Going mobile!

Did you guess my big news yet?  I've been leaving clues and can finally announce that we are 'going mobile'!  Talk about downsizing...wow.  Our rig of choice is a 1970-something Drifter slide-in truck camper.  It needs some updating; I will post pics of the rehab project-in-progress in a day or two.  This transition affects our business as well as our personal life, so until we had some logistical snags worked out, I had to keep mum.  Now that I can talk about the decision freely I'd like to explain the inspiration and goals for our adventure(s).

Many of my posts have addressed my need to simplify my life.  Until Sage came along, David and I were addicted to our business.  We allowed it to dictate every aspect of our life...we seldom spent time with our family and friends or nurtured our marriage.  Never did we take time for ourselves individually!  Life was passing us by and we hardly noticed...but there was a vague gnawing, like a hungry soul crying out for nourishment, whose voice began to grow louder and louder.  Then along came our precious wise little wildflower, and the need to listen to our hungry souls became undeniable.  Coastal living beckoned to us, so with minimal resources, and hopeful hearts, we moved our family and business to Corpus Christi. 

Two years have passed since we took this giant leap of faith and I have zero regrets.  Sage and I have met a lot of nice mommies and their babies through Stroller Strides and, more recently, LUNAfest.  Of course, having the beach right across the street from our house has also been a tremendous gift.  The recession hobbled our business, which in a way was a good thing.  Timing is always important, as they say, and the recession's was "impeccable."  Our business stalled about the same time David took on some responsibilities which required his full attention for months...and when that role began to diminish, demand for our services ramped up.  (Thank you to Higher Powers for watching over him!)  Greater interest in NativeDave.com means more work for me, as you might guess.  Sage is more mobile, creating more messes (ha ha ha), which also means more work for me.  It has become more and more difficult to juggle my workload, my housework-load and still be Mommy.  Time for me has become rare and precious.  So again that voice returned...this time SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS.

I began a spiritual and intellectual journey to discover the true Me.  Yes, I have written ad nauseum about that, too.  Many wonderful and not-so-great things have been revealed to me!  I have re-discovered myself and my priorities, MY VALUES.  As I wrote recently, my passion is writing.  Green living is my secondary passion; I can get lost for hours reading about natural and non-toxic homemade products for homecare and personal care.  Or raw food!  Ha ha, another frequent topic of my blogposts.  Adventure travelling is something I deeply appreciate but have done little of since before pregnancy.  Writing about all these things would be bliss...And not least of all is my penchant for sharing these passions and interests, as well as discovering new ones, with my little Sage.  I also learned that I am eternally grateful for everyone and everything that has brought me to today, this precise moment in the present.  (Even the bad people and events have taught me priceless lessons.)  As I have travelled this authentic path, I have shared every thought and epiphany with my sweet husband.  Thankfully, we share the same spirit of adventure and affinity for truth, love and happiness.  He has embraced my ideas and inspired new ones.  Many many years ago we agreed that IF we were to marry and IF we were to have a family, we would live and work in a way that would allow us to co-parent and explore the world together...as a family.  That pact has never been amended and has served us well.  Our mobile adventure brings us even closer to realizing these long-time dreams for us and our family.

Our business is still as important to us as it ever was, but now it is an extension of us, not the other way around.  Efficiency rules our daily operating procedures (the administrative tasks) so that our focus is teaching others to landscape and live in a sustainable manner.  In other words, we teach others to live more simply.  Now, as a mobile entity with a much-smaller footprint, our message will be clearer.  A lot of changes will take place in the services we offer, and if you are interested in following that journey, check out nativerave.blogspot.com.  I have not made the announcement there yet...but will in a day or two.  My goal for that blog is to become not only a place where we announce speaking engagements or post articles related to sustainable living.  It should be David's account of our mobile adventure and, most importantly, its relevance to the mission of our business.  This blog, then, will become strictly my take on the adventure, mostly discussing the other green nuances of our lifestyle.  In other words, nativerave will talk about plants and clients and their gardens; this blog will follow us through butterfly houses, farmers' markets, kid- and pet-friendly activities we encounter in our travels.  And beaches, of course.  Lots and lots of beaches...Maybe I should move my blog back to 'txgreenqueen'?  Thoughts?

To my new Corpus Christi friends...I am not going away.  At least not permanently.  We will be here half-time (maybe a little more) and travel the other half.  Now that I will have more Sage-and-me time, you can expect to see more us!  Promise!  About that, I am very happy.  See?  :)

To my lifelong Dallas and Austin friends...I will see you more often, too!  When we travel, I will let you know far in advance so we can meet up when I'm in town. 

And to all my other friends, flung across the globe...I might not be travelling to see you in my home-and-office-on-wheels, but I should be able to get away for that long-overdue visit.  Finally.  FINALLY.

Thank you for joining me for what I'm sure will be the most profound adventure of my life.  I can't wait to bring you up to speed on the preparations that have been in the works for about a year now.  More soon...until then, get to know you and make yourself happy.  Let your light shine.  Even when others seek to dim your light, let it shine!  Shine on, Friends.