Day 3434 – Reflections On Working With My Spouse Again – or – Our Tenth Closing!

Holy smokes, we closed on our tenth deal this week. It’s been a crazy, wonderful ride these past two years. While I didn’t expect to run another business with Bret, I’m not really surprised that we are doing just that.

Thankfully, I have an incredible marriage, to be married to your very best friend is one of the best things in life. We enjoyed working together in the photography business, but it was always MY business at the end of the day. When Bret started in real estate investing business over two years ago, it was his thing. I gave some advice here and there, gradually helping out in different ways, to where I am now, a full partner.

I think what’s made this business so much more fulfilling and good is that it’s OUR business. We’re both putting in a lot and we’re seeing the benefits of that. Talking about the business peppers nearly every one of our conversations.

I am so thankful to work with Bret again and look forward to doing so for years to come. 🙂

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Day 3333 – Reflections After Our Seventh Real Estate Investing Closing

When Bret started with real estate investing, I saw it as “his business” we’d chat about things like a husband and wife chat about their “day” jobs. Fast forward a few months and I started doing some administrative tasks for “his business.”

Then a few months ago, things shifted. We started to say “our business.” We talked about how we could ramp this up with our partners.

On Friday, we closed on our seventh property. To say that I never expected this would be our life is a bit of an understatement. My vision of what my life would be has changed so much over the past decade it almost makes my head spin to keep up. The biggest takeaway I’ve had is that it’s completely ok to change your work dreams…even every few months.

Because of us ramping up our business, we knew that our volume would increase across the board. From marketing output to appointments to calls to paperwork. As we were looking at things, the incoming calls were the biggest concern. Without ANY pressure, Bret asked if I thought I could help with calls. This was actually a pretty big ask because, to be honest, I’ve had some issues about being on the phone. We’re talking I would sweat and shake when I would call a place just to ask when they close (the reasons for this are long, drawn out, and not worth the story).

If he had asked this a year ago, I would have said, no way, nope nope nope! Keep me behind the computer, that’s my strength! But because of a number of experiences over the last few months, I knew it was a challenge that would stretch me and grow me and make a big impact on our business. The whole “if you want to be in a place you’ve never been before, you have to do things you’ve never done before” was ringing in my head.

This week, I did things I’ve never done before in our business. The first day I took calls was when Bret started back to school. We received about double the amount we’d received in the past, it was a crazy huge amount of calls. At the end of the day, I felt humbled that me taking a few hours out of my day could help us so much. The folks I spoke to were kind and it wasn’t a horrible experience. There are still a few kinks to work out, but I feel a lot more confident.

Friday, while Bret was busy at work, I did a bit of driving around (over 100 miles) for the business, which included doing a walkthrough of a property we were closing on later that day. As it turned out, this property was seen by all of our partners, so sitting around the closing table with everyone was a really neat experience.

After the closing, we went to eat with our partners. The place we chose was next to another restaurant we visited with them. What was a little surreal was how different things were compared to that previous meal. The previous meal took place about a month after Bret started working on building the business. At the time, it was still “his business” and not “our business.” I wasn’t listening to the conversation as much and didn’t feel like I had much to say.

But now, this has become OUR business so much more deeply and meaningfully. I can’t wait to see how this next stage of our business grows and changes us. I have to say, I really did miss working with my spouse. 🙂

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Day 3330 – Lessons Learned From My First Changed Workday

Yesterday was quite an experience, let me tell you. As I reflect on things, I realized the things I learned can apply to a lot of changes in our lives.

1 – No matter how much you prepare, there will always be an aspect you don’t know, didn’t think about, or will have questions about.

2 – Your first opportunity might come at the most inopportune time. (Read that as you’ll get your very first call while you’re in the bathroom and have to rush to finish).

3 – You will more fully understand what someone else has gone through. What I’m taking over is something Bret alone has done for nearly two years, I can much more deeply understand what he’s gone through the past few years.

4 – Most people are totally ok with you just starting out and will be very encouraging.

