A YEAR IN THE MAKING!
Turning our dreams into reality started exactly one year ago. Every couple of months Spencer and I take a day and catch up on LIFE. The big stuff like finances, how we are tracking on to do lists, projects and goals. We reaffirm that our goals are still the same and modify if needed. If you don’t currently do this I highly recommend that you do! It is so important to take time to recognize your goals and progress for yourself as an individual, but especially if you are in a relationship!
Last year when we sat down to have our LIFE talk we realized a few things (1) we hadn’t made much progress towards our goals (2) neither of us had a strong point of view on some long-term decisions we had been discussing and (3) we found ourselves a bit disconnected as a couple.
We looked at each other, disappointed and a little confused as to how we had gotten there. In an effort to get back on track we had to dig in deeper. Rifle through all the excuses to get to the root of the problem. And what we found was that we were afraid, and we weren’t making our goals or each other a priority.
EXCUSES ARE EXCUSES
We call them excuses like they are a bad thing and I guess they can be. But the truth is they are also real. If you constantly find yourself making excuses, you should take time to break them down and figure out a solution to make your rationalizations less of a burden.
For us our excuse reality consisted of having full-time day jobs, building our own businesses in spare time, raising our son, being tired…. scratch that – being all out exhausted, trying to figure out all the things that comes along with having a little one, trying to maintain a healthy marriage, and seeing friends and family. After acknowledging our excuses and deciding how we could manage them more effectively, we got down to where we need to prioritize us and address our fear.
SABBATICAL
That’s we when made one the biggest decisions of our lives, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. No longer would we wait to start turning our dreams into reality! It just so happened I was eligible at my full-time job to apply for a sabbatical! That’s right, a sabbatical!!! You might be thinking… What the heck is that?!? Well for me it is the opportunity to apply for 1-3 months of paid leave from my full-time job for the purpose of taking a break after several years of work to rest, rejuvenate and relax. I applied last year and was APPROVED for this March, April, and May!
Out of a handful of co-workers I have known to take sabbatical, each has spent theirs a little differently. Many take sabbaticals over the summer when their kids are off school. I chose to apply for March – May because it would give us an entire year to plan and prepare, plus the seasonality of my workload was the least tasking during that time.
WHAT WILL WE DO
Here is where the saying “BIG RISKS for BIG REWARDS” comes into play. The paid sabbatical would only apply to me. However, we decided WE, as in our family, would take the sabbatical together. And we wanted it to be EPIC! As a family, we would be seeking clarity, family strengthening, soul cleansing, enhanced spirituality and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Which meant we would have to ask Spencer’s employer to grant him a non-paid leave of absence or he would have to resign from his job only to find another one after our sabbatical. A risky gamble but we believed in our hearts that it would all work out.
We started planning and saving for our epic sabbatical adventure. As we shared our plans with close family and friends we got an array of responses. As you can only imagine! But we held true to our plans. This was what we decided, this is what we know we will enjoy, this is what we know we need! There is no reason to wait to make it all happen and turn our dreams into reality!
SO TELL US ALREADY
BIG NEWS #1 was that we are taking a SABBATICAL!
BIG NEWS #2 is that we are going to NEW ZEALAND + AUSTRALIA!!!!!
The Stevens Sabbatical starts in a few weeks! We will be traveling for six weeks total. Our trip starts with a two week stay in Queenstown, NZ, and then we jet to Sydney, AUS for a month. In each location we have rented a home and will explore from there staying a few nights in a hotel or two. We have booked our flights, rental cars and homes but the rest is all up in the air!
“when you stop and look around life is pretty amazing”
We are beyond grateful for this opportunity to spend so much time together exploring new places. We welcome any and all suggestions! What to do, where to eat, where to shop, must see places! Any ideas or experiences you have to share please do so!
So that’s our big news! I am taking a hiatus for the next three months and our family is heading abroad for six weeks. We are only a few styled photoshoots, a wedding weekend and a lot of packing away from making our dreams into a reality.
It still seems pretty surreal that this is actually happening but we couldn’t be more excited! Thank you so much for all of your friendship and support! We hope you will enjoy following along on our adventure!
THANK YOU!
So many Thank you’s to Megan from Maewood Photography for capturing these beautiful sunflower field family photos!
“let us dance in the sun wearing wild flowers in our hair”
SHOP OUR FAMILY STYLE
