There are four main currents of change at work: first and foremost, after 23 years of being a mom (more than half of my life), my children are now all grown and out of the house. I will always be a mom and very involved with their lives, but it's so different when you have two on different coasts.
The second current of change is our business. Little did I know when I chose to leave my cushy corporate job that my business and professional life would take such an incredible path. While the company is still most definitely in a start-up phase and we've yet to reap any significant financial benefits, there is no doubt about the success that lies so near to us. I believe strongly that we have perfected our business model and it's surprisingly simple: Do the right thing by our clients ALWAYS, go above and beyond, and build our business based on referrals and results. The most beautiful thing about my "job" (other than it doesn't feel like a job) is that it travels with me. This allows us to live anywhere in the country and still be able to work.
The third current of change is the remarkably nostalgic birthday I will be celebrating exactly 8 weeks from today. The big 4-0. Here's the nostalgic piece to me... my assumption going into it is that I have, from that point, lived the majority of my life. I may make it to 80 or beyond, but statistically speaking I have less years ahead of me than behind me. Which, quite honestly, doesn't bother me in the least, however, it does spur me on a bit to maximize all of my remaining days and years. I feel like I'm 18, just smarter and stronger. I love the person I am becoming. I love that I still have a lot of lessons to learn and a lot of growing to do. I love knowing that I have no boundaries and no limits. That, I believe, is the beauty of age! My new motto in life: no more wasted days.
The fourth current of change, although definitely not the least impactful, is my marriage. Although we have been married for two years, this is the first time we are experiencing life alone - just the two of us. My favorite thing is "doing life" with my husband... whether it's working on the business, doing stuff around the house, or shopping at Costco. He is my partner, my best friend, and there is nothing I look forward to more than just continuing to grow our love, our marriage, and our life.
So that leads me to the rather auspicious title of this blog... the plan for the rest of my life. Now don't think that I am so conceited or stupid as to think I can truly plan out my life... that's in God's hands, however, I can plan out my approach to life.
First off, Devin and I have been talking about how interesting and exciting it would be to choose ten destinations around the US and live for one full year in each location. To me, this is an absolute dream. I have the attention span of a gnat and am incredibly restless. The promise of annual change is completely exciting to me. For Devin, who was born and raised here in AZ, I imagine that while exciting, it's somewhat nerve-wracking as well. His entire network is here: friends, family, hockey. I have a virtual network, with most of my friends and family back east, and my girls scattered literally from coast-to-coast.
We fueled our excitement by purchasing a huge wall map of the US and began identifying where we would like to live. After 13 years in the desert, I'm dying for seasons and the ocean, preferably the Atlantic. Never quite warmed up to the Pacific as much. However, we both admit to being somewhat wimpy when it comes to cold and snow. We want to experience both city living and country living.... so here's the final top 10 list, in no particular order:
- Savannah, GA
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA (that's my choice! so it only has one star!!)
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco, CA
- Juneau, AK
- Somewhere in Hawaii
- Somewhere in PA - preferably a small farm
- Southern CA (San Diego-ish)
- Denver, CO
Our thought is to start out at the cheapest place to live, which definitely leaves out SF, Hawaii, and Boston. Savannah is a good option or potentially somewhere in the Carolinas.
If things happen they way we think they will, the plan will begin to unfold next Spring. I can't wait! We'll ride out the winter here, which is perfect, and then set off on our decade of exploration! Our goal is to live light, slim down, be portable and rent in each location. And we'll just see how it goes. Maybe we'll get somewhere and decide that's where we want to put down roots or maybe we'll decide to start looking internationally (much more plausible if the business takes off!).
I always have a book going or planned in my head, so needless to say the Decade of Exploration will make for a great book!
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