I had a blog once. And then I got busy. So here we go, again. I like to blog -- it's a great way to keep track of awesome moments on this adventure we call life. Apparently other people want to keep up with our crazy family, too, so in an effort to both document and share I present to you Our Adventures In Life.
Our family has just begun an amazing adventure. We have no clue where it will lead us, or when it will stop. We decided the 'norm' just wasn't for us...and did something about it. It was really an evolutionary process. We're what society likes to call 'non-traditional', apparently. I wouldn't have used that label, but over the course of the past 6 years just about every choice we make is considered 'outside the box'. So there ya go.
We tried the route of the so called American Dream. College educated, married, dual income family. Awesome house in a swim/tennis community in the suburbs (oh yeah...how many of you didn't know that Ian Drennan has a house in the burbs?!). 2 kids. Hubby works a 9-5 (or so, depending on the day and the work load). Save, save, save. Retirement is everything! But it just didn't feel right.
I'll blame the initial steps on myself. I have a theory that military brats grow up in one of two ways: so tired of the transient lifestyle they never move and almost never travel, or doomed to a life of wanderlust (that's me!) and feel stagnant when life gets routine. Weekend trips work for awhile. The hubs knows he's in trouble when I start re-decorating. Change. I crave it. I want to travel. To see the world. Experience different cultures. I want life to truly be an adventure!
Cue the late night conversations about what we're doing, where we're headed, and why. If you didn't know, Ian is a world class canopy pilot. He's a member of an elite team that trains, competes, coaches, and travels around the world on expeditions. So for the last 6 years, Ian has worked overtime trying to find the balance of the stable, secure career that makes sure his family is taken care of and his true passion of skydiving and canopy flight. Working 40+ hours a week for the paycheck, health insurance, retirement account. Weekends and vacation are spent on training and competing. Overtime hours worked to allow additional PTO for team training, coaching gigs, etc. A sudden realization that we haven't spent dedicated family time together in...hmm. Who knows how long. An eye opening moment when you process this is normal. An adamant statement that something has to change (but how?!). The loss of a teammate in a tragic mountain flying accident solidifies the decision...the how is still a question. The death of a parent makes the how less important. What's highlighting your every thought is that it doesn't matter how hard you work, how much money you put away for retirement...when it's your time, it's your time and if you don't seize the moments you know you have, you or your family could live to regret it.
So...you outline new goals. Ours? To raise happy, healthy, children who are compassionate citizens of the world. To spend as much time together as a family as possible, and live the life we WANT to lead. To make the most $$ possible with the least amount of work so we can maximize our play time.
How have we managed that? Well. It wasn't an easy or direct process. 6 years ago I started my own after school enrichment/summer camp company. All the time and energy invested in the company has put me in a position that, with a small income hit, I have amazing employees who teach all my classes as I run the business side of things. It's an ever growing, evolving endeavor and the hope is it will continue to provide us with an ever increasing residual income and potential retirement check. Ian took a step away from the corporate lifestyle (and all the salary, security and benefits that go with it!) and now splits his time between being a tech consultant and coaching/training/competing. The theory is two weeks as a consultant, two weeks in skydiving each month. It involves lots of travel, lots of solo parenting...but it also means WAY more dedicated family time than we've ever enjoyed. From about March - November, Ian travels Th-M coaching about 3 weekends a month. M-Th 2 weeks, he works (from home), and the other 2 weeks he's off. Like off off. Like spend the day at the pool off. And it. Is. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Dec - Feb is the off season for skydiving, so he picks up a little extra consulting work...or we travel. Or both. I mean seriously. I'll take the income hit, the juggling of funds, the cutting out of extras, the older and less fancy car, the sloooooooow to decorate house if it means I get to spend a month in Mexico just because we feel like it (and oh by the way 15 days in he's only just put in his first bit of work).
So anyway. That's the gist. Our new lifestyle. Follow along and enjoy our adventures (or misadventures, as the case may be :p )!
