The famous mathematician, Archimedes said “the shortest distance between two points in a straight line.” And we, as humans have been trying to make the paths of our lives shorter for millennia. We want things quickly. We want them easily. And we want to put in the littlest amount of work possible.

I know I have been there too.

But unfortunately, when it comes to our goals… very rarely is it ever a straight line. In the financial world, I watch as stock markets look like rollercoasters- climbing, peaking, falling, climbing, falling. It is part of the process. In the fitness industry, I saw it with weight loss graphs- some days weight would drop, others it would wise. I see it when driving on 475 and have to detour to the other lane because they are working on the northbound lane. I see it on the look of my daughters face when she is understanding and memorizing her ABC’s then forgets and becomes frustrated, defeated. I saw this when I taught the writing process to college freshmen. We all think writing is linear. I brainstorm, I draft, I revise, I edit, I submit a final draft. But the truth it isn’t even close. New ideas will form as you write. You will edit and revise and edit and revise and edit and revise and brainstorm and edit and draft and edit and revise and brainstorm and edit and draft and draft and edit and revise and draft and brainstorm and edit and revise (did I make you dizzy yet) more times than you can count. The point is that your life and your goals are the same way. It is everywhere, it is dizzy, it is messy, it is able to be drafted and edited and go up and down in circles even.

Yes, we will have moments of ease and amazement, that seem too good to be true. Where the ride is smooth, steady, quick, painless. But remember we will also have times and seasons when things are twisting, turning, heading in the opposite direction.

The point is on difficult days, remember your goals and what you seek. Your “why” is important. It is the driving factor of why you started in the first place. Then seek coaching, guidance, accountability, assistance, or help. Maybe someone will be able to straighten out your path, align your wheels, or help turn you back in the right direction. Maybe someone will be able to cut the clutter, eliminate the distractions, find the slightly new path. Maybe someone will be able to just listen to what you are trying to make happen and allow the brainstorming to take place. Or maybe someone will know of a new better way to get to the same end result.

For those of you that must hear it today: Stay on the path, my friends, even when it is a crazy one. The end result will be worth it.

Are you like me? There is a little voice in the back of my head that tells me I can do better. Occasionally, it is crippling loud and other times it is subdued and nearly the faintest whisper. But that desire to level up life is alive within me. Sometimes is makes me want to take on way more than the average person can fathom. But with that here is what I believe. My intention is to elaborate more on each of these beliefs. Today, my intention is to list them and see which one’s resonate with you and what I think help take me to the next level.

1.) The path to success is never a straight line. You will go up, down, in circles, backward, and upside down. Embrace the journey and learn from it. Every good story has challenges and obstacles. The hero overcomes these challenges. Be the hero of your story. But- don’t fail to create the plan. Nothing happens when there isn’t a plan in place. Have the plan, but know it isn’t going to always go as simple as planned.

2.) Notice moments of synchronicity. I believe these are guiding lights to lead you down the right path. They are our maps. They are put in front of you to notice. Pay attention. Many times I think this is God pointing you in the right direction. Pay attention and keep that faith.

3.) Get your reps in. One way we learn is through repetition. You have to do the reps to level up. You will not be a superstar on the first attempt, but with enough reps, you continue to get better. Do you reps!

4.) Find the silver lining. Tough things will happen. We have a choice of the emotion we put behind it. You can wallow in desperation, or choose to learn from it and grow. Find the positive in the situation.

5.) It takes a village…. The people you surround yourself with help you level up. Add value to the people in your village. Dream BIG with them. Serve them. Help one another set goals, learn from one another, and achieve success together. It takes a village to make your dreams a reality.

6.) You are your habits. Your body will reflect what you do. If you want to make changes, change your habits. But, a word of caution, changing a habit is one of the hardest things to do. Seek help.

7.) Seek help! Just like it takes a village, leveling up means you are not afraid to ask for help. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply ask.

8.) Don’t take life too seriously. Be light-hearted. Dance in the rain. Sing into the spatula. Go down the slide. Laugh so hard you spit out your drink.

