Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracie Leeper.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tracie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born just outside Washington, D.C. in Arlington, VA. We shortly thereafter moved to the Virginia suburbs, where I grew up in a very typical family of four with a dog. While our family was very typical, we certainly had our bumps along the way. When I was 13, our family was struck with the most unexpected tragedy of our entire house burning down one night. We lost everything, and almost each other. Being 13 at the time, I was forced to really look at what was truly important and literally grow up a bit overnight. We got through it, moved on and rebuilt. I think at that point too. My parents helped me to keep looking forward and have the “it could always be worse” mentality, keep the positive wherever we could.
I always had a love for both sports and arts. My dad was a Track and Field coach, so I was essentially raised into running and jumping! I ran varsity track in high school, and held both the triple and high jump records, and also maintained being on the honor roll. In my free time, I would be creating, painting, shaping and making. I was into everything related to crafts. I mean everything! I was my way of freeing my mind from the day-to-day.
I went to a small business college (Longwood University in Farmville, VA) and starting to work towards by BS Degree in Business Management. During the summer break after my freshman year, my dad suddenly passed away. Now here is my mom with two kids and widowed at 45. We didn’t know what to do, nor were we even close to being prepared for this. I kept working my summer job to keep busy and eventually, it was time to return for my sophomore year. I told my mom I wanted to take some time to be with her and return the following year. She wouldn’t have it, and basically, I had no choice. I returned to school, kept going. I was fortunate to be able to travel abroad one summer to Ireland for school. I was gone for a month. I learned so much and also saw some really beautiful history!
Then, I finally graduated. I also told myself, thank goodness my mom made me go back to school right away. I immediately got a job in downtown DC. I was working in DC the day 9/11 happened. It was all very surreal, and sometimes I forget that I was living just a couple of miles from the Pentagon at the time, and just left the bus and had transferred to the train at the Pentagon just a few minutes prior to the plane hitting it. I was amazed at how lucky I was, but also freaked out about how close I was to have a different ending to my day.
Eventually, I came across a new job opportunity. I applied, interviewed, and started working a dream job at Tiffany & Co. I was able to work in a professional business environment, and also be in retail. I moved to the Dallas, TX area the following year and transferred with Tiffany & Co. I met my future husband shortly after and also began moving up in the company. Gard and I got married in 2011, and by that time, I was the sales manager for the Dallas Galleria Tiffany store. I LOVED my staff and my management team; they were truly a family to me. Providing a high level of customer service was constant, and it came naturally for me to connect to clients while providing excellent customer service.
Gard and I welcomed our first baby in 2013, Jack. He was absolutely perfect and we were so overjoyed with love. During my leave, we decided I would then stay home. After ten years, it was time to hang up my heels. Our work hours just did not make sense and I did not want to miss the milestones and special moments. We noticed around six months that Jack was behind on his developments, he had trouble with eating and all his motor skills. He fell ill at ten months old, lost all muscle strength; it was discovered he had Leigh’s Disease via bloodwork and his brain showing lesions. It is a very rare neurodegenerative disease that falls under Mitochondrial Disorders. While trying to process that our son was so sick, we were also told there was no viable treatment or cure. Life expectancy was maybe three years. We had eight months more with Jack until he passed away in February 2015. It was a busy eight months filled with many hospital stays, therapy, and surgeries. If Jack would even get a small cold, we would end up being in the hospital for days as it would just take over his body. He lost the ability to eat, so we had surgery to place in a feeding tube. It was scary, but also the best thing to make sure he received the nutrients he needed.
Despite all he went through, he was always smiling and continuing to bring us joy. I admired his ability to be happy despite what was going on. Jack passed away in his sleep on February 8, 2015, we take comfort in knowing he did not suffer. Our hearts and dreams were completely shattered. Gard and I were actually out on a date night that night, the first-ever since Jack became ill. We were at a Mavs game when this all started to happen, and we have not been back to a game since. My husband has actually said he thinks he can never go back to the stadium ever. We don’t know if the timing of all this was for a reason, as my in-laws were taking care of Jack that night. So we were all together at the hospital when we said our good-byes.
Losing a child is really the worst and most indescribable pain. Not only did we have the pain of death, but all the future hopes and life’s milestones were gone. Then the next few months were a blur, and we were also trying to figure out how to have more children as my biological clock was ticking fast. The version of Leigh’s Disease that Jack had was genetic. Gard and I are non-symptomatic carriers, meaning we won’t get sick, but when we have children, there is a 25% chance of passing it on. Unknowingly, we passed it on to Jack. Knowing this now, we decided to seek out IVF with PGD, so we could test our embryos for the defective gene to see which ones had Leigh’s, were carriers, clear of it, etc. It took a lot of time, money, and patience! We had a loss after our second IVF round.
We continued, kept pushing forward and then had two more rounds of IVF (now four total). Things finally fell into place, and we welcomed twins in July 2017. Born at full term and oh so perfect! After all, we had been through the hundreds of shots, the multiple surgeries and procedures, they were here! We did have one embryo left frozen and decided to go ahead and transfer it but unfortunately lost him at nine weeks. Though it was our final try, I also felt as complete as I could with our little two miracles which were thriving and doing amazing things. The IVF chapter was officially closed in 2018. At this time, I almost felt the clouds clear and we could focus more on our future and having fun.