5 – Never say never. Ever. I still can’t believe I’m doing this particular job.

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Day 3201 – Things Learned Over Seven Years Of Blogging Every Day

I started this blog to help grow my wedding photography business. I saw it as a way to share stories from our marriage to connect with potential couples, and to share the message of the importance of marriage until death do us part. I love that I have blogged seven of the almost nine years we’ve been married. I’ve learned a lot about myself, my marriage, and what is possible when you show up every day to do something. Here are a few of the biggest lessons that have come out of this blog for me.

Showing up every day adds up to something you never could have imagined at the beginning. I never would have guessed that I would stop photography, or take four cross country road trips, or that I would share one of my biggest secrets.

You never know who you will impact through your posts. There have been countless times I’ve gotten messages from folks who said a post impacted them in a way I never would have expected.

You never know who is reading….every….single….day. A few times, I’ve had people say things like “I saw that on your blog” or know little details about me from reading my blog daily. It is a good reminder to really think about what I’m posting.

You never know where your life will take you. I’ve experienced a wealth of things over the last seven years. From moves to new jobs to leaving old jobs to new friends to new adventures. I’ve experienced extreme heartache as well as extreme heartoverloadgoodness.

Whatever you’re working on daily that doesn’t have foreseeable benefits – keep going.

Whatever you’re dreaming about and afraid to start because the plan isn’t clear – just start.

Whatever book you have buried in your heart – even a few lines a day will add up to a book in time.

Thank you to every one of you who has been here from the beginning or started following this week. You make me continue to show up, every day.

I took this picture at the moment I had the idea for this blog. I was so moved that I had started to cry. For some reason, the picture was flipped upside down. I’ve kept it this way because sometimes what we think will be the end product is so far from what we expected, but it’s better than we could ever have imagined. I can’t think of a better way to describe this blog.

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Day 2899 – I Never Thought I Would See My 35th Birthday

Here’s something a little “not normal” about me. I never thought I’d live to see 35. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d live through my 20’s. See, I lost many friends in my young adult years. When I was 15, my manager, who was 21, passed away. A few years later, a very close friend, who was 17, passed away. For the next few years, I would lose someone under 30 almost every year. I have attended so many funerals of young adults, and old adults. So, there was a part of me that thought I wouldn’t make it that long. In honor of them on my 35th birthday, I want to share how they have changed my life, even though they are gone.

1. Enjoy today as if it was your last.
2. Tell people you love them at every opportunity. Bret and I almost always say “it’s been real” when we say goodbye. Because you never know when it will be your last goodbye.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff…
4. …or the big stuff.
5. Laugh often, and without reservation.
6. Don’t hold too tightly to the negative things people think about you.
7. Stop and enjoy where you are right now.
8. If you wash dishes, wear an apron.
9. If a t-shirt is made for a teddy bear, you can wear it, really.
10. Don’t forget your wallet on a date.
11. God is the most important thing.
12. Don’t hold grudges for other’s mistakes, cover them with love and gratitude.
13. You can have another career in your “retirement.”
14. Use your “retirement” to build tree houses.
15. If you fail at something the first time, try again tomorrow.
16. Sacrificing yourself for someone else’s benefit, is the ultimate gift.
17. Greet everyone with a smile that genuine.
18. Take the trips, and laugh often.
19. You can leave a part of yourself for someone, even if you leave before they can remember you.
20. You can always take extra helpings of mashed potatoes.
21. Even if you are limited in some way physically, you can still make an incredible impact on others.
22. Hug others as fiercely as possible. You never know when your last hug will be.
23. Don’t hold tightly to winning fights.
24. Sing if you have the voice.
25. Have a second home, if you can.
26. Enjoy the small things.
27. Live in the moment.
28. Others can be impacted by your joy.
29. Every day is a chance to try again.
30. Visit the places you’ve always dreamed of before it’s too late.
31. Everything can change in an instant.
32. Do what you love.
33. Don’t make excuses for your mistakes.
34. Treat everyone as important.
35. But don’t waste your time on negative people.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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