9.) Be risky. Sometimes the only way to level up is to take the risk. Risks are scary. You will learn something from the risk. You will grow from the risk. You will change from the risk. Be calculated. Seek help and advice. But without risk, the reward is dismal. Want the reward, choose the risk.

10.) Place your family first. Moments and people only last for so long. Create those memories and stories with the people that mean the most. Be the parent you dream of being and set the example for your kids. Make time for them, be involved. Place your closest friends and family high on your list. Call your parents. Find time to connect with your partner. These memories go beyond the mundane day-to-day.

We all have different beliefs and we are all at different points on our path to make our dreams a reality. Some people may connect with these beliefs, and some pay think I am off in left field picking daisies. That’s okay. My goal for the next few weeks is to discuss these beliefs in more detail and how they have helped me shape my past and will continue to develop my future. I believe big things are coming. Here is to the adventure.

It has been nearly 10 years since Matthew and I have taken a real vacation. Yes, we have done weekend trips to Nashville and Pittsburgh, and other places. But we haven’t packed it up and gotten out of town for longer than 2-3 days.

Last summer we were visiting friends who had just gotten back from vacation. After a few adult beverages, someone suggested that we should all go on vacation, get a house with a pool, and have fun. Matthew and I agreed it would be fun, but didn’t actually think it would be something that would truly manifest itself (especially with our outlandish requests for the dream vacation). The next day, Brian begins sending property rentals that would house 13 (6 adults and 7 children), with a pool, and close to the beach. Honestly, my mouth hit the floor. They were serious!!! This is really happening. They are holding these drunken dreams accountable. We are actually going on vacation with the kids.

Fast forward 8 months. It’s midnight, 3 cars meet in the parking lot of Kohls in Spring Meadows. We are on our way. It is happening. We are on our way to the Ocean. Destin, Florida here we come.

Our first big adventure happened roughly an hour into the drive. All of our phones start going on. There is a tornado in your area, seek shelter, avoid mile markers 110-118. Brian calls. What should we do? Brian is a trained firefighter and EMT. I reminded him that he is our emergency professional and should make the call, and he wisely pulls over to wait out the storm. And what a storm it was. I had never seen rain coming down with that force and with that much wind. When all warnings had expired, we got back on the road only to be detoured off the highway around mile markers 110-118. On the drive home, we saw why. A small tornado took out a greenhouse, jumped the highway, and took the roof off a building on the other side. We barely missed it. I had never been so thankful for phone tracking and GPS in my life.

The second adventure happened all through the state of Alabama. You see, I65 is the only major interstate to that part of the Gulf Coast. And every Saturday people are headed either to the coast or packing up and heading home. What should have been a 5 hour drive, turned into nearly 10 hours due to bumper to bumper stopped traffic. So what do we do, we reroute and take some back roads. Driving through parts of Alabama we saw it all: Farms, plantations, horses, small towns, larger suburbs. It is cool to see more than just the interstate. But, a few things happened on that drive. First, Matthew and I decided that we were leaving Friday, instead of Saturday to avoid the Alabama traffic. Then we decided that we would stay the night in Nashville on the way home to break up the trip. It proved to be a good call and a much more pleasant and rested drive home.

Since Saturday was spent in a car, when we arrived to our house in Destin, there wasn’t much time left to explore. So we unpacked, ordered pizza, ordered some immediate groceries through instacart, and checked out the house. The house was perfect. It was called the Stairway to Hammock Heaven. We were about a block from the ocean. It had 3 main bedrooms and a bunkroom for the kids. Jack and Lily immediately took the top bunks. Out back, a pool with a spa. The kids put on their swimsuits and we swam for a few then everyone went to bed. It had been a long 24 hours.

The next morning our vacation was rolling. We went to the beach. I will never forget Jack and Lily’s face when they saw the ocean for the first time. Nor will I forget Matthews’s excitement as both of the took their first steps in the water holding his hand. We swam, played in the sand, looked for sea shells. Then it happened… real dolphins jumping out in the distance. It was so cool. After the beach we went back to the house for nap time, and a chance for the adults to socialize. Then we all packed up and went to Fud Puckers for dinner. There we saw alligators! We even got to hold a real life baby one and take our picture.