Circling back to when Jack passed away, I needed to fill my time. Our first focus was not only to continue to try to grow our family but to also honor Jack. We provided a monetary gift to my Alma Mater, which funded a therapy assessment room for children that have therapy needs just like Jack did. Jack not only had occupational and physical therapy but also feeding/speech therapy to improve his eating and strengthen his mouth. The intake room within The Infant & Toddler Connection known as “Jack’s Room” at Longwood University services as the first place infants and toddlers visit to be assessed for early intervention needs with a long list of supportive therapies for toddler delays. (www.longwood.edu/infanttoddlerconnection/). The program helps provide this service to families all over the area where it would not be available otherwise and also to assist families who are unable to afford these services.
I was also fortunate to go back to Tiffany’s part-time and help when needed. It was great to be back with my other family and be around some wonderful and supportive people. I also started diving into crafts again, painting, graphic arts, and also learning some woodworking. I needed to keep busy while in between all the IVF rounds and treatments.
Additionally, I became involved with the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF). I became a member on the planning committee for the local Energy for Life 5k Run/Walk that is held everything Spring in Arlington by the UMDF. I create the Memory Garden to honor the kids that we have lost in our area. In order to help save on costs, I agreed to figure out how to make the balloon arches. Once this happened, my unexpected love for balloons totally took off. I created the balloon arches every year for the annual Walk/Run. Every so often, people would ask me to create balloon décor for them and I, of course, loved to! I decided to open up a business officially in the Fall of 2019, called Circle Bee Balloons. Jack used to play with a little fuzzy rattle; it was circular and had a face of a bee. We always called it a circle-bee. After months of trying to decide on a name for my company, it kind of just hit me that Circle Bee would be perfect and why didn’t I think of it sooner?!
I enjoyed the slow pace of my business at first, I was (still am) a 1-woman show and with balancing two toddlers, it is actually pretty great. Once COVID hit, things actually got a lot busier for me. I started immediately offering no-contact porch drop-offs and yard or front door installs. I wanted to make sure the kids in our area could celebrate their birthdays somehow and try my best to spread some joy. I make drops really early if needed, even when it is still dark outside. I started to feel like a balloon ninja. I’ll say at home, things are crazy! My husband (who is extremely supportive of my venture) is working from home due to COVID, and he had to take over my workspace. We share it the best we can, but we are busting at the seams as my business continues to grow. What I have loved most about working with balloons besides bringing joy, is the art part of it all.
Sometimes I feel like I am creating a sculpture, I put a lot into my projects and I really think it shows. I have taken a few classes and would love to take more as I believe learning and being hands-on really improve one’s skills. My balloon work is all in the name of Jack. It is truly all because of him. He drives me to keep it up, create beautiful things, and to and create pieces outside of my comfort zone. My past work experience also gave me the tools to really connect with my customers and learn about them. I love having repeat customers already and it warms my heart when I get both referred and repeat customers. My ultimate goal is to bring smiles to the faces that are receiving the balloons, and most of the time, I’m not even there to see it!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It was not a very smooth road in the sense of finding my place and what lead me to where I am today. As far as starting to get established towards where I am currently, I feel it was fairly smooth with some expected challenges as a new business owner. It takes time, money, more time and money! I have invested a lot of both, and the fact that it’s really all invested in myself gives me major accountability. Especially when I am up at 3 am, haven’t slept in 2 days, and feel like throwing in the towel. I keep going because I tell myself how Jack would keep going, and ultimately, I know I will have a very happy client the next day. My husband has been my biggest supporter, he helps push me to get out of my comfort zone and gives me a different perspective on my work.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Circle Bee Balloons – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Circle Bee Balloons is a small balloon decor business. My organic garlands seem to be constantly popular. Lately, large tabletop bouquets are a favorite! The recipients are mostly young kids, so I theme them with their favorite hobbies, sports, colors, etc. and personalize with their names/age, and they run about 4 feet tall. I have also done corporate events, college events, in addition to everyday business. So I really can bounce around from the classic simple decor, and the next day do something completely different. I think what sets me apart is my motivation (from my son), and my main goal is to make people happy during this odd time of COVID. Most business’ first goal is to make money, and that is not the case for me. I want to make smiles and bring joy to my customers, especially now during this strange time.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am planning to expand product offerings, and I really hope to bring forward matching party decor to be a one-stop-shop. A lot of my business is for young adults and kids, so I would love to create party themes in addition to the balloons to help take the additional planning burden away from the customer. While I love working with balloons, it is not my only love! I would also like to some day have space where I can personally meet with customers, and also have a workshop where we can hold classes and have some DIY fun, not just with balloons but with all things crafty! My ultimate goal is to bring smiles and fun to any occasion.
Pricing:
- Tabletop pieces starting at $70 (+Delivery)
- Garlands starting at $15/foot (+Delivery/Install)
Contact Info:
- Email: info@circlebeeballoons.com
- Instagram: @circlebeeballoons
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/circlebeeballoons
Image Credit:
Angela Germany Photography
Jazmin Munichiello w/ This Colorful World Photography
Monique Pritchard
Colleen Boyd
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