When Linda and Rick Dickson moved to Phoenix in 1996, little did they know how different their life would be. They had met in high school, raised their children in Iowa, and decided to move to Arizona to see if they would retire there.

Rick had worked for Northwestern Bell, then US West which finally changed it's name to Qwest. Linda had been a school teacher, a community college counselor, and a job training specialist assigned to "Promise Jobs", Iowa's welfare reform program.

Upon moving to Phoenix, Rick continued his telephone career installing and maintaining the 911 Emergency System for Maricopa county. Linda started on the hunt for something fun to do. She found it.

Emily Heedum was looking for a worker at the warehouse who could run the place while Emily traveled to shows. Linda took on the challenge. She firmly stated she wouldn't be decorating any egg shells, as she had worked retail positions before and it was difficult to tell if she made any money or left most of it with her employer.

Well, that didn't last long.

Linda made eggs as a gift for their hosts on a trip back to Iowa. Then it was for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary, then graduation gifts, Christmas Ornaments, jewel box eggs for the bridesmaids...and on and on.

While they were considering purchasing Emily's inventory, Linda and Rick helped at their first egg show and Rick took his first class. Now he's decorated many eggs as well-- his favorite being the Ostrich shell he decorated while Linda was out of town.

Rick enjoys showing how to match hinge rings using a caliper to find the correct size egg. He's often seen with the ring and calipers measuring egg shells.

The entire family has helped with the business. Tom is employed in the printing business and helped to lay out and evaluate the first catalog. Becky has accompanied us and worked the tables at shows. Katrina and Lyle helped at their first show in Illinois last Spring, and even little Michelle and Heather enjoyed the day. Michelle sat by the cash register making a list for grandpa to bring to Virginia.