But first.... where are we now and what has changed??
The pictures above were taken over this past summer. The company I work for commissioned a photoshoot for my family because they were featuring me in their Leaders Magazine (EEEK!), but I am getting ahead of myself...
So let me try to break it down. After our youngest was born , (this was also about the time I stopped blogging), Joe was just starting nursing school and I was trying to grow my photography business. The next couple of years were pretty tough. Joe went to school, while still trying to work his full time job and I was working full time as a graphic designer, while growing my photography business. Let's just say we didn't get to spend much time together as a family and I was up until 2am many nights editing pictures for my clients. Once Joe finished school, he started working nights.... oh boy were times tough then! After almost a year of that, he got a day position and things definitely improved some. I was still working when he wasn't and visa versa. My photography business was very busy and thriving, but the pay wasn't as great as I had hoped (clearly I should have been charging more) and the hours were long and grueling. We were broke, buried in debt, living pay check to pay check and just trying to keep our heads above water.
About 3.5 years ago, at a time when I needed it desperately, someone shared essential oils with me. Wow. I couldn't believe what a difference they made in our lives. Over the next couple of years, as I used the oils for anything and everything that came up in our family, I was also sharing them with everyone else I knew. Before I knew it.... I was slowly building a business without even realizing it, just by helping others take more control of their health care. About two years ago, I decided to really go for it. About 6 months later, I left my job as a graphic designer at a company I had been with for 12 years! Then at the beginning of 2016, I decided to lay down my hat as a photographer and close the doors on my business. It was scary, but so exciting and liberating at the same time. Now, as my "job" I get to teach others how to use essential oils, and how to change their lives physically, emotionally and financially. It's pretty amazing and I feel incredibly blessed.
One of the best parts about it all is that we get to finally really be a family! It's made me really appreciate this time that we have with them when they are young and I really want to soak it up as much as I can. With that being said.... we have decided to take our lives and my business on the road!! We sold our house over the summer and had planned on renting for a while so we could take some time to find some property that we loved and maybe have a house built. We figured since we are renting right now anyway, it would be the perfect time to do this before we settle into our forever home. We are downsizing, selling a bunch of our stuff and moving into an RV! We are going to live in the RV, explore the country and homeschool for at least one year. I will be working remotely wherever we are and also visiting members of my team along the way and helping them grow their business as well. I am so excited about our new adventure and what lies ahead!
It's so crazy how an idea can seem so out of reach. But if we take that idea, make a plan, decide to work towards it and make it happen, the reality becomes just that.... reality. I am so excited to turn this dream into a reality!
We have soooooo much to do to prepare for this. Moving from a 3,000 square ft home into an RV is pretty daunting. As much as I want to blog about our life on the road, I thought blogging about our experience getting there would be pretty interesting (and hilarious) to share and look back on as well.
It's November, we plan on getting through the Holidays and then really tackling the downsizing starting in January. Before christmas though, we have a date with the basement (which we haven't touch since we dumped everything into it in June when we moved in). We are hoping to eliminate about 90% of the stuff we have in there. You know, all of our worldy possessions that we move from place to place but haven't actually used in 5-10 years. Pictures to come of that disaster. We are going to finish out the Munchkin's school year and our lease and plan to hit the road in July!
Let the fun begin!!
