Why We Haven't Been Creating

A little over a year ago, we asked for your understanding and patience when Nelson’s father, Bud, passed away.

As we begin 2025, we find ourselves having to ask for it again.

The tail end of 2024 brought challenges on top of challenges (with Halcy-Con being a shining beacon of hope in the middle of it all), including an accident that ended up leaving Nelson flat on his back for nearly 3 months.  We weathered the storms (literally...thanks Milton), and managed to pull our way through the holidays.

Then, earlier this month, Nelson’s mother, Karen, passed away quietly, peacefully in her sleep.

Karen was the foundation of our family—a steadfast, devoted presence who worked tirelessly to ensure her loved ones could chase their dreams. Fiercely independent and unwaveringly strong, she was a deeply passionate person. She supported us through life’s ventures by being our greatest champion.

In recent years, Karen withdrew to a quiet life at home. It wasn’t until shortly before Bud passed that we learned that Karen had developed Alzheimer’s, and it was rapidly gaining ground. Privately, my dad had begun taking steps to ensure that no matter what her condition, she would be cared for and safe.

After he passed, it fell to us.  We did what we had to do to honor his wishes by pausing our lives to build a new life for Karen.

Life with Alzheimer’s is…different. We were lucky in that most of the time she was blissfully unaware of what was happening.  We adapted. We got her extra help. We never quit. And neither did Karen. Just recently, after many challenging months, we were beginning to feel like she was settling into her new home.

Then, after a couple of days, which were as beautifully normal as you can get with Alzheimer’s, Karen passed away quietly in her sleep.

After a little more than a year, she’s with Bud again.

Karen didn’t need trophies or celebrations—her reward was in seeing her family thrive. Whether that meant supporting us through laughter or sending much-missed tastes of New Jersey, she did everything to ensure we had strong roots and the freedom to chase life’s adventures.

To our 5th & Rugged community, thank you for your patience, compassion, and continued support over the past 14 months. Your loyalty has given us space to honor Karen and Bud while continuing forward with the business they were both so proud of. We are deeply grateful for the connection we share with all of you.  All we ask is a little more time to heal and adjust.

Cheers, Mom, wherever you are. May your Martinis be chill, the weather cool, and may you finally be at peace.

We miss you.