The next day we visited the boardwalk. We ate, played, and watched the charter boats come in with their latest catches. The kids play area was Jack and Lily’s favorite because not only did they jump around in bouncy houses, but we ate frozen pineapple. After the boardwalk it was back for naps, swimming, and grilling out at the house.

The next morning we woke up to checkout a breakfast joint then came back to the house to swim and play. Unfortunately, as we were planning to go to Destin Commons for dinner and then the Go Kart Track, Jack got sick. So we stayed behind to let Jack rest while the other families explored Destin Commons. It was sweet that they all decided to wait to go to the Track until Jack felt better.

Which he did the next morning! On Wednesday, however, it was Mom’s Getaway day. We booked a Tikibar Cruise to Crab Island. And let me tell you from about 8:45 am- 2 pm, us moms had a BLAST. The Tikibar boat was driven by Captain Kirk. He is a Destin native and a former funeral director. But decided to get out of the business and enjoy life’s happiness on the gulf. With a few beers and time, the three of us were in the water playing beer pong and other games, and listening to music. Crab Island is a must. I can’t wait for when the kids are bigger. I would love to rent a boat with a slide and let them have fun at a sand bar.

After Crab Island, we were off to the Track for Jack. The kids were tall enough to ride in the Go Karts while the parents drove. We were off to the races. It was so much fun. There were also other rides for the kids and bumper cars.

Thursday was Dad’s day to go golfing. While they were hitting the links at one of Destin’s beautiful golf courses, we packed up the kids and went to Target. We knew that we were going to have to jam pack a lot into our last full day. So when the boys got home we went to the beach and did more swimming and playing. Then we got dressed and went to Bayharbor Wharf for dinner. I wish we had more time to explore the wharf. We could have easily spent a whole day there exploring and playing. But, it gives us a reason to go back.

Unfortunately, Friday came fast and there we were packing up to head back to Ohio.
I am just so happy we did it. And I am so thankful to my Katie, my sister in law, for watching Tucker. It happened. We vacationed. And we will do it again!

Okay, I am going to say it. Snow days are NOT what they used to be. Whatever happened to waking up for school? Checking out the window to see if it snowed, Then turning on the TV to see if your school was listed. I remember mom trying to drop us off at the babysitter and getting stuck in the snow going up the hill of our neighborhood and turning around to come home.

Now we get text messages and automated phone calls the night before to tell us that school is going to be closed in the morning. At this point, it hasn’t even snowed yet. And when we wake up in the morning, it still hasn’t snowed yet.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for planning as a parent. And I do believe that it is nice to know ahead of time that the snow is coming. But, it just takes all the fun and spontaneity out of a true snow day. And perhaps we need some of that spontaneity in our lives, or at least a morning when the world literally tells us to go back to bed. But that is only the beginning of ruining a snow day.

Aside from being “unknown,” snow days are days to practice being present. The world miraculously tells you to take a break, to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of morning commutes, and to slow down. It will all still get done when the snow passes, instead, I couldn’t believe the amount of social media posts that stated people were bringing extra work home or kids that brought home extra school work. And this behavior is ruining a snow day.

I understand not wanting to fall behind but come on. Why are we filling the snow day with more things to do? Instead, why not fill the day with enjoying the snow? Play. Embrace your inner child. Look outside your window at the landscape before you, because as soon as the weather changes, that snow is gone. Put on your snow clothes and go play. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Snow days are about getting an extra chance to be a kid and enjoy the day with wonder. TAKE IT.

Snow days are about creativity. Now hear me out on this one. We are so used to filling our time with mindless things to do. But, wasting a snow day is ruining a chance to make memories and be creative. Try an experiment and learn something new. Get outside and shovel the snow. Make a snow angel just for the hell of it. Smile. Laugh. Do something unexpected with your unexpected day off. Enjoy. That is what it really comes down to.

Enjoy. Enjoy the “unexpected” day that forces you to slow down, be present, and be creative. Don’t waste a snow day by filling it with busy work and pre-planning because you will ruin it. You will make it pass by just like every other day, and when that happens, it isn’t special anymore.

When I was a kid snow days were special. Let’s keep them that way.