I’m Jen Schulte and have followed Minky Mamas since they were only 6 months into their business journey: I’m so happy they came across my FB page way back when. I’ve been a loyal follower and supporter of them ever since. Several of the women at MM have become very dear friends.
When Cass had her 3rd child, Faye, who had to spend some time in the NICU, she and I began our friendship. I’m a NICU nurse and work the night shift. Cass and I would message back and forth talking about NICU related things and then all sorts of other topics of conversation. We had a lot in common with each other, and we developed a really unique friendship over time. She is seriously the best!
I always loved watching and conversing with the ladies at MM. It’s crazy to develop such close friendships with people whom you have never met. I felt an instant connection with many of these women.
Going to the first MM Retreat in 2022 was amazing! I FINALLY was able to meet the people whom I had become friends with after years of getting to know each other. I have gotten many people addicted to minkies over the past several years. One of my work friends, Pam, went with me to the retreat. The night we arrived and checked into our Air BNB, we got a late knock at the door: I knew right away who it had to be. I was right and so incredibly excited to meet and hug Cass and her sister Kenzie. The 4 of us talked for hours that night before finally wrapping it all up so we could get some sleep. It felt like we all had known each other for all of our lives. There was not one part of hanging together and talking non stop that felt awkward.
Before the retreat, we met a crew of MM staff and family for dinner. It was so incredible: I looked at each face and knew exactly whom I was finally meeting for the first time. I felt like Pam and I had gone to a family reunion. It was so awesome to meet all of my new friends, finally. And…give them a hug!
For a week, Pam and I toured the beautiful state of Utah. If you have time to turn the retreat into a vacation, please do so. Everyone we met was so friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed traveling around and seeing so many gorgeous places. We spent our time in Northern and Central Utah last year. There is so much to see and do: I’m happy to share all of the amazing places we discovered. This year, we will travel south after the retreat to check out Zion and Bryce. There are still a handful of places to investigate in the upcoming years.
Now: the retreat! Well….it was absolutely amazing. The names that flash across the live shows finally became “real” people. When I first began following MM, I never missed a show. As the years have gone by, I now hop on here and there and only see portions. It was so fun to finally meet people whose names I recognized as well as some I had never heard of. Chatting with and getting to know the fellow MM lovers was a fun experience. I really loved meeting so many of the people who are “behind the scenes” at MM. There are so many people who work hard every day to make the company a success. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. There are some truly amazing women at MM.
Getting to see “The Barn” and the “vault” was fantastic!! It’s minky heaven as you walk from room to room. We were able to design our own minky creation: so much fun…for me: I needed a lot of help from the real designers. They were there to help for as much or as little as each person needed/wanted. The big surprise was being able to design a Ma Miller: we didn’t know about that one!
The shelves were very well stocked, with discounts on your purchases! Woo hoo: gotta love a sale!! To see everything that happens every day to make this business so successful is fascinating. Sue and Alisa created something so very special. They are amazing women and offer such a beautiful work environment for all of their employees. It’s very inspiring.
Sue, Alisa, and the crew that worked so hard to develop the itinerary did an amazing job of making everything run smoothly and made sure we all had a fantastic time. The swag goodies were wonderful. We played several different games, in groups, which was a lot of fun. The Price is Right game was the absolute best: most all of us said that more time needed to be blocked out for it!! We seriously didn’t want that evening to end. Everyone there laughed so much at all the antics. The meals were yummy, and the company top notch.
When the retreat ended and we talked and reminisced on the fun we all had, we just couldn’t wait for the 2023 retreat to get here! I’m so excited to be returning. I can’t wait to see my MM family/friends again: hug them, spend time together, play games, win prizes, purchase sale items….the list is endless! If you can make it work, you need to go. You don’t want retreat regret.
