Destination: Franklin, Tennessee.

Our first leg of the journey will be to Gigi’s house, an hour east of Franklin. She’s been gracious enough to invite us to stay with her while we look for a rental in the Franklin city limits.

I’m excited. I’m inspired. I’m hopeful. And with all the packing, cleaning, fixing, planning, searching, applying, and parenting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. And, trust me, there are moments when my head is spinning from how this is all coming together.

But that’s not what I came here to write about.

It’s more about the lifestyle change we seek.

To step by step transition from a typical, wasteful American family into a responsible sustainable family. Our view of the path is a bit murky, because financial resources are not limitless and there are still some basic lifestyle patterns that will remain the same for now. It’s not a straight shot from traditional to off grid.

As far as we know, we’re not moving onto a working farm where we suddenly grow all of our own food and generate all of our own electricity. We’re looking for a rent house where we can settle into a new community and begin building relationships. Once we’ve been there six months to a year, we’ll address the next step in living arrangements.

Recapturing My Time

I hope to transition from 90 minutes a day of driving to working from home. That’s the next step. I’ll not only save myself a chunk of time, but I’ll gain back a sense of ownership of my own life. Starting my own business, even if I’m a company of one, is a step toward owning the dream rather than participating in someone else’s dream. I get it that not everyone wants to start their own business, but I view it as an essential step for my long-term personal growth.

Embracing Vulnerability

But there really IS a sense of safety and protection one must shed in order to make that step. Invoicing, budgets, and balances all depend on me. There’s still an accountability with the client, but no voice within the company asking for updates and offering occasional reminders. Everything comes “inhouse”. And that’s good. But small business is not a place where one can focus on his/her strengths and exclude the more difficult or less enjoyable tasks. So there’s a healthy challenge there as well.

Being the Stranger

We are moving to a place where we will know 1) my mother-in-law who, once we’ve settled into our own place, will live 70 minutes away and 2) friends from our local church who moved there a few years ago and will be 70-90 minutes away. Those are our established points of contact. Everyone else will be new.

One way to look at this would be to see the challenges, the potential for loneliness and isolation, and to feel discouraged. Another way to look at it is to see opportunities to create EVERYWHERE. The canvas is wiped clean. You don’t have to do what you’ve always done just because it’s always been expected by everyone around you.

Despite the opportunities to feel overwhelmed, I spend just as many thrilled with excitement. When I have the presence of mind to be intentional with my thoughts, I choose to look at it as an amazing opportunity to transition from coloring in a predetermined coloring book to a blank canvas and a handful of paints. Where do the lines go? What is possible? What kind of community do you WANT? Build it! Start with your family, and bring people in to experience the culture of your home.

Peace and Calm

The photo at the beginning of this post is misleading. That’s how I looked two months ago. Today, I am at peace and confidence that no matter what happens, we will glorify God with our lives.

Those are the thoughts that guide us toward the next chapter.

Read the rest of her killer anniversary post here.

Are you surprised by what the poll results?

At this point, I’ll settle for an original pamphlet on my own personal story.

Perhaps there is no great novel ruminating on the inside. Perhaps there is no wicked insight that will transform your lives. Perhaps there is just the journey, and all the interesting moments worthy of note along the way.

Welcome back to my blog.

I thought my wife was hot when she started her own business. With nothing more than a college degree and the desire to graduate beyond beer cart girl status, Mommypotamus chose to become a medical biller. I can’t tell you how difficult that was. Starting a small business. Learning the position. Selling her abilities to total strangers. Learning the complex world of health insurance companies, proper coding, and how to get things done when a customer service rep gives you the runaround.

I thought my wife was hot when she helped the government track down deadbeat dads. For a brief period, she took a contract position in which she went through case files and tracked down leads for dads hiding and refusing to pay child support. In addition to making a good friend in the office, Heather was able to make a difference for single moms and children desperately seeking the money owed them by these derelict dads.

I thought my wife reached the pinnacle of hotness when she became a blogger. She agreed to start blogging and see it through for at least six months. Every weekday for six months, she published original content that was both interesting and useful to her community and, by the end of that experiment, Mommypotamus.com was in her blood and destined for greatness.

Is there anything hotter than my wife blogging? I mean, I love blogging. It’s my favorite thing in the world after journaling. But watching my wife create unique and compelling content, respond to commentors, and then wade through the emails and Facebook messages of people with questions and stories and appreciation for all her hard work? Amazing.

But now, my wife is even hotter. As I write this (Thursday night), she is speaking to the Tarrant County Birth Network about baby nutrition. She’s stepping out of her comfort zone, trying something new. She’s influencing people and sharing important information she’s spent a lot of time gathering. She’s honing those public-facing skills that I naturally love and value so highly. I’m so proud of her. It’s in her blood… she just doesn’t know it yet. Ever since we were married, I had a vision of her doing a lot more public communication. I sensed the innate ability and knew that as she grew and learned and discovered her passion, she would by necessity take on a more public role to share what she’s learned.

And this REALLY turns me on.

NOTE: In case you’re wondering (I know some of you moms out there will be), I purposefully didn’t talk about how hot she was for becoming a mom. That’s a sacred reality I don’t share with anyone. These others are external enough to warrant talk of her hotness.