Hello again. It has been too long, and I have struggled through writing this for no less than eight weeks. It’s been difficult because I have no great revelation to share. No life-changing epiphany as to our future plans. I think I kept waiting for it to come, but if I wait for the perfect plan to fall from heaven, I may never write again and would miss all the beauty in the meantime. I have struggled with that – finding beauty in the meantime. So fair warning: this is not written to inspire but to inform. Maybe together we’ll learn something along the way.

Adam asked me this morning if I thought Charles (my Dad) loved him less since he wasn’t providing for me financially. I replied with no emotion, “I’m not sure”. Fully aware of how much Adam needs verbal affirmation, I knew this would drive him nuts, but I also know that Charles adores Adam, and that this chapter is merely that – a chapter.

Basically, Adam is a boss. If I told him at every opportunity how great he was, his head would inflate until he blew away. On June 3^rd, Adam was accepted to a program called The Founder Institute. Founded by Adeo Ressi (Elon Musk’s college roommate for your daily trivia), the program’s first Greenville chapter launched this summer, marking their 100^th city where the program is active. Talk about good timing. Adam was reading about this program in March while we were still in North Dakota. Little did we know we would be in Greenville and he would be available to participate. After bizarre and tormenting personality and aptitude tests, Adam was not only accepted to the program but awarded the Veteran’s Fellowship. Since July, he’s been leading his team of other participants through the weekly challenges of building revenue models, perfecting his pitch, branding his business, and surveying his market.

The Founder Institute’s strength is stepping entrepreneurs through the process of building their ideas into a business. Their track record for successful businesses launched under their supervision is impressive, but it is not guaranteed. This is just the beginning! We are currently accepting all prayers on our behalf.

And me, well… I envy those who have strong convictions and clear direction for what they want to accomplish in life. I know the path is winding, but so many people at least have an end goal that drives them – whether it is to be a fashion designer, Fortune 500 CEO or stay-at-home-Mom. But what if you just want to be awesome? What if being the best version of yourself is the end goal? What yellow brick road leads you there?

My first pursuit since North Dakota was Interior Design. I toured the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with dreams of study dates with my sister who is pursuing a degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Inside the classrooms of SCAD’s design building in Savannah’s historic district, desks were covered with floor plans and cardboard house models built by hand. Bulletin boards were full of actual pins and clippings of each student’s inspiration for their project. It was like Pinterest in real life. My respect for the profession was made new when I realized that Interior Design is just as much science as it is art. Their skill set is more closely aligned to architecture than décor. Maybe this is common knowledge, but it was eye-opening to me. To be the professional designer that I was imagining, I needed to start from square one, but I don’t want to start from square one. I want to capitalize on the experience the Navy gave me and utilize skills that I’ve already practiced and proven.

In June, I began working for a property management company based out of Georgia with real estate throughout the Southeast. They have mastered the art of revitalizing historic buildings into luxurious living spaces and giving new construction the character that is starved from most complexes today. Their team is top-notch, and I have learned a new dynamic of management in this largely complaint-driven industry. I’m working part-time now to focus on other opportunities, but while this position is temporary, I will forever have the best recommendations if anyone is looking for a new home in Greenville, Spartanburg, or Asheville!

In the meantime, my head has been everywhere. I’m pursuing opportunities in the corporate, small business and real estate worlds as well as opportunities for higher education. I was excited about law school for approximately 3 hours before realizing my desire was not actually to practice law but to be intellectually stimulated. I have looked into various MBA programs, and most recently, I’m seriously considering an MFA in creative writing where the end goal is writing a novel. Who am I kidding – The end goal is to win the Pulitzer Prize. A girl can dream J

While Adam is on his way to big things, for me, living unencumbered + 4 months of soul-searching no longer feels liberating. It feels more like anxiety. It feels like being a mouse in a maze of tall hedges trying to determine which way is out. It feels like the pendulum has swung and now the lack of a plan or a focus is itself encumbering.

I want more than anything to pour myself into something that excites – Not just for the purpose of earning a living but for earning a purpose while living.

So I warned you. This story does not have a spectacular ending. It really has no ending at all, but I’m learning that life isn’t actually about the endings. Isn’t life made up of the moments in the meantime? We anxiously anticipate the next milestone, but it’s the moments in the meantime that are crucial. It’s the moments spent studying that led to your scholarship, and the moments of endless practicing that led to winning the competition. It’s the moments focused on self-improvement that attracted your spouse, and those moments spent parenting that developed your children into adults. Isn’t it the meantime that really matters, while the milestones are merely the result of your efforts? I think so. While I cannot wait to have some sort of plan for my life, I’m learning to pine for tomorrow less and live in the meantime more, because today is too good to miss.

Parting words from a cheesy, throw pillow quote:

Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.