Goodbye CrossFit Addiction

Less than four months after we said our “I Dos” back in 2008, my husband James opened one of the first 10 CrossFit gyms in the Greater Atlanta Area. His ownership of CrossFit Addiction is the only life we have known as a married couple, then as a couple with one child, which turned into two kids, which turned into three little ones. I’m accustomed to his 4:30 a.m. wake up calls to coach morning classes, his Saturday mornings spent at the gym and being gone every weeknight until the kids’ bedtime.

But as of yesterday, all that changed. James signed the final paperwork to transition his gym over to new owners. It’s officially a done deal.

The transition is something we’ve been thinking about for a while, but it’s surreal to have it all said and done with. After all, this gym has defined so much of our lives for the past 7.5 years. We have made so many new friends, gotten into the best shape of our lives (pre-kids, at least for me), gotten back into shape postpartum, learned about paleo cooking, and the list goes on.

Gym ownership–and self employment, in general–is not for the faint of heart. There are ups and downs and so much at stake. It’s not that owning the gym has been a rollercoaster ride, per se; it’s that life with three little ones is a hands-up, seat-buckled, praying-for-dear-life kind of ride.

Saying goodbye to CrossFit Addiction means saying hello to sitting down to dinners as a family, to having both parents cheer at our oldest son’s soccer games, to more family time and unthinkable adventures. Of course, these are my takeaways from the transition. I’m not sure James’ would line up exactly the same, but I do know that at the very core we agree: family first.

So what’s next? James will focus more energy on a local CrossFit gym in which he is a financial partner. He’ll continue to run Atlanta Affiliate League events throughout the year, and he recently launched Spider Chalk. I always envision him as an entrepreneur in some capacity, so I suspect he will always work for himself if circumstances allow.

CrossFit Addiction has evolved so much since its doors opened in 2008. We are so grateful to all the members throughout the years for allowing James’ dream to be a reality. Fitness and health have been huge parts of our lives for so long, and I don’t see that changing despite our goodbyes to CrossFit Addiction.

2016 is bound to yield some amazing adventures for our little family. We’ll share more about our plans for the New Year as adventures unfold.

Happy New Year!