Esmé turns One, and a family update

And just like that, our baby is one…

It has been a well composed, emotional week (at least for mama) celebrating our sweet girl. I do not know how my heart could be any fuller, and yet each day It helps to keep her even more. Does it ever slow down, or will this overwhelming love continue to grow?

She'll never fully understand this unbreakable bond (except maybe once she has her own children), but her dada and I wrote her a letter so she'll always know what she means to us. Cue the sappy video…

As this milestone birthday passes and summer draws to a close, I cannot help but reflect back on this past year and where we are now. 2020 has been a strange, challenging and uncertain time. It has given us pause to re-evaluate both our daily lives and the bigger picture, focusing on our goals and what is most important.

Since settling down in Florida 2.5 years ago, life has thrown us a few curveballs and did not exactly unfold in the way we had planned. Our real estate goals have shifted, timelines adjusted and our focus has become clearer. We never imagined we'd be living in a home we dreamed up and built from scratch. We also did not think it would take us two years to finish our first investment, and that Covid would shut down the travel industry just as we were launching two AirBnbs.

Through it all, Lucas has also held down a full-time sales job. Our real estate and renovation hours are largely nights and weekends, and we do not have a team of contractors to rely on. We were prepared to dedicate our lives to this from Day 1, and that is what we have done. Apart from taking a week off for our wedding and babymoon we have been here working non-stop. Two trips in 2.5 years compared to a different city every two nights for the better part of a year… that is quite the adjustment!

But there is one thing I know for sure—change is good. Change is necessary to live a full and rich life, and challenges are catalysts for growth. This year has brought challenges for many of us, but with that comes an important reassessment and shuffling of priorities. For us, that meant prioritizing what was best for our family, and what truly made us happy.

We realized it was more family bike rides, more beach outings, more morning snuggles, more time to DIY and finish projects around the house, less stress over work deadlines…

And so we have made the decision for Lucas to leave the corporate world (hopefully for good this time) to focus on our real estate goals and family life. To be completely honest, this was not something we thought would be possible at the beginning of this year, especially after Covid hit. There is still plenty of uncertainty, and no one knows how the markets will be impacted in the near future. It is risky to walk away from a full-time career right now, but we'd rather live a full life instead of predictable one.

After ten years of blogging I feel like I am finally at a good place in my career, and I am genuinely finding my niche. I stay up at night dreaming about new projects, wake up excited to work on and share them with you. Lucas has also found a passion in DIY and would love to spend his days in the garage building, and spend more time with his daughter. Success is measured by happiness, not money. While it may not be the “safe” choice, we know it is the right one for us.

Have the events of this year brought any big changes to your life? Have your priorities shifted? As difficult as may be to see through the fog right now, this year will become a blessing for many of us once the dust settles. All challenges are opportunities if you allow them to be. I hope you seize the ones that come your way this year ❤️