June 14, 2019 marked the seven-year anniversary of Gary and I purchasing Green Tree Inn.  I can’t say that we celebrated on that particular date because we were still in the thick of dealing with the record flooding.

I did want to take some time to reflect on the last seven years.  We have had the opportunity to meet so many nice people and many of these have become our friends.   We look forward to our guest/friends return stays to give us a chance to catch up on recent happenings.

Just out of curiosity, I ran a report from our reservation system and found out that we have had guests from 45 states and 16 countries.  It is amazing to me that so many people have found Elsah and Green Tree Inn.

We have had 3 weddings at the Inn as well as numerous proposals. There have been too many birthday, anniversary and honeymoon celebrations to count.

We have hosted families gathering for weddings, funerals/memorial services and graduations.  We have hosted groups of friends, family reunions and sibling gatherings.  We have watched parents bring their children as Freshman to Principia College and then have had the opportunity to host the family as the student graduates.  We have had guests who were celebrating and guests who were looking for solace from life’s challenges.  We have hosted spiritual retreats and guests who like to drink. We have even had guests who have returned to the Inn with a new spouse.  We have had guests from all walks of life.

I think of guests who stayed with us that we haven’t heard from recently.  There was our “Fast Eddie Couple”, the fly fisherman who called himself “Toad Frog”, guests who were battling cancer and the sisters that reconciled after several years of being estranged just to name a few.

Every day is a new adventure.  You never know what a phone call or knock on the door will bring.  Every day is a good day.  Some are just better than others.

Gary and I feel very blessed to be able to have the life of an Innkeeper. We work hard and we hope we are able to make a small difference in the lives of the people we have the opportunity to host.  Hopefully they leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.  Just like Gary and I feel energized after visiting with guests over breakfast.

If you haven’t stayed with us, please make plans to come for a visit and explore Elsah.  If you have stayed in the past, come back and see us again.  We would love to help you make more memories in our quaint village.