I've never really been good with beginnings. I love a good plan and I love doing the work. But when it comes to the detailing of getting everything in motion im just sort of a jump on in and get on it kind of guy.
The last few months have been a whirlwind of chaos. My family and I have made some major life changing decisions and set down the path of making them happen. For some, the decision to move is an easy decision, for some though not easy is not hard. For us, the decision to move was hard. For this move is not just down the street, the next town over, or only 30-40 minutes away. It will be another state away, 4 and a half hours down to Kentucky. Now one might say, atleast its not cross country, and that would be right. No it is not cross country.
For me the decision to move was easy really. I have always been a very independant. I chase dreams no matter where they go for do not fear distance nor solitude. I build relationships easily and I am reliant on no one but my immediate family. My wife, and my kids are all I need. Sure I love my extended family. My parents, brother, grandparents, aunts and uncles, but they all have their own lives they live and focus on and this is mine. And if the Lord willith, then I shall go. For who is mightier that the Lord God our Creator.
My wife on the other hand did not make this decision lightly. infact it has taken about 4 years of her wrestling with this thought to even agree to the terms which we have set for ourselves. You see, my wife grew up moving around a lot and when she was finaly in an area long enough to completely go through highschool and make friends she really settled down in the area. and then together we built roots here, Family! all of her siblings and her parents still live in the area and she didn't, well i should say still doesnt like the idea of moving away from them. Moving away from all that structure, support, love, and relationship. So, the cards just had to be right.
Well, the Lord works in many mighty and mysterious ways. The whole reason behind why we would even move to Kentucky is because I am a 30% owner in a lawn and landscape business in Kentucky. For about 5 years now I have been doing this. How might you ask? Well you see, my business partner down there is the Landscaper, Mr. Green thumb! I am the business mind. I understand and do the books, marketing, and profit margins. Everything that can truely be done remotely. He runs the day to day. Honestly, it has worked great. We have grown quite a bit. But we are ar a crucial point now where if we really want to grow we need someone who can do what I do locally. That way connections can start being made, business connections, community connections, relationships, partnerships. All the things I am good at. But, I am not there. In the last few years, everytime I end up switching jobs, I would always fall back on the idea of, well we could just move to Kentucky and I could get hands on with the business. But that was just to big of a leap for my wife, and I get it, I really do.
I think we just really came to a point in our faith, marraige, and life, that when the opportunity presented itself again, it was heavily concidered by BOTH of us. My wife set some terms that to me, were not quite ideal at the time. But after concideration, were more than fair. I have to make it work on my income alone, if were going down she is going back to school to get her masters degree. Plus, our goal WILL BE TO COME BACK to Ohio. In fact our goal is in 3-5 years to be able to come back. But to make this all happen actually need to have a stable full time job down in Kentucky initially to provide for use till the business grows moreto the point that is can be the primary income. With that in mind I also ended up getting a job offer with Discount Tire, which worked our perfectly becuase they are corporate stores and give the ability to transfer down when the time comes, and their company mission is "Making dreams come true". Their number 1 focus is their employees and making their dreams come true, whether is is with Discount Tire or not. They embody this mission so well, that in my interview when I told the manager my families plans, he said he can help us get there. So I accepted.
Oh and it gets better. after even more discussion with the wife. Planning, and figuring out how to make things work the best not only while down there but how to make coming back easier on us as well, thinking long term. To put a budget together and plan we started looking at properties to get an idea of cost and mortage payments. But then to think we would have to sell it or rent it out when we came back and the hassle of that and unknown of the markets. My wife came up with the crazy idea that we buy a camper and live in it full time while we are down there that way when we come back we dont have to sell anything and we just bring the camper back with us. Crazy?!? Maybe, but the more we talked about it, the more we researched, and priced out, the more it seemed possible. So we have decided to make what seems like the hardest shift in our lives every.
Our goal; In July or 2024 we plan on moving to Kentucky. We will be purchasing a truck and 5th wheel camper, moving into the camper downsizing our house and life from 1,100 square feet and a 2 car garge into somewhere around 350-450 square feet of camper. Selling or possibly renting out our current home. I will transfer to a Discount Tire down there so I have a full time stabel job to start. We will then hit the road. While down there, I will work full time at Discount Tire and start building relationships for the business to grow. My wife will go back to school and get her masters degree. We will be learning to live a minimal life dependant on God, one another, and of course my business partner and his family. A small circle, but a strong circle. In 3-5 years the goal will be to have grown the business to a point that we can hire a business manager to handle and continue the owrk that I do there in Kentucky so we can then move back home. My wifes new degree will allow her to get a job that will be able to support the family initially when we get back to Ohio so I can then focus on expanding the business and growing it here in Ohio as well.
So, for the next year and a half we plan on changing our current budget to save and majorly starting to downsize our posessions and organize our house and living to start living simpler. We are catigorizing all of our householf items into 3 catigories: Camper, Storage, get rid of. Since we plan on coming back, and one day living in a house again we have several items of personal sentimental value such as a grandmas china cabinet, or a family passed down dinning room table. These items will get place in an indoor temeprature controled storage unit for when we return.
That is the begining to our crazy adventurefor the next several years to come and honestly the inspiration to me starting this blog. To begin going into further depths of some decision we are making, things we are doing, and leaps we are taking. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope blogs to come can be useful to you in some way. God bless!
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