HaleyIt’s hard to believe it’s been just over two years since we sold CrossFit Addiction, sold our house just outside Atlanta and moved back to my hometown. It’s funny, because as a teenager, I was ready to move away from my smallish hometown in favor of big college life (go Dawgs!) and later big city life (Atlanta). But as a mom of three kids with a fourth on the way, small town life is ideal. It’s nice not encountering Atlanta traffic for every doctor’s appointment or every special event.
So much has happened in the past two years, and yet in some ways, so little has changed.
Winding Roads
Some days, I get bogged down by the finer details and I question my direction—my family’s direction—wondering if we’re making the right twists and turns in this journey called life. And then I remember that line from the song “Wonderwall” by Oasis (the first CD I ever bought!): “And all the roads that lead you there are winding.”
And it’s true, as much as I am a planner and like to prepare for things ahead, God told me two years ago to trust Him and have faith and patience—and He has not let me down yet.
Now that I’ve revitalized the blog a bit, here’s a recap of the past two years. It will give new readers a little background and also give documentation to our journey, so that I can read back 10 years from now and smile at how the small pieces made up the bigger picture.
Two-Year Recap
Two years ago, after moving back to my hometown, my husband launched a new business, which we thought would be more mobile than the gym business. So we bought a two bedroom/two bath fifth wheel RV with high hopes of traveling the country and running the business remotely for a year before my oldest child started kindergarten. Except we quickly learned that business mobility is hard to come by.
So we sold the fifth wheel after about 10 months of ownership (business mobility was only one reason) and decided to put down some roots, becoming more involved in my home church and sending our boys to church preschool.
And just like that, a year flew by with a growing business that moved from a basement location to a commercial suite in town. Before we knew it, our Pre-K guy was graduating and Kindergarten was on the horizon.
You see, when we moved back to my hometown and began renting my Grandma’s 1966 ranch house (she’s in a nearby assisted-living home), we only planned to stay here for the short term and use it as a home base while RVing. But after our RVing dreams were dashed (aka reshaped and postponed until our kids are older), it was time to regroup to figure out a way to turn transiency into semi-permanency.
Small Business Ownership
After a year of spending nap times and night time helping my husband smooth out the kinks of his new startup, he streamlined his manufacturing and production processes and grew enough to warrant leasing a commercial space. The past year, his business has continued to grow as he has focused on sales, hiring employees and larger distribution. He always keeps the option of selling the business in his back pocket, but for now, he’s seeing consistent growth and changes in the economy regarding taxes and tariffs are actually benefiting his business since he produces American-made products. [See more on how he started his company.]
Schooling
Last year, my bright-eyed Kindergartener attended a nature school while the elementary school we are zoned for was bulldozed and rebuilt. This year, he and my middle son will attend the new school together, attending 1st grade and Pre-K.
As a mom, the school front has been the hardest for me to tackle and embrace. Without permanent housing, I realize that my kids may change schools a couple times before we are settled into one school system. As a child who attended one school system throughout my childhood, I’d always wanted that for my kids if possible simply because you get to move up to every grade with your friends. But I’ve had to put that mom idealism to the side and have realized that my kids will be ok. Even if they change schools in the next year or two when we have permanent housing, they will adjust and be fine. They not only have the stability of family, but also church friends, who attend many different school systems.
A Growing Family
In the midst building another business and finding our way in my hometown via semi-permanent housing, we’re adding a new baby to the mix. To some, it may sound crazy. Of course, is there ever a perfect time to have a baby? At this point in my second pregnancy, I was still working full time, we had just closed on a new house and we were moving six weeks before I was due.
We’ve learned that life is about more than the perfect plan, because perfect execution rarely follows suit. Instead, life is about life—family, friends, community, and ultimately, relationships. These are our pillars that withstand time much better than the perfect job or the perfect house or the perfect school.
Housing
As a female, a lack of permanent housing is something I’ve had to come to terms with over the past two years. No matter the size, most women at my point in life simply want their own home. They want a place to raise their kids. They want a place to make cozy and comfortable for their family. They want a place to adequately cook for their family. They want an atmosphere that is inviting at the end of a long day. They want a place that is accommodating and inclusive to others in the community.
Many of us women have ideas and preferences as to how we want our home to look and function. For me, I’ve placed those ideas on the back burner as we are currently in semi-permanent housing. The past two years have taught me the true meaning of essentials—shelter, warmth, food—and they’ve also humbled me. I’ve realized life can still be wonderful living on far less than desired. I’ve embraced wood paneling, musty basements, ancient HVACs and an original1966 gas stove. Sure, I still have all my Pinterest-like ideas stored up in my head for the day we have permanent housing again, but for now, God has taught me to be satisfied with how He has currently met our needs.
What Next?
So all this background to ask, what’s next? And if I had any clue, I’d be too smart for my own good. What we are currently focused on is embracing where we are with what we have. We have tossed aside ideas of the perfect plan, and instead are focused on family, community and a growing small business. Whatever happens in the future with schooling, housing or the business, we know that we’ll be taking that step together and we’ll figure out the kinks along the way.
