, and joined Keller Williams Eastside, as a member of Laina’s real estate team - Treuhaft Homes.
In November 2022 we found out I was pregnant with our last, baby number 3 (we really embrace chaos and like to keep things interesting apparently, never a dull moment at our house!)
Looking back, with every baby came new responsibility, new jobs, new homes, new goals, and moving nearly 100 MPH in life for the last 7+ years. I am really feeling like I am living proof that moms can do anything, and the most important thing I’ve learned is to not let your goals (whatever those may be, work, physical, etc.) stop you from doing whatever you want to do. It might not be overnight, good things take time - but you can do it! Taking on new careers as a new mom, a new mom of 2 and now a new mom of 3? We are all superheroes (working or not working!!!) and I proudly wear that cape day in and day out. It is by far the most rewarding and important role I have. I want my kiddos to know that they can work hard for themselves and accomplish big things - even if some people say it’s crazy.
PHEWFFFFF. it’s not over yet…
I was working on my business page one afternoon, (@courtney_treuhafthomes if you want to give me a follow) - following and connecting with local businesses in Snohomish. I came across this Instagram page, Simply Snohomish. “What a great idea, a community building page to connect with businesses and people in Snohomish, dang why didn’t I think of this?!” were my exact thoughts.
I then learned that Andrea, the original owner and creator of the page was moving away from Snohomish back to her hometown down South. I knew this could potentially leave the page with no one to keep growing it! I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the opportunities this held for me, a town that I loved, and the people in it. I knew that my new calling was to take over the page and continue the legacy that she had created.
I do have a career in real estate and would be so honored to represent some members of my community in their path of buying or selling a home. However, that is not the sole reason I wanted to continue on with this page. I knew it could be something even bigger than that. And that the two businesses could coincide and walk hand-in-hand supporting each other.
Being able to do what I love in a way that benefits others and the town of Snohomish as a whole is all that I could ever ask for.
I am truly so excited to present to you some new service offerings I will be launching this year, through Simply Snohomish.
I can’t wait to announce some important partnerships that are in the works, but I also hope to create new partnerships and help my fellow small business owners thrive and be supported!
My mission is to create a vibrant online community that celebrates the essence of small-town living, where local businesses thrive, and the richness of the Snohomish lifestyle is showcased. Through this blog, I aspire to empower businesses providing them with a digital platform to connect, grow, and flourish. I envision a place where the unique stories, craftsmanship, and spirit of our community come to life, fostering a sense of belonging and pride. I will always strives to amplify the voices of our town and contribute to the collective success of our small businesses, one story at a time.
If you’re reading this and feel called to reach out, want a feature on the page, or just want to say hello - don’t be a stranger! I can’t wait to meet you!
And if you made it this far… Congratulations and THANK YOU for taking the time to learn more about me and my new passion project!