I last wrote while searching into the deep unknown of my young present tense. We left a wonderful home we made for ourselves in California and moved east towards North Carolina. There was so much to look forward to there. Our hope was that it would become a place to make our dreams come true. We looked forward to being able to see our families more often, saving money, and building a life there. It had given us many things but nothing like we expected. I have learned in my 25 years that trying to plan anything in your life is just a joke. There is a master plan and all you can do is follow it.
After 9 months of scraping by and feeling less than myself, we had to change something. Ben had began a successful wildlife management business which was rewarding most of the time for him. He was able to spend most of his days working for himself while still maintaining sanity by offering kayak tours for our local tour shop on the island. I was stuck trying to make a decent wage by being a waitress, nannying and other menial jobs where no one takes you seriously. I had tried to pursue my massage therapy in NC but was underwhelmed by the lack of wellness minded people and overwhelmed by all of the money and luxurious lifestyles that surrounded me. We all of the sudden felt like we were being pushed to fit a mold of young adult married couples. Our church was like an Abercrombie and Fitch magazine where even our Pastor had a great tan and good hair. (He was a great preacher though). In any case, we were living in caucasian, Bible belt land. It became clear to us that Wilmington and Carolina Beach were not making us happy. The culturally inclined west coast was still lingering in our minds and we had begun contemplating moving back to Humboldt County. It was a scary thought. I didn't want to back track. Yet so many people were giving us the run around and I couldn't stand it anymore. I believe I hit an ultimate low when I found myself interviewing for a job in the army town of Fayetteville NC for a nannying position with a family who would have hired me without even asking me questions. This was an hour away from my home and I would have had to do overnights at these strangers house. I left the "interview" feeling as big as a grain of salt. I felt hopeless and misled. At the same time of this interview I had my resume submitted to a job in Key West Florida. The job was listed as running a small wellness spa where housing was included as well as profit sharing. At this point I had made it to the second round of interviews. My hopes were high yet felt unattainable and hard to believe being my current circumstances. Ben had edited every email I wrote to the owners of this spa. I really put my heart into it. After not hearing from them for a couple weeks I felt an urge of confidence and decided to call them so they could hear my voice and match it with my resume. I was able to talk to one of the owners but it was a short lived conversation and I hung help feeling more nervous then I was before I dialed. Oh well, I drove on and went to pick up my friend Tina from the airport since she was visiting. Time went on and on for what seemed like months when really it was a couple weeks and I heard back from them. They wanted to do a video interview! I was thrilled. I spent all night before hand making notes and researching their website. The interview came and there I was, interviewing for my dream job.
My now present employers offered me to come down to Key West and meet them. They weren't going to interview anyone else until they met me face to face. I spent 3 days there and on the last night they offered me the job. Tears of joy ran down my face and I looked over at Ben and he was also welling up with tears. This was a life changing opportunity! In January we officially became residents of Key West FL and now we are living here in wonderment about all of our possibilities. I love my job and feel full of life every day. We have made friends and have found fun places to go and spend time together. We have little markets and wild roosters running around. Everyday I make sure to see the water. It is an absolute gift to see the ocean every day and smell salty air. Our sailboat is in the water and we are making a go of learning the art of sailing. Someday we can buy a larger boat and live on it. Yes, it is attainable here and where we never thought we could be...we are. It's funny how God's plan is far greater than what you could think up. The gifts of confidence and perseverance are two that I am so thankful I have. If it weren't for my up-bringing, my husband, and my faith, I don't know if I would be here in this place.
Tomorrow we are meeting some friends to take our boat out. March 1st, 70 degrees and sunny with a chance of an awesome time.
